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Quiz about Lyrics from the Early 60s 1961

Lyrics from the Early '60's - 1961 Quiz

1961 was a great year for music. Lot's of catchy numbers. Let's run through a few with a variety of questions based on the lyrics.

A multiple-choice quiz by maddogrick16. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
maddogrick16

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
172,955

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
3533

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 24 (7/15), Guest 174 (9/15), Guest 72 (12/15).

One at a Time - Single Page

Question 1 of 15

1. "When we kiss my heart's on fire, burning with a strange desire.
And I know each time I kiss you, that your heart's on fire too."
The title, please?
Hint

Surrender

My Heart's On Fire

Kiss Of Fire

Passion

NEXT>

Question 2 of 15

2. "With eyes as black as coal that look down in my soul and starts a fire there and then I lose control, I have to beg your pardon.
I'm going to pick that rose and watch her as she grows in my garden."
Can you identify the title for this 1961 hit?

Hint

Ebony Eyes

Spanish Harlem

Corinna, Corinna

San Antonio Rose

NEXT>

Question 3 of 15

3. "I'm a travellin' man, I've made a lot of stops all over the world.
And in every part I own the heart of at least one lovely girl."
The question is: how many girl friends does Ricky Nelson tell us about in "Travellin' Man"? Hint

NEXT>

Question 4 of 15

4. "If she would leave us alone, we would have a happy home". Of whom is the singer referring? Hint

"Venus In Blue Jeans"

her "Little Sister"

his "Mother-In-Law"

"His Latest Flame"

NEXT>

Question 5 of 15

5. Identify this #1 hit.
"On the ground your glove I found with a note addressed to me.
It read 'Dear Love, I've done you wrong now I must set you free'." Hint

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

It's Over

Moody River

I'm Sorry

NEXT>

Question 6 of 15

6. "I couldn't sleep at all last night, just thinking of you."
Do you know the title of this one? Hint

Tossin' And Turnin'

You're The Reason

Blue Moon

I Can't Stop Loving You

NEXT>

Question 7 of 15

7. "Now I don't mean to bother you but I'm in distress.
There's danger of me losing all of my happiness.
For I love a girl who doesn't know I exist and this you can fix."
Whom is the singer beseeching for help? Hint

Cupid

The Old Lamplighter

Mr. Postman

Mona Lisa

NEXT>

Question 8 of 15

8. "There's no strings upon this heart of mine.
It was always you from the start."
The song was? Hint

Wooden Heart

I Love How You Love Me

Our Day Will Come

I Like It Like That

NEXT>

Question 9 of 15

9. "Hey little girl, this ain't no time to sleep.
Let's count kisses 'stead of counting sheep."
The title is? Hint

Hello Mary Lou

I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door

A Quarter To Three

There's A Moon Out Tonight

NEXT>

Question 10 of 15

10. "I'd give a lotta dough if only I could know.
The answer to my question is it yes or is it no."
Is the question - "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight?"

Yes

NEXT>

Question 11 of 15

11. "And if you should discover that you don't really love her,
just send my baby back home to me"
What was the song and who was the artist? Hint

"You Don't Know What You Got" - Ral Donner

"Take Good Care Of Her " - Adam Wade

"Take Good Care Of My Baby" - Bobby Vee

"You Always Hurt The One You Love" - Clarence "Frogman" Henry

NEXT>

Question 12 of 15

12. "Maybe if I ask your dad and mom,
they'll let me take you to the Junior Prom"
The title, please. Hint

There's A Moon Out Tonight

Hey Baby

Just For Old Time's Sake

Calendar Girl

NEXT>

Question 13 of 15

13. "River Jordan is chilly and cold, alleluia.
Chills the body but not the soul, alleluia."
Can you identify the folk singers responsible for this #1 hit?
Hint

The Brothers Four

Peter, Paul and Mary

The Serendipity Singers

The Highwaymen

NEXT>

Question 14 of 15

14. "Though I smiled the tears inside were a-burnin'.
I wished him luck and then he said goodbye.
He was gone but still his words kept returnin'.
What else was there for me to do but cry."
The song was? Hint

(Marie's The Name Of) His Latest Flame

Rain Drops

Hat's Off To Larry

So Sad

NEXT>

Question 15 of 15

15. "Well I used to pull your pigtails and pinch your turned up nose.
But you've been a-growin' and baby it's been showin',
from your head down to your toes."
Name the song. Hint

Next Door To An Angel

Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen

Little Devil

Little Sister

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 25 2024 : Guest 24: 7/15
Apr 17 2024 : Guest 174: 9/15
Apr 14 2024 : Guest 72: 12/15
Apr 10 2024 : Guest 61: 8/15
Apr 06 2024 : Guest 65: 11/15
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 217: 6/15
Mar 11 2024 : Guest 174: 11/15
Mar 08 2024 : Guest 199: 10/15
Mar 07 2024 : TurkishLizzy: 12/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "When we kiss my heart's on fire, burning with a strange desire. And I know each time I kiss you, that your heart's on fire too." The title, please?

Answer: Surrender

Just another #1 song for Elvis. The template was his big hit from 1960, "It's Now Or Never". For "Surrender" the melody was again from an old Italian song, "Come Back To Sorrento", English lyrics from Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman were added, up the tempo with a Latin flavor... voila... big hit.

2. "With eyes as black as coal that look down in my soul and starts a fire there and then I lose control, I have to beg your pardon. I'm going to pick that rose and watch her as she grows in my garden." Can you identify the title for this 1961 hit?

