"Sherry & 11 Others" - The Four Seasons Quiz

Answer: A television movie

"Big Girls Don't Cry" was written by composers Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio in 1962 and released by the Four Seasons on their album "Sherry & 11 Others" in that year. Bob Gaudio stated later that he was dozing off in front of the television one evening when the 1955 film "Tennessee's Partner" was playing. He woke up just in time to see the male lead (John Payne) slap the female lead (Rhonda Fleming) across the face, and begin to rough her up. Fleming is supposed to have responded "Big girls don't cry" to this outrage, and immediately Gaudio had his inspiration for the song.

The trouble with this version of the song's birth, is that Gaudio had the wrong movie. Bob Crewe later stated that HE was dozing off in front of the television when the 1956 movie "Slightly Scarlet" (same stars) was playing, and in which Payne was roughing up Fleming once more. Charming fellow. Either way, "Big Girls Don't Cry" reached number one on the billboard charts in 1962, slaps and all.

Answer: The Roaring Twenties

"Yes Sir, That's My Baby" was written in 1925 by composer Walter Donaldson and lyricist Gus Kahn. Successful follow up recordings of this bright and breezy number were made by six different performers in the 1920s, and the famous actor, singer and dancer, Eddie Cantor, revived the song again in 1930 with his popular rendition of same. Not ready to disappear into the realms of history, "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" hit the charts again in 1960 when Ricky Nelson crooned a slower version of the number, and this was followed up later in the same decade by old blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. All in all, this popular perennial has been recorded by over 100 entertainers over the years.

And its inspiration? A small mechanical toy pig owned by Eddie Cantor's daughter. Donaldson and Kahn were visiting the Cantor home in 1925 when his daughter wandered out with her favourite toy, and wound it up. As it began to march around in strict rhythm, two notes kept emerging from its mouth, and that combination of rhythm and music was all that the composers needed to bring home the bacon.

Answer: Falsetto

It's not unusual of course for artists to look back over the years to successful recordings of earlier numbers and resurrect them to take the stage once more. "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby" (1928) is one such song. It can be sung either as a slow, vampish (and very funny) suggestion about love and diamond bracelets getting along comfortably together, or a bright and brisk number about which one doesn't have to ponder too deeply its somewhat naughty lyrics.

In this number, Frankie Valli's falsetto reaches new and hilarious heights. He's a man singing falsetto trying to sound like a woman singing soprano - more or less. This is one song that really does leave a smile on any listener's face, as Frankie shrills away to perfection.

Answer: Greek

"Never on Sunday" was recorded in 1960 under the "United Artists" label. Written by Manos Hatzidakis, and first performed by artist Melina Mercouri, it appeared in the comedic film of the same name as the song in 1960. The catchy rhythm of this number was bound to make it a success, no matter who sang it, and it certainly was that. Not only has it been translated into various other languages over time, "Never on Sunday" has also been performed over the years by an equally impressive number of artists. Its English versions include renditions by such entertainers as Bing Crosby, Lena Horne, Doris Day, Andy Williams, Trini Lopez, Connie Francis, Eartha Kitt and Petula Clark.

Then of course there's the version by the Four Seasons, as catchy an interpretation as ever you'll hear, and with Frankie Valli's falsetto really bringing the song home. I wonder what his normal speaking voice sounds like?

Answer: Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka co-wrote "Oh Carol" with lyricist, Howard Greenfild, in 1958. Its popularity saw it reach position number nine on the American billboard charts early in 1959. It Italy, however, where it soared to number one position on their charts, after its release in that country in 1960, "Oh Carol" earned the ageless Neil Sedaka his first number one hit altogether. Sedaka, indeed, could rival Frankie Valli with his own very high pitched voice. He sang that song to perfection.

On the other hand, the Four Seasons' version of "Oh Carol" is quite disappointing. Not only have they mixed different voice ranges throughout the song, they have actually added insult to injury by changing the melody, a cardinal sin against any composer! Fortunately the rest of this great album makes up for this musical blunder.

Answer: Sherry

"Sherry" was written by Bob Gaudio and recorded by the Four Seasons in July 1962. Gaudio had originally called the song "Jackie Baby" after President Kennedy's wife, but fortunately he soon changed the name to "Terrie Baby" before finally settling on the name that took this song to the number one position on the American charts in September 1962, a position it held for a follow up five weeks.

This song displays the enormously talented Frankie Valli's voice to perfection. It isn't strained, it doesn't sound forced in any way, it just comes through as a beautiful pure and natural falsetto. It really is perfection. Possibly in another time and place - Italy one imagines - Frankie Valli would have made a wonderful castrato, a singer of classical music and opera. Fortunately though, in more modern times, the scissors remained in the drawer, and Frankie went on to marry three times and produce quite a number of offspring, while still retaining his uniquely high voice range.

Answer: Otis Blackwell

Otis Blackwell wrote the song "You're the Apple of My Eye", a 1956 single by The Four Lovers, which peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The song was given to the group after the Otis Blackwell song they were originally supposed to sing, "Don't Be Cruel", was passed to Elvis. Once The Four Lovers became The Four Seasons, they redid the song for their debut album with the title "Apple of My Eye".

Otis Blackwell was an African-American singer and songwriter born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1931. Though he started his music career as a singer, he was much more successful as a songwriter. His work was influential in the early days of Rock and Roll, and he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986 and the National Academy of Popular Music's Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991. In 2010, he was posthumously awarded the Ahmet Ertegun Award in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Answer: Staring out the window at the rain

"Teardrops" is a lovely ballad by the Four Seasons. It begins with some rather unusual instrumental backing and then slides straight into its wistful lyrics about lost love, before finally building up to a heartbreaking crescendo. This lovely song was written by Roy Calhoun, Edwin Charles, Barry Goldner and Helen Stanley, and made successful by Bobby Vinton's follow up version in 1963. Don't feel TOO sorry for the character singing this song though. He ran out on his girlfriend and has regretted it ever since. Tsk.

An example of its lyrics follow:

"I sit in my room looking out at the rain
My tears are like crystals
They cover my windowpane

I'm thinking of our lost romance
And how it should have been
Oh, if we only could start over again...

I have to gain faith, hope and charity
God only knows the girl who will love me
Oh, if we only could start over again"

Answer: No

"Lost Lullaby", written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, is such a dreary number that it's almost comical. Once again the song relates the story of a lost love, only this time the girl in question has been gone a week and the song's speaker is sitting at home stroking a vase of her flowers and sobbing out a lost lullaby.

It's a little hard to figure out where a lullaby fits into the overall theme of the song, but oh well, why not? The era of the 1960s, music wise, featured either bouncy happy numbers or crying in your pretzels songs about heartache and death on railroad tracks. "Lost Lullaby" is a positive dirge.

Answer: Girl in My Dreams

Like "Apple of My Eye", "Girl In My Dreams" was originally recorded in 1956 when the group was still known as The Four Lovers, and it appeared on the B side of the "You're the Apple of My Eye" single. The song was originally composed by Maxwell Davis, Jules Taub, Joe Josea, and Sam Ling. The Cliques also released a version of the song in the same year. The Four Seasons perform it beautifully and we'll finish this quiz with some of its lyrics.

"Girl in my dreams
Where are you?
Girl in my dreams
I'm so blue
How I yearn
How I long for you"

And so on. Happy memories, everyone.