My Favorite Songs of the 1950s - Part 9 Quiz

Answer: The Sound of Music

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote "Edelweiss" for their 1959 Broadway musical "The Sound of Music". It was first sung by Theodore Bikel (who played Captain Georg von Trapp), Mary Martin (who played Maria), and the children.

In the 1965 movie version, the song is first sung by Bill Lee (who dubbed the singing for Christopher Plummer) and Charmaian Carr (who played Liesel). It is later reprised with those two, Julie Andrews (as Maria), the other children, and the audience at the Salzburg folk festival.

This was the last song that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote together before Hammerstein's death in 1960 from stomach cancer.

While the song was popular, it was not well received by Austrians for being filled with cliches. The 1984 president of Austria, Rudolf Kirchschlager, called the song tacky.

It has since been covered by many artists, including Julie Andrews, Lea Salonga, Vince Hill, and Carrie Underwood.

Answer: roses

Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim wrote "Everything's Coming Up Roses" for the 1959 Broadway musical "Gypsy." The song was first sung by Ethel Merman, who originated the role of Mama Rose on Broadway.

In the 1962 movie version, the song was performed by Lisa Kirk, who dubbed the singing for Rosalind Russell, who played Mama Rose.

The song has also been performed by Bette Midler, Patti LuPone, Liza Minelli, and Bernadette Peters.

Answer: The Lonely Goatherd

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote "The Lonely Goatherd" for their 1959 musical "The Sound of Music." It was first sung by Mary Martin (as Maria) along with the Von Trapp children. The song tells the story of a goatherd who is heard by people yodeling, then falls in love with a girl who "wears a pale-pink coat." The song was sung by Maria during a storm to calm the children down.

In the 1965 film version, the children and Maria (played by Julie Andrews) perform this song for Captain Von Trapp. They do it as a marionette show.

The song has been covered by the Von Trapps, the great-grandchildren of the real Georg and Maria von Trapp. It has also been covered by Laibach.

Answer: 9

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote "Love Potion No. 9" in 1959. It was first recorded by the Clovers and reached number 23 on the charts.

The Searchers recorded the song in 1964, and their version reached number three on the charts.

It has also been recorded by artists such as Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, The Coasters, Tygers of Pan Tang, and Rockapella.

Answer: Maria

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote "Maria" (sometimes called "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria") for their 1959 Broadway musical "The Sound of Music." The song was originally sung by the Mother Abbess and the nuns at Nonnberg Abbey.

The song asks questions such as "How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?" Impossible things such as this imply that Maria is also impossible to deal with. Maria is not a bad person, and they all know that, but she is curious about everything. They explain, "But her penitence is real."

Answer: dream

Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain wrote the lyrics to "Once Upon a Dream." George Bruns adapted the music from "The Sleeping Beauty Ballet" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is the main theme in the "Sleeping Beauty" movie. It is used multiple times in the film, including Aurora (voiced by Mary Costa) and Prince Phillip (voiced by Bill Shirley).

"Once Upon a Dream" has been covered by artists such as Emily Osment, Lana del Rey, Jenny Oaks, and Linda Elder.

Answer: shoulder

Paul Anka wrote and recorded "Put Your Head on My Shoulder." It was a number-two hit. In the 1960s, Enrique Guzman recorded a Spanish version of the song called, "Tu cabeza en mi hombro." This version was more popular in Latin America than the Anka one.

Anka got the idea for the song from his fans. He saw them putting their heads on each other's shoulders during tender, intimate moments at his concerts.

The song has been covered by The Letterman, Elliot James Reay, Michael Buble, and Andre Askeland Hagen.

Answer: Gypsy Rose Lee

Jules Styne and Stephen Sondheim wrote "Rose's Turn" in 1959. It is the eleven o'clock number in "Gypsy." It was first performed by Ethel Merman, who originated the role of Mama Rose. Mama Rose is hurting. Herbie has left her, and her daughter June ran away with one of the boys from the shows. Louise is not stripping under the name Gypsy Rose Lee and also appears to be ungrateful. While singing that she didn't do it for herself, she starts to break down and realizes she never got to be a star, but she is no longer living for everyone else because "everything's coming up Rose."

