Finish the Lyrics: 50 Oldies Songs (With Answers) from the 50s–70s

You know how it goes. The first few words land, and before you’ve even decided to join in, your voice is already reaching for the next line. The song finishes itself, the way it has a thousand times before — in the car, at the sink, on a back porch with the radio turned up.

So let’s put that to the test. Below are 50 lines from the great oldies of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, each stopped just short of the word everyone remembers. Read the line, finish it out loud, then check the answer underneath — alone, or with the whole room shouting the endings.

Rock ’n’ Roll’s First Decade (The 1950s)

1. Bill Haley & His Comets, 1955: “One, two, three o’clock, four o’clock…”

“…rock.” From “Rock Around the Clock,” the record that helped kick the whole thing off.

2. Elvis Presley, 1956: “You ain’t nothin’ but a…”

“…hound dog, cryin’ all the time.” Elvis snarled it, and the world sang back.

3. Chuck Berry, 1958: “Go, go, Go Johnny go, go… Johnny B.…”

“…Goode.” Chuck Berry’s guitar-slinging country boy.

4. Jerry Lee Lewis, 1957: “You shake my nerves and you rattle my…”

“…brain.” From “Great Balls of Fire.”

5. Fats Domino, 1956: “I found my thrill on…”

“…Blueberry Hill.” Fats Domino’s easy, rolling signature song.

6. Buddy Holly and the Crickets, 1957: “Well, that’ll be the day, when you say…”

“…goodbye.” The title came from a line John Wayne kept repeating in the film The Searchers.

7. Little Richard, 1955: “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop, a-lop-bam…”

“…boom.” The joyful nonsense that opens “Tutti Frutti.”

8. The Platters, 1955: “Only you can make all this world seem…”

“…right.” The silk-smooth ballad “Only You (And You Alone).”

9. The Chordettes, 1954: “Mr. Sandman, bring me a…”

“…dream.” The close-harmony wish of “Mr. Sandman.”

10. Elvis Presley, 1956: “Love me tender, love me…”

“…sweet.” Elvis set the words to an old Civil War-era melody.

11. The Everly Brothers, 1957: “Wake up, little…”

“…Susie.” The sweethearts who fell asleep at the movies.

12. Ritchie Valens, 1958: “Para bailar la…”

“…Bamba.” A Mexican folk song turned into rock ’n’ roll.

The Early 1960s

13. Chubby Checker, 1960: “Come on baby, let’s do the…”

“…twist.” The dance craze that got the whole country up.

14. Ben E. King, 1961: “When the night has come, and the land is…”

“…dark.” The opening of the timeless “Stand by Me.”

15. Elvis Presley, 1961: “Wise men say, only fools rush…”

“…in.” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” built on an old French melody.

16. Roy Orbison, 1964: “Pretty woman, walking down the…”

“…street.” “Oh, Pretty Woman,” inspired by his wife Claudette.

17. The Mamas & the Papas, 1965: “All the leaves are brown, and the sky is…”

“…grey.” Homesickness for warmer days, in “California Dreamin’.”

18. The Righteous Brothers, 1964: “You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your…”

“…lips.” Phil Spector’s towering “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.”

19. The Beach Boys, 1966: “I’m pickin’ up good…”

“…vibrations.” Brian Wilson called “Good Vibrations” his pocket symphony.

Motown and Soul

20. The Temptations, 1964: “I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy…”

“…day.” Smokey Robinson helped write “My Girl.”

21. The Supremes, 1965: “Stop! In the name of…”

“…love, before you break my heart.” Hand gesture and all.

22. Aretha Franklin, 1967: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to…”

“…me.” Aretha took an Otis Redding song and made “Respect” her own.

23. Marvin Gaye, 1968: “Ooh, I bet you’re wonderin’ how I…”

“…knew.” The brooding “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”

24. Martha and the Vandellas, 1964: “Calling out around the world, are you ready for a brand new…”

“…beat?” An invitation nobody could refuse, “Dancing in the Street.”

25. Four Tops, 1965: “Sugar pie, honey bunch, you know that I love…”

“…you.” Levi Stubbs out front on “I Can’t Help Myself.”

26. Otis Redding, 1968: “Sittin’ in the mornin’ sun, I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’…”

“…comes.” Recorded days before his death, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.”

