1960s Pop Music Potpourri, Part 3 Quiz

Answer: The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues achieved success in the USA with a song called "Go Now!" This tune featured guitarist Denny Laine as its lead vocalist. "Go Now!" was issued on London Records in the U.S. and reached the number ten position on the Billboard charts in early 1965. Laine left The Moody Blues circa 1967 in order to form his own group, Electric String Band.

Answer: pauper

"I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king..." The popular song "That's Life" was performed by the great Frank Sinatra and released on Reprise Records in 1966. "That's Life" climbed to the number four spot on the U.S. Billboard charts. The lyrics and music, composed by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon, summed up Sinatra's stormy life quite nicely. Ol' Blue Eyes sang these words:

"That's life; that's what people say
You're riding high in April, shot down in May
But I know I'm gonna change that tune
When I'm back on top, back on top in June..."

Answer: Bacharach and David

The Jackie DeShannon hit song "What the World Needs Now" was composed by the prolific songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The dynamic duo of Bacharach/David composed many memorable sixties pop music songs, most of them in collaboration with vocalist Dionne Warwick. In the spring of 1965, DeShannon reached the number seven position on the U.S. Billboard charts with "What the World Needs Now." This song was issued on Imperial Records, and it featured some idealistic lyrics. DeShannon sang these words:

"What the world needs now
Is love, sweet love
It's the only thing
That there's just too little of..."

Answer: Barbara Lewis

Barbara Lewis, born near Ann Arbor, Michigan, teamed up with songwriter Van McCoy ("The Hustle") to record the ballad "Baby I'm Yours" in the summer of 1965. Lewis was 22 years old when this song reached the number 11 spot on the U.S. Billboard charts. "Baby I'm Yours" was issued on the Atlantic Records label and featured these lyrics:

"Baby I'm yours
And I'll be yours until the stars fall from the sky
Yours until the rivers all run dry
In other words until the day I die..."

Answer: A railway station

"I'm sitting in the railway station, got a ticket for my destination..." Paul Simon's 1966 song "Homeward Bound" opened with the narrator feeling homesick and lonely in an unnamed train station. Simon and Garfunkel reached the number five spot on the U.S. Billboard charts with "Homeward Bound", a song which depicted the weariness of a traveling musician far away from home. "Homeward Bound" was issued on Columbia Records in the USA.

Answer: Imperials

Little Anthony & The Imperials recorded the 1964 ballad "Goin' Out Of My Head." Group members of The Imperials included lead singer Jerome "Little Anthony" Gourdine, Ernest Wright, Clarence Collins, and Sammy Strain. The Imperials recorded on the DCP record label and reached the number six position on the U.S. Billboard charts with "Goin' Out Of My Head." This tune remains one of the greatest unrequited love songs in the history of pop music. Little Anthony sang these words:

"I see you each morning
But you just walk past me
You don't even notice I exist
Goin' out of my head over you...
Day and night, night and day and night..."

Answer: Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane recorded the hit single "White Rabbit", which appeared on the group's 1967 album "Surrealistic Pillow." This album was Jefferson Airplane's second LP and featured the soaring vocals of Grace Slick. "White Rabbit" reached the number eight spot on the U.S. Billboard charts and was issued on RCA Victor Records. Both "Surrealistic Pillow" and "White Rabbit" were highlights of the "San Francisco psychedelic sound" which became popular in the late 1960s. Slick sang, "One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small / And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all..." The album "Volunteers" was released in 1969; "Bark" came out in 1971; and "Long John Silver" was released in 1972.

Answer: Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Legendary Motown artists The Temptations had a hit single with the 1966 song "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." This tune was released on Gordy Records, and it reached the number 13 position on the U.S. Billboard charts. David Ruffin handled lead vocal chores on "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." The song "Cool Jerk" was performed by The Capitols, "Land of 1000 Dances" was sung by Wilson Pickett, and "Shake Me Wake Me" was recorded by The Four Tops.

Answer: Carl Wayne

Carl Wayne was not a member of the band Small Faces in the late 1960s; he was the lead singer of the popular British band The Move. Members of Small Faces included Steve Marriott (guitar, vocals), Kenney Jones (drums), Ronnie Lane (bass), and Ian McLagan (keyboards). The song "Itchycoo Park" was a moderate hit in the USA, reaching the number 16 spot on the Billboard charts in 1968. "Itchycoo Park" was issued on Immediate Records in the States. This tune described a psychedelic day in the park. Marriott sang these words:

"It's all too beautiful, it's all too beautiful
I feel inclined to blow my mind
Get hung up, feed the ducks with a bun
They all come out to groove about
Be nice and have fun in the sun..."

Answer: Sonny & Cher

Sonny & Cher achieved success with the 1965 song "Baby Don't Go." This song was recorded in the fall of 1964 and was originally released on Reprise Records. Cher was the lead vocalist on this track; she sang about a young woman who remained optimistic even after receiving several hard knocks during her lifetime. Cher sang these lyrics,

"When I get to the city
My tears will all be dry
My eyes will look so pretty
No one's gonna know I cried..."