Answer: Spanish Harlem

This was the first big song for Ben E. King after departing the Drifters. The sound was the same and for years, until I started paying attention to such things, I always identified this as a Drifters song. It only peaked at #10 and I can't understand why it wasn't a bigger hit. Great melody, great lyrics. Leiber and Spector were the songwriters.

3. "I'm a travellin' man, I've made a lot of stops all over the world. And in every part I own the heart of at least one lovely girl." The question is: how many girl friends does Ricky Nelson tell us about in "Travellin' Man"?

Answer: 5

1. I've a pretty Seniorita waiting for me down in old Mexico...
2. If you're ever in Alaska stop and see my cute little Eskimo...
3. My sweet Fraulein down in Berlin town makes my heart start to yearn...
4. My China doll down in old Hong Kong waits for my return...
5. Pretty Polynesian baby over the sea, I remember the night when we walked in the sands of the Waikiki and I held you oh so tight.
The song was written by Jerry Fuller and was #1 for two weeks.

4. "If she would leave us alone, we would have a happy home". Of whom is the singer referring?

Answer: his "Mother-In-Law"

Ernie K-Doe, real name Ernest Kador, Jr., had his only hit song with this classic. A #1 to boot in May 1961.

5. Identify this #1 hit. "On the ground your glove I found with a note addressed to me. It read 'Dear Love, I've done you wrong now I must set you free'."

Answer: Moody River

Another tear jerker, this time performed by Pat Boone. She took her life by jumping into the river because she couldn't tell him that "that guy was just a friend". It was a number one song in June of that year.

6. "I couldn't sleep at all last night, just thinking of you." Do you know the title of this one?

Answer: Tossin' And Turnin'

"Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis was the biggest song of 1961, #1 for seven weeks! He never even came close to replicating this success with only three other songs cracking the Billboard Top 100, the biggest being the #9 hit "One Track Mind" later that year.

7. "Now I don't mean to bother you but I'm in distress. There's danger of me losing all of my happiness. For I love a girl who doesn't know I exist and this you can fix." Whom is the singer beseeching for help?

Answer: Cupid

Not a real big hit for Sam Cooke at the time only peaking at #17, it has stood the test of time and is now one of the songs most closely identified with him.

8. "There's no strings upon this heart of mine. It was always you from the start." The song was?

Answer: Wooden Heart

This didn't happen very often but Joe Dowell had a #1 hit with this nugget in direct competition to Elvis who also recorded the song. Elvis' version only reached #107 in the "Bubbling Under" chart despite the fact he recorded the song first and sang it in the 1960 flick "G.I. Blues".

There has to be a bigger story there but I don't know it. Dowell only had one other chart entry... "Little Red Rented Rowboat", a #23 song the following year.

9. "Hey little girl, this ain't no time to sleep. Let's count kisses 'stead of counting sheep." The title is?

Answer: I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door

Eddie Hodges was the artist of this #12 hit. Eddie was primarily an actor starring as Frank Sinatra's son in the movie "Hole In The Head" in 1959 and as Huckleberry Finn in the 1960 movie "The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn" in 1960. By the late '60's, he left the entertainment business altogether and became a drug rehab counselor in his native Mississippi.

10. "I'd give a lotta dough if only I could know. The answer to my question is it yes or is it no." Is the question - "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight?"

Answer: Yes

More zaniness from Lonnie Donegan and his skiffle group. A #5 hit in 1961, it was originally recorded and became a #9 hit in 1924 for Ernest Hare and Billy Jones. The "chewing gum" reference was "Spearmint" in the earlier version.

11. "And if you should discover that you don't really love her, just send my baby back home to me" What was the song and who was the artist?

Answer: "Take Good Care Of My Baby" - Bobby Vee

Bobby's first and only #1 song in October 1961. He and his original band "The Shadows" were the group that filled in for Buddy Holly in Fargo, N.D., the next scheduled gig for Holly and where he was flying to when his plane went down.

12. "Maybe if I ask your dad and mom, they'll let me take you to the Junior Prom" The title, please.

Answer: Calendar Girl

"January, you start the year off fine...
February, you're my little Valentine...
March, I'm gonna march you down the aisle...
April, you're the Easter Bunny when you smile...
May, MAYbe if I ask your dad and mom...
June, they'll let me take you to the JUNE(ior) prom."
A #4 hit for Sedaka - what a great singing song!

13. "River Jordan is chilly and cold, alleluia. Chills the body but not the soul, alleluia." Can you identify the folk singers responsible for this #1 hit?

Answer: The Highwaymen

The original title was "Michael Row The Boat Ashore", a 19th century folk song but this version was simply entitled "Michael". The Highwaymen's only other hit was "Cottonfields" later in the year.

14. "Though I smiled the tears inside were a-burnin'. I wished him luck and then he said goodbye. He was gone but still his words kept returnin'. What else was there for me to do but cry." The song was?

Answer: (Marie's The Name Of) His Latest Flame

Another Presley gem. However, only a #4 hit.

15. "Well I used to pull your pigtails and pinch your turned up nose. But you've been a-growin' and baby it's been showin', from your head down to your toes." Name the song.

Answer: Little Sister

"Little Sister" was the flip side of "His Latest Flame" by Presley and charted at #5. There weren't many double sided hits in those days but this was one. All the other songs were recorded by Neil Sedaka.

Source: Author maddogrick16

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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