27. Percy Sledge, 1966: “When a man loves a…”

“…woman.” One of soul’s great aching ballads.

28. The Drifters, 1964: “Under the…”

“…boardwalk, down by the sea.” A shady spot on a hot day.

The British Invasion and the Late ’60s

29. The Beatles, 1963: “Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something, I think you’ll…”

“…understand.” The single that opened America’s door to the Beatles.

30. The Rolling Stones, 1965: “I can’t get no…”

“…satisfaction.” Built on one of rock’s most famous fuzzy riffs.

31. The Animals, 1964: “There is a house in New Orleans, they call the…”

“…Rising Sun.” A brooding reworking of an old folk song.

32. Petula Clark, 1964: “When you’re alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go…”

“…downtown.” Petula Clark’s bright, bustling hit.

33. The Monkees, 1966: “Then I saw her face, now I’m a…”

“…believer.” Neil Diamond wrote “I’m a Believer” for the Monkees.

34. Van Morrison, 1967: “Sha la la la la la la la la la la…”

“…te da.” The irrepressible chorus of “Brown Eyed Girl.”

35. Simon & Garfunkel, 1968: “And here’s to you, Mrs.…”

“…Robinson.” Tied forever to the film The Graduate.

36. The Beatles, 1965: “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far…”

“…away.” “Yesterday,” one of the most covered songs ever written.

37. The Archies, 1969: “Sugar, ah honey honey, you are my candy…”

“…girl.” Pure bubblegum sweetness, “Sugar, Sugar.”

38. The Beatles, 1968: “Hey Jude, don’t make it…”

“…bad.” Paul McCartney wrote it to comfort John Lennon’s young son Julian.

39. Neil Diamond, 1969: “Sweet Caroline… good times never seemed so…”

“…good.” The singalong that still fills ballparks.

Into the 1970s

40. Simon & Garfunkel, 1970: “When you’re weary, feeling…”

“…small.” The comfort of “Bridge over Troubled Water.”

41. The Beatles, 1970: “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to…”

“…me.” Words of reassurance in “Let It Be.”

42. John Lennon, 1971: “Imagine there’s no…”

“…heaven.” John Lennon’s quiet, hopeful “Imagine.”

43. Carole King and James Taylor, 1971: “When you’re down and troubled and you need a helping…”

“…hand.” Carole King wrote “You’ve Got a Friend”; James Taylor’s version topped the chart.

44. Don McLean, 1971: “A long, long time ago, I can still…”

“…remember.” The opening of the epic “American Pie.”

45. John Denver, 1971: “Almost heaven, West…”

“…Virginia.” A hymn to home, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

46. Bill Withers, 1972: “Lean on me, when you’re not…”

“…strong.” Bill Withers’ promise of help.

47. ABBA, 1976: “You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your…”

“…life.” The glittering “Dancing Queen.”

48. Kenny Rogers, 1978: “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to…”

“…fold ’em.” The weathered wisdom of “The Gambler.”

49. Gloria Gaynor, 1978: “At first I was afraid, I was…”

“…petrified.” Heartbreak turned into triumph, “I Will Survive.”

50. Village People, 1978: “Young man, there’s no need to feel…”

“…down.” The dance-floor anthem with the spelled-out chorus, “Y.M.C.A.”

Frequently asked questions

How do I play “Finish the Lyrics” with a group?

Read the opening line aloud and pause at the dots. Give everyone a beat to call out the ending, then reveal the word and the song. Keep score if you like, or just let the singing take over — half the fun is the chorus that breaks out.

Why do these words come back so easily?

Songs stitch words to melody and rhythm, and that pairing files them deeper than plain facts. Many people can finish a lyric from sixty years ago long after they’ve forgotten what they had for lunch — and the tunes you loved when you were young stick the hardest.

Are these in any particular order?

Roughly by era, from 1950s rock ’n’ roll through Motown and the British Invasion into the 1970s. If one decade is your strong suit, you’ll feel it.

Where can I check these facts?

Every artist, title and year above is drawn from the reputable sources listed just below.

Sources

• Rock and roll — Wikipedia
• Motown — Wikipedia
• The Beatles — Wikipedia

Still singing? Play our trivia quizzes and keep the music going. If you had fun with this, try naming the songs from a single clue in our Name That Tune oldies quiz, or test your ear on the stars who vanished after one big hit in our ’60s one-hit wonders trivia.