From: Regina Litman <golq393@golq.org>
Subject: RESULTS and ANSWER KEY for Golden Oldies Lyrics Quiz 393 (GOLQ393)
Sender: GOLQ Mailing List <list@golq.org>
Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2019 23:15:56 -0500 (EST)
RESULTS & ANSWER KEY for Golden Oldies Lyrics Quiz #393 (GOLQ393)
Congratulations to The EJ'S & Co. and Mike Weaver who, with scores of 500++,
took first place in this quiz.
The major theme of GOLQ393 was songs that won the Academy Award (Oscar) for
Best Original Song. The EJ'S & Co., Delphi Trivia Club, Mike Weaver, and Will
McCorry all identified this theme. Other entries mentioned songs from movies,
but if I wanted to do a theme of songs from movies, I would have likely chosen
a more rocking bunch. (I did something like this in GOLQ361 with artists who
were in various iconic rock and roll movies.) The following songs were part of
this theme: 03, 04, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21,
22, 23, 24, T1, T2.
The minor theme was songs that sample or contain the lyrics from the nursery
rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb." The Village Idiots, The EJ'S & Co., Delphi
Trivia Club, The Coasters, Mike Weaver, Will McCorry, Really Rockin' In Boston,
and NAVAIRHEADS all identified this theme. Other entries mentioned nursery
rhymes in general (which could make a decent subset of a children's stories and
songs theme in the future, after waiting for these songs to become eligible
again). The following songs were part of this theme: 01, 02, 05, 17, 19, 25.
I got the idea for the "Mary Had a Little Lamb" theme after listening to the 4-
CD box set CAMEO PARKWAY 1957-1967 over a period of several days and noticing
that three different songs in it, which became songs #01, #05, and #17 in this
quiz, contain this tune. It didn't take me long to come up with the songs that
became #02 and #19. I found the song that's #25 on the web page
https://www.whosampled.com/Sarah-Josepha-Hale/Mary-Had-a-Little-Lamb/sampled
You may need to choose some options to make this one more
visible. Mike Weaver pointed out that the song "Merrily We Roll Along" has the
same tune and thus could be the theme for the four songs that don't contain the
lyrics of "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
The Best Song Oscar was first awarded for movies released in 1934. Of the 36
songs that won for releases through 1969 (awards ceremony in early 1970), 23
had versions that charted in the GOLQ era. I was able to use 19 of them as
regular songs in this GOLQ, plus I used a version of a 20th that didn't chart
but is probably the most famous version of it now (and the most iconic song for
its artist) as a tie-breaker. Of the other three charting songs, one was not
eligible as a result of having been used too recently in another GOLQ; another
had only one GOLQ-era charting version, which was by an artist who also had the
only GOLQ-era charting version of another such song, and I chose the other one;
and the third was a song I decided I didn't want to use in this GOLQ. Each of
these three has something in common with a song I did use, so I will mention
them when I get to the corresponding songs. I chose the other tie-breaker from
among the 13 non-charting songs.
Many of the Oscar winners were featured in movies that are not very well-known.
Over the long history of the Oscars, only five songs that won the Academy Award
for Best Original Song were written for films that won the Best Picture Oscar.
A sixth came from the movie that won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. Two
were in the 1934-1969 range, and both are in this GOLQ. (The most famous such
combination is likely "My Heart Will Go On" from TITANIC in 1997.) At least
two of the songs in this GOLQ, while not featured in that year's Best Picture
winner, did make appearances in future movies that won the Best Picture Oscar.
I have listed with each Oscar-winning song the year and movie for that song. I
have put together a YouTube playlist "Oscar-Winning Songs in Context of Movie"
at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVwvyzz17cDJuY1OSEVRjgG46-OytiE_C
(which I have begun with the 21 songs included here, but will eventually add
others to). Even for the songs that won within the GOLQ era, only three of the
original film performances were done by the charting artists used in this
quiz--"High Hopes," "Days Of Wine And Roses," and "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My
Head"--and in only "Days Of Wine And Roses" was the version used in the movie
the charting version.
GOLQ393's mean score was 467.00, and the median was 488.
My thanks to everyone who participated.
Tom Pillion has posted GOLQ394.
-- Regina Litman <GOLQ393@golq.org>
Replace all occurrences of "&" in all e-mail addresses with "@".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tie Breaker Scoring Key
+ after numeric score below indicates a tie-breaker answered correctly.
