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Quiz about The Late 1940s  Lyrics n Things
Quiz about The Late 1940s  Lyrics n Things

The Late 1940s - Lyrics 'n Things Quiz


A mostly lyric quiz focussing on the 1946-1949 period. The dark ages of pop music, I fear that this might be fairly difficult except for the true devotee of 1940's music!

A multiple-choice quiz by maddogrick16. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
maddogrick16
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
174,912
Updated
Oct 09 23
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
9 / 15
Plays
1555
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 75 (12/15), dukejazz (8/15), Guest 163 (13/15).
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Question 1 of 15
1. "We'll never part for I love you
Dear little girl, sweet little girl
Sweeter than the Rose of Erin
It's the shamrock we'll be sharin'"
The line before these is where the title of the song is sung. It was a #1 song from 1947.
Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. Another #1 from 1947 was an ad-libbed ensemble piece that was primarily spoken - only the chorus was sung. The title was "Open The Door _________!" Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. Yet another #1 from 1947:
"__________________ is a beautiful town
You buy a hacienda for a few pesos down
You give it to the lady you are tryin' to win
But her papa doesn't let you come in"
What we need in the blank is the name of a Latin American city.
Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. "It's wonderful as heaven, a special kind of heaven
But only when I'm near you
Times when we're apart I wonder how I can face my heart
Say you'll never stray
More than just two lips away"
This song had spent more weeks at #1 than any other song in the history of the Billboard charts as of 2002! Name it.
Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. "The night seemed to fade into blossoming dawn
The sun shone anew but the dance lingered on
Could we but recall that sweet moment sublime
We'd find that our love is unaltered by time"
Can you name this song? I think it's tough so I'll give you a hint. It was #1 for Dinah Shore and #2 for Al Jolson in the same year.
Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. "When I go to sleep, I never count sheep
I count all the charms about _____.
And lately it seems in all of my dreams
I walk with my arms about _____."
A girl's name will complete this lyric!
Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. This song was Peggy Lee's biggest hit of all time. Name it!
"My brother took a suitcase and he went away to school
My father said he only learned to be a silly fool
My father said that I should learn to make a chili pot
But then I burned the house down, the chile was too hot"
Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Bing Crosby was still churning out the hits at this time. Identify this one.
"While you're away, oh, then remember me
When you return you'll find me waiting here."
Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. "And then one day, a magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings
This he said to me.
'The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return'"
Do you know this one from 1948?
Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. "The snow is snowing and the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?"
This was a hit in 1949. Name it, but be careful!
Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. This was a #5 hit for Russ Morgan in 1949.
"There's a true blue gal who promises she would wait,
She's a sunflower from the sunflower state"
It became what state's official song?
Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. "You may hear her laughing across a crowded room
And night after night, as strange as it seems
The sound of her laughter will sing in your dreams"
Name this classic.
Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. Within six months starting in October 1949, Frankie Laine would have three #1 songs. Which of the following was not one of them? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. "East is east and west is west
And the wrong one I have chose
Let's go where I'll keep on wearin'
Those frills and flowers and buttons and bows"
This was the biggest song for 1948, a #1 for ten weeks. Who sang it?
Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. "I make such pretty speeches whenever we're apart
But when you're near the words I choose refuse to leave my heart.
So take the sweetest phrases the world has ever known
And make believe I've said them all to you."
A #5 song for Harry James in 1946. Can you name it?
Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "We'll never part for I love you Dear little girl, sweet little girl Sweeter than the Rose of Erin It's the shamrock we'll be sharin'" The line before these is where the title of the song is sung. It was a #1 song from 1947.

