About This Quiz
The era of Pink Floyd, ABBA, The Ramones, and Blondie introduced many rockers whose careers have been long and illustrious, but there's also some recognizable one-hit wonders. From the lovesick "My Sharona" by The Knack to the heartbreaking "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin, there are many tracks we've been jamming to for decades possibly not realizing that their artists were flashes in the pan, or perhaps well-respected musicians who never quite managed to have other chart hits. That goes true for other genres of '70s music too.
Are you a self-proclaimed '70s music expert who knows the story behind the classic "American Pie"? Can you name the man who told the nation all about "Kung Fu Fighting"? What about the Grammy-winner behind "Turn the Beat Around"? If the answer is yes then you'll have no problem getting through this quiz, but if you have no clue then settle down, 'cause this is a crash course in the meteoric rise and fall of these '70s rockers.Â
We suggest you "Play that Funky Music," "Mr. Big Stuf,f" and get groovin' on this quiz cause "Love Hurts", but taking this quiz is like "Dancing in the Moonlight". Expert or enthusiast, go ahead and test your knowledge of '70s tunes.
Lynn Anderson picked up a Grammy in 1971 for her song "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden."
Chapin's wife, Sandy, wrote a poem about her experience with her own father, which Chapin transformed into a truly tear-jerking hit.
The Jewish songwriter spent just 15 minutes penning the words to the 1969 hit but admits that crafting the melody took much longer.
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Spiro Agnew made it his mission to take down the Brewer & Shipley song and had the FCC ban it in 1971.
After numerous singers turned down the song that was penned by Bobby Russell, Russell's wife, actress Vicki Lawrence, went into the studio and recorded the song herself.
Wild Cherry hit the No. 1 spot on both the Billboard rhythm and blues and pop charts with their 1976 song "Play That Funky Music."
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Former Sweeney Todd singer Nick Gilder went solo to record "Hot Child in the City," and it became his best-known song.
British band Ace scored a hit with "How Long," which was later covered by Barbara Mandrell and Rod Stewart.
She didn't win the big prize, but one-hit wonder Vicki Sue Robinson did receive the honor of a Grammy nomination for best pop female for "Turn the Beat Around."
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Everybody was kung fu fighting in 1974 thanks to a surprise hit song from Carl Douglas.
Nazareth found fame with a power ballad version of the Everly Brothers' classic "Love Hurts."
Detroit DJ Tom Clay hit the big time in 1971 with a remix of "What the World Needs Now." The song peaked at No. 8 in 1971, and Clay never had another hit song.
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His smooth hit "In the Summertime" may have sounded like it was inspired by island living, but Mungo Jerry actually came from Britain.
Jean Knight crooned the sassy tune, which soared to the top of the soul charts in the fall of 1971.
Ward recorded the song (reluctantly) in just two days in 1979. It went on to be her biggest hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five months.
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Thin Lizzy almost didn't include its most famous song on the 1976 album "Jailbreak" and was surprised when the song became a huge hit.
The song may have referenced a plane crash as the day the music died, but Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were not flying on a plane called "American Pie."
The 1971 song by Don McLean might just be the biggest one-hit wonder of all time, and it's also one of the longest, with a running time of eight minutes.
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Eddie Holman crooned the 1970 soul classic "Hey There Lonely Girl."
The New Seekers sang the original Coca-Cola jingle, which became a huge hit after it was shipped to radio stations in February 1971.
The lead singer of The Knack wrote the song for a girl he liked named Sharona, who later became his girlfriend. Her image was used on the cover of the single.
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McCoy's 1975 hit song found footing on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Hottest Soul Singles chart.
"Dancing in the Moonlight" was all the rage in 1973, but King Harvest quickly faded from the spotlight, and the band broke up by the end of the decade.
"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" was credited to Edison Lighthouse. The song was actually put together by a songwriter and producer and performed by a session singer named Tony Burrows.
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As part of Odyssey, Lopez was best known for the 1977 disco hit "Native New Yorker."
The Chicago family consisting of four boys and one girl who played their own instruments (take that, Jackson 5) scored a big hit with "O-o-h Child" in 1970.
Bloom found fame with his 1970 song "Montego Bay" but never had much success in the proceeding years. He was killed in 1974 in an accidental shooting.
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The band earned five Grammy nominations and won two awards thanks largely to the success of their song "Afternoon Delight."
Mitchell penned her 1970 chart topper after a less-than-inspiring trip to a parking lot in Hawaii.
"Pink Moon," off Nick Drake's 1972 album of the same name, found little fame in the '70s but gained attention when it was featured in a 1999 car commercial.
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