- indicates partial credit.
x indicates a totally incorrect guess.
. indicates no guess.
# on
Pos Score ID Name and E-mail address Team Age(s)
---+-----+--+------------------------------------------------------+---+-------
T01 500++ EJ The EJ'S & Co.: Ellis, Jean, Kevin, Vinnie, Everett, 7 33+
Mitch, Kyra <ellisbromberg&gmail.com>
T01 500++ MW Mike Weaver <oldtunes&sbcglobal.net> 1
T03 498++ WM Will McCorry <wmccorry&ca.inter.net> 1 62
T03 498++ DC DEC & Friends <cochran57&gmail.com> 3 Various
T05 496++ DT Delphi Trivia Club <rcwkid99&rochester.rr.com> 6 60+
T05 496++ NA NAVAIRHEADS <tompillion&skybest.com> 1 73
07 495++ JW James White <jjwhite17&gmail.com> 1 71
T08 488++ TS Tri-State Trivia <lowtekman5&aol.com> 4
(Frank Glaz, Mike Gessner, Dino Dinardo, Mike Pell)
T08 488++ RR Really Rockin' In Boston <rardini&cox.net> 6 60s,70s
10 484++ VS Vito & the Salutations <baileyl&colorado.edu> ~5 boomers
11 478++ VI The Village Idiots <MrJaded&aol.com> 4
(Doug, Michael, Andrew, Andy)
12 470++ CO The Coasters (Rick & Kathy Schubert, Magic Marc, 4 66-70
Bigfoot Mae) <rns&san.rr.com>
13 466-+ JL Jamie & Carol Lubin <pookie18323&optonline.net> 2 70+
14 400.+ TT Team Teitelbaum Lite (Howard) <hat_pat&yahoo.com> 1 61
15 248+- TA Team Asia (Mitch Herczeg) <yherczeg&gmail.com> 1 67
---+-----+--+------------------------------------------------------+---+-------
Pos Score ID Name and E-mail address # on Age(s)
Team
The following table gives the individual scoring breakdown. A '-' is used to
indicate that no guess was made for a question, whereas a zero indicates that
a completely incorrect response was submitted.
Song#
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--
EJ 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
MW 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
WM 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
DC 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
DT 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
NA 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
JW 20 20 20 20 20 15 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
TS 20 20 20 20 20 15 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 15 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
RR 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 10 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
VS 20 20 20 20 20 15 20 20 18 18 20 20 20 20 15 20 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 20
VI 20 20 20 20 20 10 20 20 10 20 20 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
CO 20 20 20 20 20 10 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 - 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
JL 20 20 20 20 20 15 20 20 20 18 20 20 20 20 15 20 20 - 20 18 20 20 20 20 20
TT - 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 - 20 - - - 20 20 20 20 20 20
TA - - 20 - - 10 - - - - - 20 20 20 - 20 20 - 20 18 20 20 20 - 20
--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
=============================================================================
GOLDEN OLDIES LYRICS QUIZ #393 ANSWERS:
Answers are in the form:
#number) Artist: Title (year[s]) [peak Pop] {peak R&B} <xxx>...<yyy>
[-] = did not make pop chart
{-} = did not make R&B chart
{F} = made R&B chart as a flip side
{n/c} = no Billboard R&B chart published during this recording's period
of peak popularity
<"xxx">...<"yyy"> = prior GOLQ(s) in which the song appeared, if any.
=============================================================================
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-01.mp3
#01) Applejacks, The: "Mexican Hat Rock" (1958) [16] {-} <->
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" theme
The Applejacks, led by Dave Appell, served as the studio band for Cameo-Parkway
Records. This snippet of the recording also contains a line from another
nursery rhyme, "London Bridge is Falling Down." A segment of this record not
included in this snippet samples the song "Oh Them Golden Slippers." The
Philadelphia-based Applejacks may have been inspired by the use of that song in
the city's annual Mummers Parade held on New Year's Day.
Another group called the Applejacks was also active during the GOLQ era. Those
Applejacks were from England. While they never made the Hot 100, they reached
#135 on the Bubbling Under chart in 1964 with "Tell Me When." Coincidentally,
they also recorded one of the other "Mary Had a Little Lamb" songs used in this
quiz (more details later).