Answer: Peg O' My Heart

These are all old, old standards. "Peg 'O My Heart" was a #1 song in 1913 for tenor Charles Harrison and was written that year by Alfred Bryan (lyrics) and Fred Fisher (music) for the Broadway musical "Ziegfeld Follies of 1913". It re-appeared out of nowhere in 1947 and was a #1 hit for no less than three artists; an instrumental version for seven weeks by The Harmonicats, a vocal version for six weeks by Buddy Clark and another vocal version for three weeks by The Three Suns. Three other artists had top 10's with their recordings; Art Lund, Ted Weems and Clark Dennis. Altogether astonishing for a 34 year old chestnut! Meanwhile, "The Rose of Tralee" dates back to the 1870's, "My Wild Irish Rose" was written in 1899 by Chauncey Wolcott and "I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover" was a Dixon/Woods collaboration from 1927.
2. Another #1 from 1947 was an ad-libbed ensemble piece that was primarily spoken - only the chorus was sung. The title was "Open The Door _________!"

Answer: Richard

Richard is presumably asleep in his house and his friends are trying to rouse him. The "song" consists of the friend's mutterings and knocks on the door! It's hard to say what the attraction was to the consumers and listeners that vaulted this to the #1 position for not just one but two different artists; Count Basie and The Three Flames.

This innocuous pap would be Basie's only #1 - seems a shame! Even more remarkable was that five other groups managed top 10 hits with it as well! The dark ages of pop music indeed!
3. Yet another #1 from 1947: "__________________ is a beautiful town You buy a hacienda for a few pesos down You give it to the lady you are tryin' to win But her papa doesn't let you come in" What we need in the blank is the name of a Latin American city.

Answer: Managua, Nicaragua

Yes, "Managua, Nicaragua", the capital of the country, was a #1 hit for three weeks with Freddy Martin and for one week with Guy Lombardo. The music was kind of catchy!
4. "It's wonderful as heaven, a special kind of heaven But only when I'm near you Times when we're apart I wonder how I can face my heart Say you'll never stray More than just two lips away" This song had spent more weeks at #1 than any other song in the history of the Billboard charts as of 2002! Name it.

Answer: Near You

"Near You" topped the charts for an amazing seventeen weeks for Francis Craig in 1947. Craig was a pianist/composer/bandleader and he wrote the music and played the piano on this disc. The lyrics were written by Kermit Goell and Bob Lamm was the vocalist on the recording. Craig led a dance orchestra for many years in Tennessee and the mid-west but he only had two hit records; this one and the follow-up, "Beg Your Pardon", a #3 hit in 1948. Lamm was the vocalist on both and he seems to have faded into absolute obscurity thereafter. "Near You" was also a #10 hit in 1958 for Roger Williams.
5. "The night seemed to fade into blossoming dawn The sun shone anew but the dance lingered on Could we but recall that sweet moment sublime We'd find that our love is unaltered by time" Can you name this song? I think it's tough so I'll give you a hint. It was #1 for Dinah Shore and #2 for Al Jolson in the same year.

Answer: Anniversary Song

"Anniversary Song" was also a #2 hit for Guy Lombardo, a #3 for the Glenn Miller Band with Tex Beneke, and a #4 for Andy Russell, all in 1947. It was featured in the movie "The Al Jolson Story" and was based on Ivanovic's 1880 composition "Danube Waves".

The new version was written by Saul Chaplin and Al Jolson himself. He was 61 years old at the time. For many, many years thereafter, if a band was going to get a gig playing for a wedding, they HAD to know this song!
6. "When I go to sleep, I never count sheep I count all the charms about _____. And lately it seems in all of my dreams I walk with my arms about _____." A girl's name will complete this lyric!

Answer: Linda

"Linda" was a two week #1 for Ray Noble's Orchestra in 1947. Buddy Clark was the crooner in front of the band and Jack Lawrence was the songwriter. There were three competing versions of the song at the time but none threatened Noble's version. In 1963, Jan & Dean revived it and charted #28.
7. This song was Peggy Lee's biggest hit of all time. Name it! "My brother took a suitcase and he went away to school My father said he only learned to be a silly fool My father said that I should learn to make a chili pot But then I burned the house down, the chile was too hot"

Answer: Maņana

"Maņana" was #1 for nine weeks in 1948. The song was co-written by Lee and her husband at the time, Dave Barbour. He was a guitarist and played with a number of big bands (Benny Goodman, Red Norvo, Hal Kemp & Artie Shaw) throughout the 1940's. All the other songs were actual Peggy Lee recordings that didn't have near the success of "Maņana".
8. Bing Crosby was still churning out the hits at this time. Identify this one. "While you're away, oh, then remember me When you return you'll find me waiting here."

