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Quiz about The Top Hits of 1974  Volume I
Quiz about The Top Hits of 1974  Volume I

The Top Hits of 1974 - Volume I Quiz


Did you know that 35 different songs hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974? We've engaged the randomizer... most of the hits included will be chart toppers but a few other classics will also be included. Are you ready for the challenge?

A multiple-choice quiz by maddogrick16. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
maddogrick16
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
284,500
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
8060
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 207 (8/10), Guest 51 (8/10), Guest 99 (5/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The top ranked song for 1974 was one of four that "dominated" the charts for three whole weeks. It forged to the top of the ratings due to its performance in other point earning components... nine weeks within the Top 10 and 17 weeks in the Top 40. Composed by Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, name the song that contained these lyrics.

"Can it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line
If we had the chance to do it all again, tell me, would we, could we"
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. "She's got electric boots, a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine"

This song only topped the charts for one week but was one of three hits that stayed in the Top 10 for nine weeks in 1974. As such, it wound up as the year's fifth ranked song. Its title?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. After a long 17 week climb up the charts, one of the great "soul" love songs of 1974, and any other year for that matter, finally reached the pinnacle in January. The eighth ranked song for the year, can you name it with this lyrical assistance?

"These are the eyes that never knew how to smile
Till you came into my life
And these are the arms that long to lock you inside
Every day and every night
Girl, and here is the soul of which you've taken control
Can'tcha see I'm tryin' to show love is right"
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. "Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen
Prettiest girl I've ever seen
See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean"

These memorable lines come from the 18th ranked song of 1974. Although it only peaked at Number Five, it lingered on the charts for 25 weeks thereby accumulating sufficient points to earn its lofty status in the rankings. Do you know the title of this hit, the only genuine hit this British singer would have in North America?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The hit ranked 21st for 1974 and a Number One for two weeks featured these lines:

"They were funky Chinamen from funky Chinatown
They were chopping them up and they were chopping them down"

Would it be possible to dissuade you from choosing the correct title of the song, "Kung Fu Fighting"? Didn't think so! Instead, we ask you to identify the artist who recorded it, the first native of Jamaica to have a Number One single in America.
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Another two week Number One hit checked into 27th place in the year end rankings for 1974. Possessing a lovely lyric, let's see if you can identify the song with this piece of poetry.

"If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you"
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. With a song that topped the charts for three weeks in 1974, a former pop idol from the 1950s and 1960s made a stunning reappearance on the Top 40 Billboard charts after an 11 year hiatus. That clue alone should be enough to enable you to snag the answer but here's a slice of the lyric to help you out further. What was the 32nd ranked song of 1974?

"What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me
I can see it, your face is glowin'
I can see in your eyes, I'm happy in knowin'"
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Ranked at 37th for 1974 was a "golden oldie" that was dusted off and given a new reading by an entertainer best known for things other than his vocal talent. Here's how this one week Number One hit begins:

"You come on like a dream, peaches and cream
Lips like strawberry wine"

What's the song's title?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Number One during Christmas week of 1974 was a "message" song about familial relationships that still packs quite a punch two generations later. It was ranked 47th for the year. Name it after regarding these words from the lyric.

"And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me, my boy was just like me"
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. With 17 weeks in the Hot 100 but only peaking at Number Eight, the following song that ranked 75th for 1974 was much more popular than those numbers imply. It still is! Here's a sample of the lyric, you name the song.

"Well I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ol' Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember"
Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The top ranked song for 1974 was one of four that "dominated" the charts for three whole weeks. It forged to the top of the ratings due to its performance in other point earning components... nine weeks within the Top 10 and 17 weeks in the Top 40. Composed by Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, name the song that contained these lyrics. "Can it be that it was all so simple then Or has time rewritten every line If we had the chance to do it all again, tell me, would we, could we"

Answer: The Way We Were

This was Barbra Streisand's first Number One hit and the title song for the movie in which she co-starred with Robert Redford. What can one say about Streisand? She's indefatigable. Over her career she's touched virtually every base. Records, two-time Oscar winner as an actress, movie director, the stage, television specials, the most expensive ticket in Vegas... and now approaching the age of 66 in 2008, she shows no signs of slowing down.

"The Way We Were" won the Academy Award in 1973 for Original Song and the Grammy in 1974 for Song of the Year. It was the second time the Bergmans won the Oscar for Original Song having won in 1966 for "Windmills Of Your Mind" from the movie "The Thomas Crowne Affair". They would win again in 1983, this time for the score in another Streisand vehicle, "Yentl". Altogether, they have been nominated for Oscars 16 times over the years as lyricists for various movie projects and like Streisand, seem intent on carrying on indefinitely. Hamlisch is the relative waif in this group. He's been nominated for eight Oscars but this has been his only win so far.
2. "She's got electric boots, a mohair suit You know I read it in a magazine" This song only topped the charts for one week but was one of three hits that stayed in the Top 10 for nine weeks in 1974. As such, it wound up as the year's fifth ranked song. Its title?

Answer: Bennie And The Jets

Early in 1973, Elton John hunkered down somewhere in Jamaica with a folder full of Bernie Taupin lyrics and commenced to compose the music that would ultimately yield the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album. In an odd twist, three songs were released from that album as singles in North America and they did progressively better on the charts. "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" was released first and peaked at Number 12. The title song came next and stalled at Number Two for three weeks. "Bennie And The Jets" made it third time lucky topping the charts for a week in April 1974. In the U.K., the song was the B side to "Candle In The Wind" in 1974 and was finally released as a single in 1976, peaking at Number 37.

Taupin's lyric was part homage, part parody of "glam rock", particularly David Bowie's successful concept LP "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust" released in 1972. Who better than Elton to do it with his outlandish costumes and electric stage presence! As noted in the lyric, Bennie was a woman of myth, the star of a "glam" band and referred to by Elton as his "Sci-Fi rock Goddess". The song was presented as though it was recorded live with clapping and cheering in the background. These were special effects dubbed in by producer Gus Dudgeon drawn from actual live performances elsewhere and largely served as the song's percussive element. The three single releases from the LP maintained the momentum of hits that Elton John would have through to the conclusion of the decade.
3. After a long 17 week climb up the charts, one of the great "soul" love songs of 1974, and any other year for that matter, finally reached the pinnacle in January. The eighth ranked song for the year, can you name it with this lyrical assistance? "These are the eyes that never knew how to smile Till you came into my life And these are the arms that long to lock you inside Every day and every night Girl, and here is the soul of which you've taken control Can'tcha see I'm tryin' to show love is right"

Answer: Show And Tell

Al Wilson recorded this gem. He had only one other charting hit on his résumé to this point, "The Snake", a funky 1968 number produced by Johnny Rivers that peaked at Number 27. Actually, Johnny Mathis originally recorded "Show And Tell" earlier in 1973 but his version of the Jerry Fuller composition flopped miserably. Wilson gave it a huskier, more soulful treatment and that proved to be the ticket to success.

Unfortunately, despite recording steadily for the remainder of the decade, he would only have two more middling hits - "La La Peace Song", a Number 30 later in the year and the Number 29 "I've Got A Feeling" in 1976.

By the 1980s, he was resigned to working as a lounge act. As this quiz was being written, it was reported that Wilson died of renal failure on April 21, 2008 at the age of 68.
4. "Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen Prettiest girl I've ever seen See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" These memorable lines come from the 18th ranked song of 1974. Although it only peaked at Number Five, it lingered on the charts for 25 weeks thereby accumulating sufficient points to earn its lofty status in the rankings. Do you know the title of this hit, the only genuine hit this British singer would have in North America?

Answer: Rock On

Like "American Pie" and "Crocodile Rock" before it, this was yet another song that fondly recalled the earliest years of rock 'n' roll music. The artist and song's composer was David Essex and although technically not a one hit wonder - his follow-up release "Lamplight" wallowed in the nether regions of the Hot 100 peaking at Number 74 - for all intents and purposes he was. Such was not the case in his native land, however. Although "Rock On" stalled at Number three on the U.K. charts, two of his other songs achieved Number One status there and altogether, he would have a total of 19 songs make Top 40 chart appearances. Perhaps it was a distribution or licensing issue but it is curious that his output was so under-represented in America.

Essex was a well-rounded performer and in the early 1970s was an up-and-coming actor in British film. By the mid-1980s, he had all but curtailed his recording career choosing to focus on acting, especially in live theatre, often composing the musical scores for the productions he starred in. With the new millennium, Essex continues to work in these areas while devoting more and more time to various charitable causes. In 1999, he received the OBE for his contributions to British music, film, stage and charitable work.

One last item... "Rock On" was covered by a young actor, Michael Damian, and it hit Number One on June 3, 1989. Like Essex, his recording career has taken a back seat to his acting endeavors. He's most famous for his work in the soap opera "The Young And The Restless" but he also took on the lead role in the Broadway production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". It's dubious that he'll ever receive the OBE, however!
5. The hit ranked 21st for 1974 and a Number One for two weeks featured these lines: "They were funky Chinamen from funky Chinatown They were chopping them up and they were chopping them down" Would it be possible to dissuade you from choosing the correct title of the song, "Kung Fu Fighting"? Didn't think so! Instead, we ask you to identify the artist who recorded it, the first native of Jamaica to have a Number One single in America.

Answer: Carl Douglas

Douglas was born in Jamaica, growing up there and in California before moving to England in the early 1960s to study sound engineering. Following his studies, he did production work for Pye Records but moonlighted with some bands in his spare time. A record producer with Pye was aware of Douglas' vocal talent and when he needed someone quickly to record a couple of tracks, called on Douglas. Requiring a "B" side for one of them, they decided to go with this Douglas composition and recorded it in ten minutes.