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-02.mp3
#02) Bar-Kays: "Soul Finger" (1967) [17] {3} <->
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" theme
Sadly, most of the band was killed in the same plane crash that also took the
life of Otis Redding later in 1967. A member who was not on the plane
eventually reformed the group, but they never had another hit as big as this
one.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-03.mp3
#03) Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans: "Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah" (1962) [8] {7}
<34><139>
1947 - SONG OF THE SOUTH
With the first two songs in this quiz both being from the minor theme, maybe
you thought the theme was going to be children's songs. According to my
mother, SONG OF THE SOUTH was the first movie I ever saw, although it was
during a re-release. I wasn't around yet in 1947.
No Walt Disney movie has ever won the Best Picture award, but quite a few have
produced Best Song winners. Three are in this GOLQ.
But this is most likely the most controversial Disney movie to date. As the
Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_the_South) about the
film states:
"Since its original release, 'Song of the South' has remained a subject of
controversy. Some critics have described the film's portrayal of African
Americans as racist and offensive, maintaining that the black vernacular and
other qualities are stereotypes. In addition, the plantation setting is
sometimes criticized as idyllic and glorified. Because of this controversy,
Disney has yet to release 'Song of the South' on any home video format in the
United States."
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-04.mp3
#04) Charles, Ray, and Betty Carter: "Baby It's Cold Outside" (1962) [91] {-}
<216>
1949 - NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER
Speaking of controversy, the Wikipedia article
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby,_It%27s_Cold_Outside) for this song says:
"Since 2009, the song has faced some criticism for the presumed implications of
its lyrics. In 2018, the airing of the song was cancelled by a number of radio
stations, such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's streaming service,
due to listeners' concerns about the lyrics, but later reinstated it after
public backlash."
To be honest, I was not familiar with this song until I learned of this
controversy (centered around a man trying to get a woman to spend the night
with him in a somewhat aggressive manner) just last year. I didn't even know
that it was a popular holiday season song until then, partly because I usually
tune out Christmas music except for a few favorites. Because I don't have a
strong association between "Baby It's Cold Outside" and Christmas, I had no
problem using this song in an October GOLQ, at a time of the year when it is
starting to get cold in much of the northern hemisphere.
On the other hand, the eligible Oscar-winning song I chose not to use in this
GOLQ is strongly associated with Christmas: "White Christmas" from the 1942
movie HOLIDAY INN. That one charted multiple times each by Bing Crosby and the
Drifters.
Mike Weaver mentioned the controversies associated with both SONG OF THE SOUTH
and "Baby It's Cold Outside." The video in my YouTube playlist shows the song
being performed twice in the movie. The second performance shows the woman
wanting to stay, but the man wants her to leave. Also, now that I know this
song, I think that the 1967 Herman's Hermits hit "Don't Go Out Into The Rain,"
written by Kenny Young and originally recorded by his group the Sea Gulls, may
have been inspired by it.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-05.mp3
#05) Checker, Chubby: "The Class" (1959) [38] {-} <52><222><346>
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" theme
Before he made a name for himself doing "The Twist" and other dance songs,
Chubby Checker was known for doing impressions of other artists. On this song,
he imitated Fats Domino, The Coasters, Elvis Presley, and The Chipmunks, as
pointed out by The EJ'S & Co. This snippet is from the Fats Domino segment. I
originally planned to do the segment featuring The Coasters, but when I
realized that they fit alphabetically as an artist, I didn't want anyone to get
fooled and guess that they were the artist.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-06.mp3
#06) Costa, Don, And His Orchestra And Chorus: "Never On Sunday" (1960, 1961)
[19/37] {-} <->
1960 - NEVER ON SUNDAY
Three entries named The Chordettes as the artist, and another one mentioned
both The Chordettes and Don Costa And His Orchestra And Chorus. This sent me
scurrying to listen to the Chordettes' version because sometimes a vocal
version of a song has as its instrumental backing an instrumental recording of
the song. I wondered if The Chordettes had been backed up by the Costa version
(instead of, say, Archie Bleyer), and therefore the bridge I had chosen for
this snippet was in their record. But this was not the case.
