Signature Songs 03: The Eclectic Edition Quiz

Answer: Petula Clark

Tony Hatch wrote the song in 1964. He said "'Downtown' was written on the occasion of my first visit to New York. I was staying at a hotel on Central Park and I wandered down to Broadway and to Times Square and, naively, I thought I was downtown. Forgetting that in New York especially downtown is a lot further downtown getting on towards Battery Park. I loved the whole atmosphere there and the song came to me very, very quickly."

Originally he was going to give the song to The Drivers, but Petula Clark heard the song and said if he could write a lyric that matched the high quality of the melody she would be interested in recording the track.

Interestingly enough, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin was one of the session musicians on "Downtown". The other session musicians were Vic Flick, Big Jim Sullivan, drummer Bobby Graham, and the Breakaways.

"Downtown" became a Number One Hit on the Billboard Top 100 for two weeks in January 1965 until The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" went to number One.

Answer: Dean Martin

Irving Taylor and Ken Lane wrote "Everybody Loves Somebody" in 1947. In 1964, Martin and Lane were finishing up Martin's album "Dream with Dean", when they found they were one song short. Lane suggested his song to Martin, and Martin quickly recorded the track. Martin then re-recorded the song for his next album, which his record label Reprise retitled as "Everybody Loves Somebody".

Martin had not had a Top Forty Hit since 1958, and largely due to the British Invasion, the music industry did not hold out much hope that Martin's single would really go anywhere. Martin proved otherwise, however, as his single went straight to Number One on the Billboard Top 100, and also held the same position on the Billboard Easy Listening chart for eight weeks solid.

According to the book "Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams" by Nick Toches, Martin hated anything to do with rock and roll which caused conflict with his son Dean Paul Martin who was fourteen in 1964. Martin Jr. was a huge fan of The Beatles. Martin told his son ""I'm gonna' knock your pallies off the charts". His son did not hold out much faith his father could pull this off, since he had not had a hit in six years. This all changed when "Everybody Loves Somebody" knocked The Beatles off the Number One spot. He told his son ""I told you I'd knock your pallies off the charts."

Martin sent a telegram to Frank Sinatra regarding the song's success: "THAT'S THE WAY YOU DO IT". He also sent the following message to Elvis Presley: "IF ONE OF US CAN BEAT THE BEATLES -- I'LL DO IT!"

Answer: Jeff Buckley

Leonard Cohen wrote the song and issued his version on 1984 on the album "Various Positions". In the late 1980s Cohen would perform the song live with a different set of lyrics, with only the last verse being the same between the two versions. Several artists who have covered the song have mixed and matched lyrics from both versions.

Jeff Buckley recorded the song and included it on his 1994 debut album "Grace". Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 259 on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", which the magazine released in 2003. Like Cohen's version, Buckley's version was never released as a single. Buckley died in 1997 due to accidental drowning.

Answer: Lead Belly

"Goodnight, Irene" is a song written by Gussie Lord Davis in 1886. In 1932, Huddie Ledbetter (more commonly known as Lead Belly) recorded the song. Lead Belly said he learned the song from his uncle. There are several lines referring to suicide in the lyrics. One line ("sometimes I take a great notion to jump in the river and drown") was the inspiration to Ken Kesey's 1964 novel "Sometimes a Great Notion". Lead Belly's recording won a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 2002.

In 1950, Pete Seeger's group The Weavers recorded the song, within a year of Lead Belly's death. This version omitted or changed several of the more controversial lyrics. The Weavers' version went to Number One on the Billboard Best Seller Chart.

Frank Sinatra recorded the song and released his version one month after The Weavers. Sinatra's went to Number One as well.

Answer: Louis Armstrong

Clarence Muse, Leone Rene, and Otis Rene wrote the song in 1931. Although Armstrong's signature song, it would be hard to say what the definitive Armstrong recording would be, as Louis Armstrong recorded the song nearly a hundred times throughout his career. There was even a 1942 film short directed in direct response to the film that starred Armstrong.

Answer: The Andrews Sisters

This signature song became an iconic World War II tune. The song is about a virtuoso trumpet player. Don Raye and Hughie Price wrote the song and the Andrew Sisters recorded their version in Decca's Hollywood studios on January 2, 1941. The Abbot and Costello film "Buck Privates" featured the song. The Andrews Sisters' recording was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.

In 1962, Disney produced a special cartoon feature called "A Symposium on Popular Songs", which referenced the Andrew Sisters song in a song called "The Boogie Woogie Bakery Man".

Christina Aguilera's song "Candyman" from the 2007 album "Back to the Basics" is a homage to the Andrew Sisters and their signature song.

Answer: Johnnie Ray

Churchhill Kohlman wrote "Cry" in 1951. Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads recorded the track on October 16, 1951. The song would later go to Number One on the Billboard Magazine chart of that same issue. The B-side, "The Little White Cloud That Cried", also went to Number Two on the Billboard Chart.

Several artists would later record the song, including Ray Charles, Tammy Wynette, Stan Freberg, Mina, Ronni Dove, Eileen Barton, and Liza Minnelli. The off-Broadway music revue "Forever Plaid" also prominently features the song.

Answer: Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti's version of "Nessun Dorma" became quite famous after BBC made Pavarotti's recording of "Nessun Dorma" the theme song for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. The recording peaked at Number Two on the UK Singles chart, which is the highest chart position ever achieved by a classical recording. Pavarotti performed the song at his last public appearance, the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. However, he lip-synced the song from a specially pre-recorded performance.

The song is an aria from Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot". The aria occurs in the final act of that opera.

Aretha Franklin has recorded the song on the 1998 Grammy Awards Telecast. This performance was released on the album "Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen".

Answer: Édith Piaf

Édith Piaf first had a hit recording of "La Vie en Rose" in 1946. Piaf wrote the lyrics and Louis Gugliemi wrote the melody. Mack David wrote an English version of the lyrics. In 2007 Marion Cotillard won an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing Piaf in the biopic film ""La Vie en Rose".

Grace Jones released the song on her 1977 debut album "Portfolio". Donna Summer recorded the song for the 1993 tribe album "Tribute to Édith Piaf".

Édith Piaf died at the young age of forty seven and only had one child, a daughter named Marcelle when she was 17. The child died at age two.

Answer: Andy Williams

Henry Mancini wrote the music and Johnny Mercer the lyrics in 1961 for the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Audrey Hepburn sang the film version. Her recording won the 1962 Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Andy Williams adopted the song as his signature song, first recording the track in 1961 and performing it in 1962 at the Academy Awards.

He would sing the first segment of the song on his television show's intro. Williams also named his production company and his theatre in Branson Missouri "Moon River".