Image: Essex Productions/George Sidney Productions
About This Quiz
Are you up to date on your old time crooners? Take this quiz on classic songs and put your knowledge to the test.
Boy, pop music in the '50s and 60s sure was different from the pop music of today. However, it's important to understand that "pop" is simply short for "popular," and since what's popular is bound to vary with time, so will the way pop music sounds.
So, explanation of pop music aside, what were the classic pop artists and songs? Well, if you know that Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett were huge classic singers, then you will probably be able to identify such big hits as "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" by Dean Martin, "My Way" by Frank Sinatra, "Moonlight Becomes You" by Bing Crosby, and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" by Tony Bennett. In fact, if you are a true aficionado of classic songs, you can probably hear Bing Crosby's soothing rendition of "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" in your head from the mere mention of it. In fact, you just might associate all classic Christmas tunes with Bing.
Of course, this quiz isn't about Christmas songs, but these classic tunes are probably recognizable to a true music lover.
Take this quiz to test your knowledge of classic songs.
"Peggy Sue"
Louis Armstrong
Buddy Holly
"Peggy Sue" was recorded and released in 1957. The song was originally titled "Cindy Lou," but was later changed.
Teresa Brewer
Bing Crosby
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"What a Wonderful World"
Louis Armstrong
Written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, this popular-through-the-decades song was first recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967.
B.J. Thomas
Steve Lawrence
Sammy Davis Jur.
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"I Say A Little Prayer"
Mary Hopkin
Tony Bennett
Dionne Warwick
Recorded by Dionne Warwick in 1967, "I Say A Little Prayer" was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 list in December 1967.
Al Martino
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"Love Letters in the Sand"
Judy Garland
Pat Boone
"Love Letters in the Sand" was first released in 1931. Pat Boone covered it in 1957, and it spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top 100.
Jo Stafford
Dean Martin
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"Whatever Will Be, Will Be"
Doris Day
Also known as "Que Sera, Sera," was recorded by Doris Day in 1956. It was introduced in the film "The Man Who Knew Too Much."
Kitty Kallen
Percy Faith
Connie Francis
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"What's New Pussycat"
Stan Getz
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
Tom Jones
Tom Jones recorded "What's New Pussycat" in 1965. In 1966, the song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the film with the same title..
Bobby Darin
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"Mona Lisa"
B.J. Thomas
Nat "King" Cole
"Mona Lisa" was recorded by Nat King Cole on March 11, 1950. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in "Captain Carey, USA.
Herb Alpert
Sammy Davis Jr.
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"Mack the Knife"
Domenico Modungno with Dean Martin
Bobby Darin with Louis Armstrong
"Mack the Knife" was composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. It became a #1 hit for Bobby Darin in 1959 in both the US and UK.
Rosemary Clooney with Sammy Davis Jr.
Louis Prima with Keely Smith
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"Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes"
Jo Stafford
Perry Como
The lyrics begin: "Don't let the stars get in your eyes, don't let the moon break your heart." Perry Como recorded the song on November 4, 1952.
Ames Brothers
Don Cornell
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"The Lady is a Tramp"
Nat "King" Cole
Doris Day
Frank Sinatra
Recorded by Frank Sinatra, the lyrics begin: "She gets too hungry for dinner at eight / She likes the theatre and never comes late / She never bothers with people she'd hate / That's why the lady is a tramp!"
Sammy Davis Jr.
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"That's Amore"
Four Aces
Debbie Reynolds
Dean Martin
The lyrics begin: "When a moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore! When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that's amore!"
Tony Bennett
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"On The Street Where You Lived"
Sammy Davis Jr.
Nat "King" Cole
Vic Damone
Vic Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola on June 12, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York. This song was from "My Fair Lady."
Johnny Mathis
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"Turn Around, Look at Me"
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
The Vogues
"Turn Around, Look at Me" was written by Jerry Capehart and recorded and released by Glen Campbell in 1961. It was later recorded by The Vogues in 1963, gaining further popularity and reaching #7 on the charts.
Bert Kaempfert
New Vaudeville Band
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"Don't Be Cruel"
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley recorded "Don't Be Cruel" in 1956. It was written by Otis Blackwell, and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
Richard Harris
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"It's Not For Me To Say"
Frank SInatra
Eddie Fisher
Johnny Mathis
"It's Not For Me To Say" was written for the 1957 film, "Lizzie," starring Eleanor Parker. Johnny Mathis sang it.
Johnny Ray
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"It Was a Very Good Year"
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Frank Sinatra
"It Was a Very Good Year" was composed by Ervin Drake in 1961. Originally recorded by Bob Shane, it was Frank Sinatra's version that won a Grammy Award in 1966.
Tom Jones
Tony Bennett
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"Mele Kalikimaka"
Dean Martin
Frank Sinatra
Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby, who was well-known for his Christmas carols, was born on May 3, 1903 in Tacoma, Washington. He died at the age of 74 in Madrid, Spain.
Louis Armstrong
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"A Man Without Love"
Stan Getz
Engelbert Humperdinck
The lyrics begin: "Every day I wake up, then I start to break up / Lonely is a man without love / Every day I start out, then I cry my heart out / Lonely is a man without love."
Dionne Warwick
Bobby Vinton
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"I've Got You Under My Skin"
Johnny Mathis
Patti Page
Dean Martin
Frank Sinatra
"I've Got You Under My Skin" was written by Cole Porter in 1936. It was recorded and released by Frank Sinatra 20 years later in 1956!
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"Can't Get Used to Losing You"
Dean Martin
Bobby Vinton
Connie Francis
Andy Williams
Andy Williams was born Howard Andrew Williams on December 3, 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa. He died at the age of 84 in 2012.
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"If I Ruled The World"
Frank Sinatra
Richard Harris
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926 in Queens, New York. He was not only a singer, but a painter.
Andy Williams
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"Love and Marriage"
Frank Sinatra
"Love and Marriage" was recorded by Frank Sinatra and first appeared on the 1955 production of "Our Town." It later became the theme song for "Married ... With Children," which aired on television from 1987-1997.
Kitty Kallen
Al Martino
Tony Bennett
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"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer"
Dean Martin
Nat "King" Cole
Arranged by Ralph Carmichael and recorded by Nat "King" Cole, this song reached #14 on the Billboard chart in 1963.
Tony Bennett
Bing Crosby
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"The Little White Cloud That Cried"
Herb Alpert
Connie Francis
Johnnie Ray
"The Little White Cloud That Cried" was written and recorded by Johnnie Ray in 1951. It was released by Okeh Recrods.
Eydie Gorme
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"Happy Days Are Here Again"
Barbara Streisand
"Happy Days Are Here Again" was recorded by Barbara Streisand and released in 1963. It was originally recorded 33 years earlier, in 1930.
Mary Hopkin
B.J. Thomas
Engelbert Humperdinck
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"Cry Me A River"
Johnny Desmond
Julie London
"Cry Me A River" was written by Arthur Hamilton and first published in 1953. Julie London sang it and made it famous in 1955.
Dean Martin
Frank Sinatra
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"Rags to Riches"
Andy Williams
Bing Crosby
Tony Bennett
Originally recorded by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, this song became well-known after Tony Bennett and Percy Faith recorded it in 1953.
Herb Alpert
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"Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
"Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" was first recorded by Dean Martin on May 10, 1960. Nelson Riddle conducted.
Richard Harris
Louis Armstrong
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"You, You, You"
Jim Lowe
Pat Boone
Teresa Brewer
Ames Brothers
The Ames Brothers were a singing quartet from Malden, Massachusetts. It was made up of brothers Joe, Gene, Vic and Ed.
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"The Man That Got Away"
Patti Page
Connie Francis
Judy Garland
Judy Garland's rendition of "The Man That Got Away," from the movie "A Star is Born," was selected by the American Film Institute as the 11th greatest song in American cinema history.
Barbara Streisand
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"Because of You"
Tony Bennett and Les Baxter
"Because of You" was the title track of Tony Bennett's debut album by the same name. It was originally released in 1952.
Mitch Miller and Johnny Desmond
Four Aces and Frank Sinatra
Four Aces and Eddie Fisher
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"I'll Walk Alone"
Vic Damone
Don Cornell
Originally recorded in 1944, Don Cornell revived the song in 1952, landing it a spot in the top ten on the charts.
Dean Martin
Herb Alpert
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"Love is a Many Splendored Thing"
The Four Lads
The Four Aces
The Four Aces were an all male traditional pop music quartet. They came from Chester, Pennsylvania.
Dean Martin with Gale Storm
Al Martino with Vic Damone
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"Autumn Leaves"
Percy Faith
Roger Williams
Roger Williams was born Louis Jacob Weertz in 1924. He was an American popular music pianist whose instrumental, "Autumn Leaves," reached #1 on the Billboard chart in 1955.
Johnny Mathis
Doris Day
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"Mr. Sandman"
Chordettes
The Chordettes were an American female pop quartet. They are best known for "Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop."
Four Lads
Mills Brothers
McGuire Sisters
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You Got:
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Essex Productions/George Sidney Productions