The Chordettes' version peaked at #13 in 1961. A third charting version of the
"Never On Sunday" tune, "Ein Schiff Wird Kommen," translated to "A Ship Will
Come," done by Lale Anderson in German reached #88, also in 1961.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-07.mp3
#07) Damone, Vic: "Gigi" (1958) [88] {-} <->
1958 - GIGI (Won Best Picture Oscar)
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-08.mp3
#08) Demensions, The: "Over The Rainbow" (1960) [16] {-} <29><106>
1939 - THE WIZARD OF OZ
Some copies of this record show the group name as The Dimensions.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-09.mp3
#09) Dion and the Belmonts: "When You Wish Upon A Star" (1960) [30] {-}
<55><190><338>
1940 - PINOCCHIO
Another Disney movie.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-10.mp3
#10) Four Aces featuring Al Alberts: "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" (1955/56)
[1] {-} <140><267>
1955 - LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING
Another Philadelphia-based artist. GOLQ267's theme was Philadelphia. On that
quiz, I deducted five points for omitting Al Alberts. I only deducted two
points in this quiz.
The Four Aces, presumably also featuring Al Alberts, reached #1 with that
year's Best Song Oscar winner two years in a row. In 1954, it was "Three Coins
In The Fountain" from the movie of the same name. Unfortunately, its chart run
did not extend into 1955, so I couldn't use it in this GOLQ. If it had still
been on the chart in 1955, I would have had other artists from which to choose
a charting version of "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing," all from 1955:
Don Cornell - #26
David Rose - #54
Woody Herman - #79 (mentioned by one entry as also alphabetically fitting)
Don, Dick N' Jimmy - #96
The song served as the theme song to a TV soap opera also called LOVE IS A
MANY-SPLENDORED THING that was based on the movie and which aired from
1967-1973. It has been heard in several other movies over the years, including
GREASE.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-11.mp3
#11) Hesitations: "Born Free" (1968) [38] {4} <239>
1966 - BORN FREE
Like the Bar-Kays, the Hesitations suffered a tragedy not long after they had
their biggest hit record, which was this one. Member George "King" Scott was
accidentally shot to death in February 1968, probably while this song was still
in the Hot 100. Although the group then disbanded, songs that had already been
recorded continued to make the Hot 100, R&B, and Bubbling Under charts for the
remainder of 1968. Most of them were also remakes or covers of show tunes and
song from movies.
"Born Free" was one of the first Best Song Oscar winners, if not the first,
that was not written by a traditional Tin Pan Alley songwriter or songwriting
team, with music by John Barry and lyrics by Don Black. Based in England, they
wrote a lot of songs for films, especially ones aimed at teenage and young
adult audience, such as James Bond movies.
Roger Williams' version peaked at #7 in 1966.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-12.mp3
#12) Irwin, Big Dee: "Swinging On A Star" (1963) [38] {-} <56><350>
1944 - GOING MY WAY (Won Best Picture Oscar)
Duet partner Little Eva is credited on some copies of this record, plus results
emails for GOLQ056 and GOLQ350 mention her as part of the artist name. Thus,
full credit was given whether she was mentioned or not.
Mike Weaver noted that this song was the theme song for the TV show OUT OF THIS
WORLD and was also heard in the movie HUDSON HAWK.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-13.mp3
#13) Jones, Jack: "Call Me Irresponsible" (1963) [75] {-} <144>
1963 - PAPA'S DELICATE CONDITION
Frank Sinatra's version peaked at #78 the same year. Bobby Darin was one of
many others to have recorded "Call Me Irresponsible" over the years. His
version is heard in a scene in the 1999 Best Picture winner AMERICAN BEAUTY in
which two of the main characters are arguing about how the other one is
irresponsible.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-14.mp3
#14) Lettermen, The: "The Way You Look Tonight" (1961) [13] {-} <49><205>
1936 - SWING TIME
Lyricist Dorothy Fields was one of only two female songwriters to share in a
Best Song Oscar before 1970. The song co-written by the other one is also in
this quiz. The music for this song was composed by Jerome Kern.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-15.mp3
#15) Mancini, Henry, His Orchestra And Chorus: "Days Of Wine And Roses" (1963)
[33] {-} <->
1962 - DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
Andy Williams' version reached #26 in 1963. But this is not the most famous
song recorded by both Mancini and Williams. See #T2.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-16.mp3
#16) New Christy Minstrels, The: "Chim, Chim, Cheree" (1965) [81] {-} <140>
1964 - MARY POPPINS
Another Disney song. MARY POPPINS is one of the few Disney pictures to get a
Best Picture Oscar nomination.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-17.mp3
#17) ? & the Mysterians: "I Need Somebody" (1966/67) [22] {-} <68><225>
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" theme
This band's most famous song, the #1 hit "96 Tears," was originally released on
the small Pa-Go-Go label in their native Michigan. An executive with Cameo-
Parkway heard it and purchased the rights to it. Other records, including this
one, followed before Cameo-Parkway closed down.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-18.mp3
#18) Randolph, Boots: "The Shadow Of Your Smile" (1966/67) [93] {-} <->
1965 - THE SANDPIPER
Tony Bennett's verson peaked at #95 in 1965. I had heard the Boots' Randolph
version over the years but never knew who the artist was until I put this GOLQ
together. I normally associate him with the rocking "Yakety Sax."
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-19.mp3
#19) Searchers: "Ain't That Just Like Me" (1964) [61] {n/c} <226>
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" theme
I have both this version and one by the Hollies in my collection. I learned
recently that the English Applejacks recorded this song, too. With multiple
English groups having done it, I figured that the song originated in one of two
places. Either it was written by one of the songwriters or songwriting teams
in the U.K. who were supplying songs for all of those new groups suddenly
sprouting up in the wake of the Beatles (example--Graham Gouldman) or it was an
r&b or early rock and roll song from the U.S. It turns out to have been the
latter. The original version of "Ain't That Just Like Me" appears to have been
done by The Coasters. I had originally planned to use the portion of "The
Class" in which Chubby Checker imitates them to tip my hat to them for this
song.
Some versions of the song are titled "(Ain't That) Just Like Me," so I gave
full credit for either form.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-20.mp3
#20) Sinatra, Frank, "and a bunch of kids": "High Hopes" (1959) [30] {20}
<56><298>
1959 - A HOLE IN THE HEAD
This is one of three Oscar-winning songs with which Frank Sinatra charted in
the GOLQ era. As already mentioned, one of the others was "Call Me
Irresponsible." At least the Jack Jones version was available for inclusion in
this GOLQ. But just like with "High Hopes," Sinatra was the only charting
artist for the other song, the 1957 winner, "All The Way" from the movie THE
JOKER IS WILD.
DEC & Friends mentioned that Eddie Hodges sang the song with Sinatra. This
duet was in the movie (as seen in the video in my YouTube playlist), but on the
record, he sang it with a children's chorus. The first half of this song is
about an ant. The second half is about a ram. I decided that this GOLQ had
enough sheep in it and went with a snippet from the ant half.
Sinatra recorded a special version for John F. Kennedy's election campaign in
1960. The Philadelphia Phillies play a version of this song that was recorded
by their late broadcaster Harry Kalas after each home victory.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-21.mp3
#21) Springfield, Dusty: "The Windmills Of Your Mind" (1969) [31] {-} <133><263>
1968 - THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR
This is the other song which a woman co-wrote. The lyrics were by Alan and
Marilyn Bergman, with music by Michel Legrand. The Bergmans won another Oscar
for the song "The Way We Were" in 1973. Dusty recorded this on her iconic
album DUSTY IN MEMPHIS. It was supposed to be the B-side of her third single
from the album, with "I Don't Want to Hear it Anymore" as the A-side. However,
Atlantic Records decided that if the song won the Oscar in the ceremony
scheduled for April 14, 1969 (the Oscar shows were in April or late March back
then), it would be promoted as the A-side.
Dusty Springfield had close connections to two songs that were nominated for
Best Song but didn't win in the two years leading up to this song's win. One
of the 1966 nominees, "Georgy Girl," was co-written by her brother Tom
Springfield. One of the 1967 nominees, "The Look Of Love," was also a hit song
for her. (If that one had also won, and both songs done by Dusty had been
eligible, I would have represented that one in this quiz with the version by
Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66.)
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-22.mp3
#22) Stewart, Billy: "Secret Love" (1966) [29] {11} <215>
1953 - CALAMITY JANE
This song was made famous by Doris Day, who starred in the film. It is one of
at least two Oscar-winning songs associated with her. The other is perhaps her
most famous song of all, "Que Sera Sera" (recorded by her as "Whatever Will Be,
Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)"), the 1956 winner, from the movie THE MAN WHO KNEW
TOO MUCH, in which she also starred. This one was used too recently in
GOLQ388, the last one I did before this one, to be included in this one. I
mentioned at the time that I almost didn't use it then because I thought it
would be too easy. The real reason was that I was already kicking around the
idea of a Best Song Oscars theme and didn't want to take it out of commission.
As it turned out, Doris Day died that month, and the next two GOLQs included
songs by her. If "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" had been
eligible for them, it may have been used then, still making it ineligible for
this one. So I'm glad I put it in the Mother/Mama-themed quiz.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-23.mp3
#23) Thomas, B.J.: "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" (1969/70) [1] {-}
<85><236><308><336>
1969 - BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
The end of the 1960s, the end of the GOLQ era, and the end of the era of the
Best Song Oscar almost always going to traditional Tin Pan Alley songwriters
who were writing for adult audiences and record buyers, not for teenagers and
young adults. All of this came together just at the same time. This song
entered the Hot 100 on November 1, 1969, and reached #1 on January 3, 1970.
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal
David, who had elements of Tin Pan Alley in their style but whose songs were
mainly hits for artists that appealed to younger audiences. 1969 was actually
the fourth year in a five-year period in which they got an Oscar nomination.
For them, the fourth time was the charm. The other songs were "What's New
Pussycat" in 1965, "Alfie" in 1966, and "The Look Of Love" in 1967. (Maybe
they didn't get a nomination in 1968 because they were too busy writing their
only Broadway musical, PROMISES, PROMISES.) Bacharach won a second Oscar for
the 1981 song "Best That You Can Do," written with Peter Allen, Christopher
Cross, and his then-wife Carole Bayer Sager.
Since 1970, the Best Song Oscars have mainly gone to songs that were not
written in the Tin Pan Alley style and have been performed in the movies
themselves and on original version/cover/remake records by artists aimed at
appealing to teenagers and young adults (and young at heart baby boomers).
A small segment of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" can be heard in the 1994
Best Picture winner, FORREST GUMP.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-24.mp3
#24) Twitty, Conway: "Mona Lisa" (1959) [29] {-} <->
1950 - CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A.
Carl Mann's equally rocking competing cover version peaked at #25 the same
year.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-25.mp3
#25) Wonder, Little Stevie: "Fingertips - Pt 2" (1963) [1] {1} <35><346>
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" theme
Perhaps if "Alfie" had won the Best Song Oscar, Stevie Wonder would have been
playing harmonica in this quiz as part of the major theme. His instrumental
version, recorded under the name of Eivets Rednow (spell it backwards!), peaked
at #66 in 1968.
Stevie Wonder later won a Best Song Oscar of his own for the 1984 song "I Just
Called To Say I Love You." Other GOLQ-era charting artists who won Best Song
Oscars as songwriters after 1969 include Isaac Hayes, Barbra Streisand, Carly
Simon (Simon Sisters), and Bob Dylan. Ones who had nominated songs include
Paul McCartney (Beatles), Carol Connors (Teddy Bears), Lesley Gore, Bobby Hart
(Boyce and Hart), Barry Mann, Peter Cetera (Chicago Transit Authority), Bob
Seger (Bob Seger System), Neil Young (Buffalo Springfield), Paul Simon (Simon
and Garfunkel), Sergio Mendes (Brasil '66), and Glen Campbell.
------------
Tie-Breakers
------------
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-T1.mp3
#T1) Browns, The, featuring Jim Edward Brown: "Buttons And Bows" (1962) [104]
{-} <->
1948 - THE PALEFACE
I chose this song and version from the 13 non-charting Oscar winners as an
opportunity to pay tribute to the three siblings in The Browns now that all
three have died--Jim Edward (usually known as Jim Ed) in 2015, Bonnie in 2016,
and Maxine earlier this year.
