Pop Trivia BE Birthday special trivia quiz

By Dave, 1 April 2001

They say it’s your birthday…

Two multiple No.1 achieving male vocalists were both born on 8 January – one in 1935, one in 1947. Name them.
Two songs with the title “Happy Birthday” reached No.2 in the charts in 1981. Name the artists.
Which song featured the lines, “Oh what a birthday surprise/
Judy’s wearing his ring”?
The Police song “On Any Other Day” features a version of “Happy Birthday To You” in the background. On which album does it appear, and what is unusual about it compared to other songs by The Police?
Which famous singer, renowned for his extravagant birthday parties, held a wild party in 1986 featuring waitresses wearing nothing but body paint, and (rumour has it) dwarves carrying bowls of cocaine on their heads?

A few questions with a loose connection to this popular birthday party food:

According to one of their songs, in which town did Chas ‘n’ Dave plan to buy jellied eels? (Sorry.)
“Cooler than ice-cream/And warmer than the sun…” Name the song and the group.
Who performed the rock-‘n’-roll classic “Shakin’ All Over”, which was hi-jacked by a famous jelly-making company for an advert some years later?
Which male vocal duo were famous for not actually singing on any of their records?
Which famous singer once dressed up as a theatre ice-cream seller and gave away the ice-creams to the audience for a laugh?

Same kind of thing…

“Simon Says” is a popular game at kids’ parties. Which group took a song of that title to No.2 in 1968?
“Neunundneunzig Luftballons” reached No.1 in the UK in 1984 under a slightly different title in English translation. What was it?
Another popular party game is “Sardines”. On that subject, what’s the real name of Marillion’s lead singer Fish, and how did he get his nickname?
Associates (Alan Rankine and the late lamented Billy MacKenzie) had their first and greatest hit with “Party Fears Two” in 1982. What was the name of their first album, which featured it?
You can’t have children’s party games without children (though we know of one or two people who’ve tried). But which famous singer, when asked if he wanted children, replied, “I think I’d rather have another cat”?

Who took “Send In The Clowns” to No.6 in 1975?
“Oh, and while the King was looking down/The jester stole his thorny crown…” Name the song, the original artist, the year it first appeared in the UK charts, and the highest chart position.
“Tears Of A Clown” was a No.1 for Smokey Robinson and The Miracles in 1970. Who did a two-tone cover version in 1979?
Who performed his first hit on Top Of The Pops dressed up in a clown’s costume? What was the song?
“Oh yes, I’m the Great Pretender/Just laughing and gay like a clown”. The Platters took this classic to No.5 in 1956. Which famous singer took it to No.4 in 1987?

Put the following hits in chronological order of reaching the UK Top Ten (earliest first), and name the artist in each case: