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Quiz about Whose Line Was It Anyway UK Number One Hits 1955
Quiz about Whose Line Was It Anyway UK Number One Hits 1955

Whose Line Was It Anyway? UK Number One Hits 1955 Quiz


Big changes in music this decade, Crooners, Rock'n'Roll, Comedy and Instrumentals to name but a few music styles. Can you name the artists that had or the songs that were UK number one hits in 1955.

A multiple-choice quiz by shipyardbernie. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
325,089
Updated
Mar 21 24
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
578
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Who is this romantic singer, that is pointing a digit at someone in these lyrics?

"Just as soon as they can make the guilty one confess
I know exactly what I'm gonna do"
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. You can do the "Mambo ______" but first, what is the missing part of the title? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which precious singer had a hit song with these lyrics?

"Handle me with gentleness
And say you'll leave me never"
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What a state this guy was in when he had an unlikely UK hit. Can you find him from these lyrics?

"My heart will beat a lifetime just for you
That's all it wants to do"
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. There were six versions of "Stranger In Paradise" on the UK chart in 1955. Which of these four singers had a UK number one with the song? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. They sure liked overkill in the '50s, there were 14 versions of "Unchained Melody" around at the time but only four entered the UK chart. Do you know which singer had the number one version? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What did Alma Cogan call her boyfriend in the words of this song?

"I would sail the seven seas with you
Even if you told me to go and paddle my own canoe"
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which country singer had this hit on the UK chart but not on the US pop chart, with these words?

"No matter what I do I can't forget you
Sometimes I wish that I'd never met you"
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Who had the UK number one with this song from the musical "The Pajama Game", do these lyrics help?

"Just knock three times and whisper low
That you and I were sent by Joe"
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Who changed everything with these few words?

"One two three o'clock four o'clock rock"
Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Feb 28 2024 : Guest 204: 9/10
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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Who is this romantic singer, that is pointing a digit at someone in these lyrics? "Just as soon as they can make the guilty one confess I know exactly what I'm gonna do"

Answer: Dickie Valentine

Dickie Valentine was singing "Finger Of Suspicion" and it spent three weeks at number one on the UK chart in 1955. It never charted in the US. It was the first UK number one hit to be knocked off the top twice, by the same record.

Frankie Vaughan had a number 12 hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "Happy Days And Lonely Nights". It never charted in the US. Ronnie Hilton had a number ten hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "A Blossom Fell". It never charted in the US. David Whitfield had a number seven hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "When You Lose The One You Love". It reached number 62 on the US pop chart in 1956.
2. You can do the "Mambo ______" but first, what is the missing part of the title?

Answer: Italiano

"Mambo Italiano" by Rosemary Clooney was a UK number one for three weeks in 1955, removing "Finger Of Suspicion" from the top of the chart twice. It was a number nine hit on the US pop chart in 1954. The song was banned by ABC stations in the US because it was felt it didn't reach standards of good taste. Rosemary Clooney who died in 2002 was the mother of actor Miguel Ferrer and the aunt of actor George Clooney.
3. Which precious singer had a hit song with these lyrics? "Handle me with gentleness And say you'll leave me never"

Answer: Ruby Murray

Ruby Murray sang "Softly Softly" and spent three weeks at number one on the UK chart in 1955. It never charted in the US. Ruby from Belfast N.Ireland, was the first singer to have five hits in the UK top 20 at the same time but never had a chart hit in the US.

Anne Shelton had a number 17 hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "Arrivederci Darling", it never charted in the US. Lita Roza had a number 17 hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "Hey There", it did not chart in the US. Doris Day had a number 17 hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "I'll Never Stop Loving You", it reached number 13 on the US chart.
4. What a state this guy was in when he had an unlikely UK hit. Can you find him from these lyrics? "My heart will beat a lifetime just for you That's all it wants to do"

Answer: Tennessee Ernie Ford

Tennessee Ernie Ford sang "Give Me Your Word" and had a UK number one for seven weeks in 1955. It did not chart in the US. It was the B-side of "River Of No Return" a number nine US country chart hit in 1954.

Frank Sinatra had a number two hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "Learnin' The Blues". It was number one for two weeks on the US pop chart. Al Martino had a number 19 hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "The Man From Laramie", it did not chart in the US. Veteran UK singer and radio broadcaster Jimmy Young had a number one for four weeks on the UK chart with a cover version in the same year. Dean Martin had a number three hit on the UK chart in 1955 with "Let Me Go Lover", it did not chart in the US.
5. There were six versions of "Stranger In Paradise" on the UK chart in 1955. Which of these four singers had a UK number one with the song?

Answer: Tony Bennett

It was Tony Bennett who had a UK number one for two weeks with "Stranger In Paradise" in 1955. It reached number two on the US pop chart in 1953.

The Tony Martin version reached number six on the UK chart in 1955 and number ten on the US pop chart in 1954. The Don Cornell version reached number 19 on the UK chart in 1955 but did not chart in the US. The Bing Crosby version reached number 17 on the UK chart but did not chart in the US.
6. They sure liked overkill in the '50s, there were 14 versions of "Unchained Melody" around at the time but only four entered the UK chart. Do you know which singer had the number one version?

Answer: Jimmy Young

"Unchained Melody" by Jimmy Young was number one for three weeks in 1955 but it did not chart in the US. Now Sir Jimmy Young OBE CBE, he became a british institution after serving in the RAF during WWII. He had many hits on the UK chart from the early '50s to 1964, he became a DJ with BBC Radio 1 in 1967 to 1973. Then he had a music/chat/current affairs programme (The JY Prog) on BBC Radio 2 from 1973 to 2002 when he was retired by the BBC aged 80 and was not happy about it. He was the first UK singer to have consecutive number one hits on the UK chart.

The Al Hibbler version reached number two on the UK chart and number three on the US pop chart in 1955. The Les Baxter instrumental version reached number ten on the UK chart and number one for two weeks on the US pop chart in 1955. The Liberace instrumental version reached number 20 on the UK chart but did not chart in the US.
7. What did Alma Cogan call her boyfriend in the words of this song? "I would sail the seven seas with you Even if you told me to go and paddle my own canoe"

Answer: Dreamboat

Alma Cogan (the girl with the laugh in her voice) was singing about her "Dreamboat" and had a UK number one for two weeks in 1955. It did not chart in the US.

Alma Cogan was a big star on British TV in the '50s and '60s in the days when top singers did not need chart hits and they seemed to be only incidental to their showbiz careers. Her London house parties were famous and her guests included Noel Coward, Cary Grant, Sammy Davis Jr, Ethel Merman, Roger Moore, Michael Caine and The Beatles (John Lennon nicknamed her Sara Sequin because of the '50s style dresses she was famous for). John and his wife Cynthia thought she was an old fashioned '50s singer on stage but in the flesh she was a beautiful, intelligent and sexy lady to the point that John's wife thought he and Alma were intimately involved. Paul McCartney first played "Yesterday" to Alma on the piano in her flat (apartment) to see if she thought it was already a published song. Alma had her first UK chart hit in 1954 and she was only eight years older than John Lennon when she died from cancer aged 34 in 1966.
8. Which country singer had this hit on the UK chart but not on the US pop chart, with these words? "No matter what I do I can't forget you Sometimes I wish that I'd never met you"

Answer: Slim Whitman

Slim Whitman took "Rose Marie" to the top of the UK chart for 11 weeks in 1955. It did not enter the US pop chart but reached number four on the US country chart in 1954. That record 11 weeks on top of the UK chart stood for 36 years until Canadian Bryan Adams topped the UK chart for 16 weeks with "(Everything I do) I do it for you" in 1991.

Slim Pickens (real name Louis Burton Lindley Jr) was an American actor (the garbage truck driver Cowboy in "The Getaway" with Steve McQueen, the pilot Major 'King' Kong who rides the A-bomb down in "Dr.Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" with Peter Sellers and Taggart in "Blazing Saddles" with Mel Brooks). Slim Shady is a character in an Eminem song. Slim Dusty (real name David Gordon Kirkpatrick MBE) was a top Australian country singer who had a UK number three hit with "A Pub With No Beer" in 1959. It was the first Australian single to go gold and the first and only 78rpm single to be awarded a gold disc. He has also been awarded more gold and platinum albums than any other Australian artist.
9. Who had the UK number one with this song from the musical "The Pajama Game", do these lyrics help? "Just knock three times and whisper low That you and I were sent by Joe"

Answer: The Johnston Brothers

The Johnston Brothers took "Hernando's Hideaway" to number one on the UK chart for two weeks in 1955. It did not chart in the US. Johnny Johnston formed the Johnston Brothers in 1949 with Denny Vaughan and Alan Dean. They had three UK top ten hits and some minor hits till 1957.
Johnny Johnston (born John Reine) later formed an advertising jingles company which came up with some well known TV jingles such as, "A million housewives every day pick up a can of beans and say, Beanz Meanz Heinz!" and "Keep going well, keep going Shell, you can be sure of Shell", sung by Bing Crosby no less.

Johnnie Ray had a number 11 hit on the UK chart with "Hernando's Hideaway" in 1955. It reached number 14 on the US pop chart in 1954. Archie Bleyer's version of "Hernando's Hideway" never charted in the UK but reached number two on the US pop chart in 1954. Debelah Morgan sampled Archie Bleyer's version on her 2000 hit "Dance With Me"
10. Who changed everything with these few words? "One two three o'clock four o'clock rock"

Answer: Bill Haley and His Comets

Bill Haley and His Comets took "Rock Around The Clock" (first released in 1954) to number one on the UK charts for three weeks in 1955 and two weeks in 1956. It was number one for eight weeks on the US pop chart in 1955.

"Rock Around The Clock" entered the UK chart on eight separate occasions from 1954 to 1974 spending 57 weeks on the chart. It entered the US pop chart in 1954, 1955 and 1974 and spent a total of 39 weeks on the chart. Sales of 15 to 40 million worldwide have been quoted from various sources but it is certainly in the top five selling Rock'n'Roll records of all time.
Source: Author shipyardbernie

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