Answer: Now Is The Hour

"Now Is The Hour" was Bing's 36th and final #1 hit in his illustrious career. The song was subtitled "Maori Farewell Song" based on the traditional New Zealand song "Haere Ra". Interestingly, it was recorded 'a cappella', the only accompaniment being provided by the voices of The Ken Darby Choir.
9. "And then one day, a magic day he passed my way And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings This he said to me. 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return'" Do you know this one from 1948?

Answer: Nature Boy

"Nature Boy", written by Eden Ahbez, was a #1 hit for Nat "King" Cole for eight weeks in 1948. It was his second #1, following "For Sentimental Reasons" in 1946 and it cemented his status as a major talent. This song and "Mona Lisa" would be his biggest hits.
10. "The snow is snowing and the wind is blowing But I can weather the storm! What do I care how much it may storm?" This was a hit in 1949. Name it, but be careful!

Answer: I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" by Vaughn Monroe was #1 in 1946 for five weeks. In 1949, "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", an Irving Berlin number, was #1 for Les Brown but as an instrumental! A cover of the 1937 vocal rendition by Ray Noble was recorded by the Mills Brothers but stalled at #9.
11. This was a #5 hit for Russ Morgan in 1949. "There's a true blue gal who promises she would wait, She's a sunflower from the sunflower state" It became what state's official song?

Answer: Kansas

The song "Sunflower" begins:
"I was born in Kansas, I was bred in Kansas,
And when I get married, I'll be wed in Kansas."
12. "You may hear her laughing across a crowded room And night after night, as strange as it seems The sound of her laughter will sing in your dreams" Name this classic.

Answer: Some Enchanted Evening

Of course, this song came from the Rodgers and Hammerstein production of "South Pacific". A raft of vocalists recorded this one in 1949 from Bing to Ezio Pinza to Jo Stafford. Of the seven versions that charted, Perry Como had the biggest hit, #1 for five weeks.
13. Within six months starting in October 1949, Frankie Laine would have three #1 songs. Which of the following was not one of them?

Answer: Riders In The Sky

It was his time! Although Laine maintained his popularity well into the rock era, these would be his only #1 hits! "Riders In The Sky" was Vaughn Monroe's biggest hit ever, a #1 for twelve weeks in 1949.
14. "East is east and west is west And the wrong one I have chose Let's go where I'll keep on wearin' Those frills and flowers and buttons and bows" This was the biggest song for 1948, a #1 for ten weeks. Who sang it?

Answer: Dinah Shore

Needless to say, "Buttons And Bows" was also Shore's biggest hit ever. She did have three other #1 hits: "I'll Walk Alone" in 1944, "The Gypsy" in 1946 and the previously mentioned "Anniversary Song" in 1947. It was composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and was featured in the film "Paleface" starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell. It won the Academy Award for best song in 1948.
15. "I make such pretty speeches whenever we're apart But when you're near the words I choose refuse to leave my heart. So take the sweetest phrases the world has ever known And make believe I've said them all to you." A #5 song for Harry James in 1946. Can you name it?

Answer: I Can't Begin To Tell You

This was a #1 hit for Bing Crosby and Carmen Cavallaro in December 1945 and James covered it early in 1946. The singer for James was listed as Ruth Haag but was none other than his wife at the time, Betty Grable! It was featured in Grable's film "The Dolly Sisters". It was adapted from a 1906 song "When Love Is Young In Springtime" by James V. Monaco and Mack Gordon.
Source: Author maddogrick16

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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  4. Were Those Songs Really That Old? Average
  5. Were Those Songs Really That Old? Vol II Average
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  9. The Late 1940s - Lyrics 'n Things Average
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