The song has been covered by many women who have played the role since Merman, including Bette Midler, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, and Audra MacDonald.

In an episode in season one of "Glee," Kurt Hummel (played by Chris Colfer) sings "Kurt's Turn" which is "Rose's Turn" with his name in place of Rose's name. In the song, he sings, "And if it wasn't for me then where would you be, Miss Rachel Berry."

Answer: Phil Phillips

John Philip Baptiste (known better as Phil Phillips) wrote the song "Sea of Love" in 1959. He was also the first to record the number, which was his only hit, reaching number one on the charts. The song was originally recorded under Phil Phillips with The Twilights.

The song has since been covered by many artists, including Marty Wilde, Cat Power, Robert Plant and the Honeydrippers, and Emily West.

The song was also featured in the 1989 movie "Look Who's Talking."

Answer: The Sound of Music

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote "The Sound of Music" in 1959 for their Broadway musical of the same name. Patti Page first sang it as Rodgers and Hammerstein asked her to record the song before the Broadway show opened, hoping to get national attention for their show. It was then sung on Broadway by Mary Martin who originated the role of Maria.

In the 1965 movie version, Julie Andrews sang the song. It was then reprised later by the Von Trapp family. The song from the movie was ranked number ten in AFI's "100 Greatest Songs in Movie History."

The song has been covered by artists such as Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, Cynthia Erivo, and Sierra Boggess.

Answer: Teen Angel

Jean Dinning and her husband, Red Surrey, wrote the song "Teen Angel" in 1959. Dinning's brother, Mark Dinning, was the first to record the song. Many radio stations refused to play the song, saying it was too sad. However, the song slowly managed to climb the charts, eventually making it to the number one spot.

The song is sung by the boyfriend of the girl. They went on a ride, but the car stalled out on the tracks. He got her out of the car and safely away from the tracks. However, she runs back to the car and is killed by an oncoming train.

The song has been covered by several artists, including Alex Murray, Garry Mills, Sha Na Na, and Wednesday.

Answer: Why Must I Be a Teenager in Love?

Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman wrote the song "A Teenager in Love." It was first recorded by Dion and the Belmonts. The song reached number five on the charts. At first, Dion did not want to record the song, as he thought it sounded whimpy. But then, when they started singing the beginning "Ooh-wah" at the start of the song, he liked the sound.

The song has been covered by artists such as Sha Na Na, Connie Stevens (with the Muppets), The Boppers, and The Overtones.

Answer: Fabian

Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman wrote the song "Turn Me Loose" in 1959. Fabian's manager had requested that they write a song for Fabian, who was a teen idol at the time. It was Fabian's first hit song, reaching number nine on the charts.

David Essex covered the song in 1973.

Answer: Venus

Ed Marshall wrote "Venus" in 1959. It was recorded by Frankie Avalon and reached number one on the charts. In the song, the singer asks Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, for a girlfriend to love and be loved by.

Since then the song has been covered by performers such as Dickie Valentine, Frankie Avalon who covered it himself in the 70s as a disco song, Johnny Mathis, and Jamie Redfern.

Answer: Gimmick

Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim wrote "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" in 1959 for the Broadway musical "Gypsy." It was originally sung on Broadway by Faith Dane as Mazeppa, Chotzi Foley as Electra, and Maria Karnilova as Tessie Tura. The three strippers are explaining to Louise how to be a good stripper.

The song was performed in the 1962 movie by Faith Dane (who reprised her role as Mezeppa) Roxanne Arlen (as Electra), and Betty Bruce (as Tessie Tura).

In stage revivals and movie remakes, various women have covered the song, such as the Bette Midler TV version where it was performed by Linda Hart, Anna McNeely, and Christine Ebersole.