When the suits at Pye heard the demo, they insisted it was to be the "A" side and sure enough, it reached Number One in the U.K. It also shot to the top when it was released in the U.S., Canada, Australia, South Africa and The Netherlands and who knows where else! Altogether, it sold over 6,000,000 copies world-wide. Like many other artists who record "accidental" hits, Douglas was unable to sustain his success.

His follow-up only charted at Number 48 in the U.S. and although he scored with two more Top 40 hits in the U.K., effectively the magic was over by 1977. Eventually, Douglas moved to Germany where he owns and operates a successful music production company.
6. Another two week Number One hit checked into 27th place in the year end rankings for 1974. Possessing a lovely lyric, let's see if you can identify the song with this piece of poetry. "If I had a box just for wishes And dreams that had never come true The box would be empty Except for the memory Of how they were answered by you"

Answer: Time In A Bottle

This posthumous hit for Jim Croce was the last Number One hit of 1973 and the first of 1974, overlapping the calendar years. Originally, it was a track on Croce's debut album released in 1972 but following his death in September 1973, his record company was anxious to release anything that might have commercial appeal to his grieving fans. Two more single releases would follow in 1974 before the limited vault of Croce material would be exhausted; "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" that charted at Number Nine but lacked sufficient points to rank in the top 100 for the year and the Number 32 "Workin' At The Carwash Blues". It was the third song to top the charts posthumously following "Dock Of The Bay" by Otis Redding in 1966 and "Me And Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin in 1971.

Since there will be no more Croce anecdotes in this series of quizzes, I think this one amply measures the man we lost in that plane crash in Louisiana but it pertains to "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song". It is paraphrased from Croce's widow's autobiography. She relates that after a particularly arduous road trip, Croce was finally at home for some family time but had one little promotion film to do. He told her that a couple of people would be over the next day but it turned out to be a full film crew of 15 people and they were there the entire day. She prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner for the lot of them and afterward admonished him for not telling her the extent of the "little meeting". Furthermore, times were tight at the time and the expense of feeding everyone was not exactly within their budget. Apparently, Croce did not handle confrontations of this type very well and stormed out of the bedroom to mope. The next morning when she awoke, Jim serenaded her with this song. If you have a chance, listen to the song or at least look up the lyrics. In this context, it'll be sure to leave you misty eyed.
7. With a song that topped the charts for three weeks in 1974, a former pop idol from the 1950s and 1960s made a stunning reappearance on the Top 40 Billboard charts after an 11 year hiatus. That clue alone should be enough to enable you to snag the answer but here's a slice of the lyric to help you out further. What was the 32nd ranked song of 1974? "What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me I can see it, your face is glowin' I can see in your eyes, I'm happy in knowin'"

Answer: (You're) Having My Baby

Paul Anka surely wasn't idle those eleven years. He was a fixture performing in Las Vegas during that period, was composing songs for other recording artists and actually released seven albums that were either moderate successes on the album charts or totally overlooked altogether. What stimulated this remarkable rebound isn't exactly clear. Perhaps it was promotion and marketing... maybe the stars were perfectly aligned. It wasn't, sorry to say, his most memorable composition.

Of the four three week Number One hits that year, this one fared the poorest in the year-end rankings largely due to its brief placement in the Hot 100, just 15 weeks. Anka's resurgence as a charting performer was relatively short-lived. Follow-up releases with protégé Odia Coates, "One Man Woman/One Woman Man" and "There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love", charted at Number Seven and Number 15 respectively and "I Don't Want To Sleep Alone" peaked at Number 8, all in 1975. "Times Of Your Life" reached Number Seven and topped the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1976 but he would only have three more so-so chart entries, the last in 1983.

Regarding Odia Coates, she sings several significant lines in this hit clearly meant for a female voice but did not receive acknowledgement on the label. This was amended in the follow-up releases as noted. Once a member of The Edwin Hawkins Singers of "Oh Happy Day" fame in the late 1960s, she pursued a solo career with Anka's support but nothing much came of it. She passed away in 1991 of breast cancer at the young age of 49.
8. Ranked at 37th for 1974 was a "golden oldie" that was dusted off and given a new reading by an entertainer best known for things other than his vocal talent. Here's how this one week Number One hit begins: "You come on like a dream, peaches and cream Lips like strawberry wine" What's the song's title?