http://golq.org/Clips/GOLQ393/GOLQ393-T2.mp3
#T2) Williams, Andy: "Moon River" (1962) [-] {-} <->
1961 - BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
Some of the entries noted that they were surprised that this version never
charted. The Wikipedia article for the song
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_River) notes:
"It became the theme song for Andy Williams, who first recorded it in 1962 (and
performed it at the Academy Awards ceremony that year). He sang the first
eight bars of the song at the beginning of each episode of his eponymous
television show and named his production company and venue in Branson,
Missouri, after it; his autobiography is called 'Moon River and Me.' Williams'
version was never released as a single, but it charted as an LP track that he
recorded for Columbia on a hit album of 1962, MOON RIVER AND OTHER GREAT MOVIE
THEMES.... Although Andy Williams never released the song as a single, his LP
MOON RIVER AND OTHER GREAT MOVIE THEMES (1962), was certified gold in 1963 for
selling one million units. The album reached number 3 on the Billboard Top 200,
eventually selling more than two million copies by 1967. Cadence Records'
president Archie Bleyer disliked Williams' version, believing that it had
little or no appeal to teenagers. In 2002, a 74-year-old Williams sang the
song at the conclusion of the live NBC special telecast celebrating the
network's 75th anniversary."
Andy Williams recorded a lot of movie theme songs in his long and successful
career.
The versions by Jerry Butler and Henry Mancini (probably released under the
artist name Henry Mancini And His Orchestra) both reached #11 in 1961.
Although not a hit in the U.S., a version by Danny Williams (no relation) was a
#1 hit in the U.K.
=============================================================================
This chart ranks the songs/artists from most to least recognized. The second
number on the line denotes the average number of points scored on that song
(total points divided by number of entrants, to 2 decimal places). For
comparison purposes, tie-breakers are scored here on the usual 20-point scale.
The Oscar winners theme may have helped some of the participants identify some
of the stumpers. I expected "Moon River" to do well. The other tie-breaker,
"Buttons And Bows," ranked higher than I expected it to rank. (Maybe it was
because I added The Browns to a long list of artists who recorded this song to
its Wikipedia entry just before I released this quiz, expecting that some
participants would go there to look for potential artists.) The two artists
with "His Orchestra And Chorus" in their names ranked at the bottom due to
points deducted for missing portions of their names, but "Days Of Wine And
Roses" would have ranked last even without the point deductions.
Rank Avg. Song
---+-----+----+--------------------------------------------------------------
T01 20.00 #03) Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans: "Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah"
T01 20.00 #12) Irwin, Big Dee: "Swinging On A Star"
T01 20.00 #13) Jones, Jack: "Call Me Irresponsible"
T01 20.00 #16) New Christy Minstrels, The: "Chim, Chim, Cheree"
T01 20.00 #21) Springfield, Dusty: "The Windmills Of Your Mind"
T01 20.00 #22) Stewart, Billy: "Secret Love"
T01 20.00 #23) Thomas, B.J.: "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"
T01 20.00 #25) Wonder, Little Stevie: "Fingertips - Pt 2"
09 19.60 #20) Sinatra, Frank, "and a bunch of kids": "High Hopes"
T10 19.33 #14) Lettermen, The: "The Way You Look Tonight"
T10 19.33 #T2) Williams, Andy: "Moon River"
T12 18.67 #02) Bar-Kays: "Soul Finger"
T12 18.67 #04) Charles, Ray, and Betty Carter: "Baby It's Cold Outside"
T12 18.67 #05) Checker, Chubby: "The Class"
T12 18.67 #07) Damone, Vic: "Gigi"
T12 18.67 #08) Demensions, The: "Over The Rainbow"
T12 18.67 #11) Hesitations: "Born Free"
T12 18.67 #17) ? & the Mysterians: "I Need Somebody"
T12 18.67 #24) Twitty, Conway: "Mona Lisa"
T20 18.00 #10) Four Aces featuring Al Alberts: "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing"
T20 18.00 #T1) Browns, The, featuring Jim Edward Brown: "Buttons And Bows"
22 17.87 #09) Dion and the Belmonts: "When You Wish Upon A Star"
T23 17.33 #01) Applejacks, The: "Mexican Hat Rock"
T23 17.33 #18) Randolph, Boots: "The Shadow Of Your Smile"
T23 17.33 #19) Searchers: "Ain't That Just Like Me"
26 16.67 #06) Costa, Don, And His Orchestra And Chorus: "Never On Sunday"
27 14.20 #15) Mancini, Henry, His Orchestra And Chorus:"Days Of Wine And Roses"
---+-----+----+--------------------------------------------------------------
============================================================================
Regina Litman <GOLQ393@golq.org>