Answer: You're Sixteen

Ringo Starr's Number One version out-charted Johnny Burnette's 1960 original by seven spots. It was Starr's second chart topper, his song "Photograph" reaching that exalted position a few months earlier in 1973. Now when the Beatles broke up in 1970, what were the odds that Ringo would have more Number One hits than John Lennon by the middle of 1974? And that Lennon would have exactly zero? Baffling! Lennon finally cracked the goose-egg in November 1974 with "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" and drew even with Starr in 1980 with his posthumous chart topper "(Just Like) Starting Over". Harrison would have three Number Ones during his solo career while McCartney has had nine to this point including his efforts with Wings, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

Compared to the other Beatles, Ringo wasn't much of a song writer although he was given credit on the odd occasion for his contributions. As a singer, he was handed the task of performing lead vocals on amiable but lightweight stuff such as "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "Octopus's Garden", the latter being one of his compositions. This form held true as a soloist. Certainly, his two Number Ones were not earth shaking material nor were many of his other hits like "Back Off Boogaloo", "Oh My My" and "No No Song". But he had charisma as a performer, loved to entertain and relished the role of "star", too much so perhaps as his excessive lifestyle ultimately led to his decline in the 1980s. By 1989, he had cleaned up his act and started touring with his "All-Starr Band" and every few years, he recruits a new crew of accomplished sidemen and does it again, releasing live albums in their aftermath. He's also released a few studio albums in recent years to modest critical acclaim and chart action. His CD "Liverpool 8", was released in early 2008.
9. Number One during Christmas week of 1974 was a "message" song about familial relationships that still packs quite a punch two generations later. It was ranked 47th for the year. Name it after regarding these words from the lyric. "And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me He'd grown up just like me, my boy was just like me"

Answer: Cat's In The Cradle

Harry Chapin's song dealt with a father who was so wrapped up in work and other temporal matters that he neglected his loving son who expresses that he wants to grow up just like him. When the father is much older and his son has a family, the tables are turned. When he wants to share time with his son, his son is too busy for him and has indeed become just like him.

The lyrics were derived from a poem that his wife had written during her previous marriage about her husband who exhibited the traits of the father in the song. There was a period when Chapin was doing the same early in his career and she showed him the poem to warn him of the dangers of immersing himself in work at the expense of his family. Lesson immediately learned, Chapin went about the business of composing and recording the song for everyone to heed. It was his second big hit following "Taxi" in 1972. He would only have one more entitled "Sequel", a narrative similar to "Taxi" recounting the events after the encounter described in the earlier song. Regrettably, Chapin was another artist who departed this mortal coil far too soon. While driving to New York City from his Long Island home, a semi smashed into the back of his car, the gas tank exploded and he perished in the ensuing blaze. He was only 38.
10. With 17 weeks in the Hot 100 but only peaking at Number Eight, the following song that ranked 75th for 1974 was much more popular than those numbers imply. It still is! Here's a sample of the lyric, you name the song. "Well I heard Mister Young sing about her Well, I heard ol' Neil put her down Well, I hope Neil Young will remember"

Answer: Sweet Home Alabama

Neil Young released an album in 1970 entitled "After The Gold Rush" and on it he included a track called "Southern Man", a scathing indictment of the American South's treatment of black people. This song was a response by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Much was made of it in the press with an implication that the band and Young were feuding. Nothing could have been further from the truth! Actually, the group's leader, Ronnie Van Zant, and Young were reasonably close friends and Van Zant often wore a Young tee shirt during concert performances. The song was merely a good natured jab at Young not to throw out the baby with the bathwater... there were plenty of good things about the South too. When Van Zant was killed in a plane crash in 1977 (another premature death of a rising young musical talent), a memorial service was held for the three band members who perished. Young appeared at the service and sang this very song in tribute.

Lynyrd Skynyrd were classic exemplars of good, old Southern rock with a smattering of blues and country tossed into the mix. They were primarily an album oriented band and only had two significant hits as singles - this one and the classic "Freebird", a tribute song to Duane Allman following his death in 1971. However, they released six albums from 1973 to 1977 and every one of them went gold or platinum. The group disbanded with Van Zant's demise, reformed briefly in 1987 for a reunion tour including the surviving group members with Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie's younger brother, at the helm. They reformed permanently in 1991 and remain popular to this day touring and cutting hit albums.
Source: Author maddogrick16

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series The Top Annual Hits 1970 to 1979:

Quizzes on the highest rated Billboard hits based on chart performance for each year of the 1970s decade.

  1. The Top Hits of 1970 - Volume I Average
  2. The Top Hits of 1970 - Volume II Average
  3. The Top Hits of 1971 - From 1 to 10! Average
  4. More Top Hits From 1971 Easier
  5. The Top Hits of 1971 - Final Chapter Average
  6. The Top Hits of 1972 Average
  7. The Top Hits of 1973 Average
  8. The Top Hits of 1974 - Volume I Average
  9. The Top Hits Of 1974 - Volume II Average
  10. The Top Hits of 1975 Average
  11. The Top Hits of 1976 (Sort Of) Average
  12. The Top Hits of 1977 Average

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