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Quiz about The Most Underrated Queen Song Ever

The Most Underrated Queen Song Ever Quiz

A quiz on "Sail Away Sweet Sister", a sorely neglected cut that has been overshadowed by the great band's flashier tunes. Hope you like it as much as I do.

A multiple-choice quiz by stuthehistoryguy. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
stuthehistoryguy

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
287,128

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1638

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

Last 3 plays: Guest 165 (6/10), Guest 117 (9/10), jksun (9/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. One reason that "Sail Away Sweet Sister" had been so neglected is that it was never released as a single - even on a B-side! On what 1980 album will you find this ballad? Hint

A Day at the Races

Hot Space

The Game

A Night at the Opera

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The album version of "Sail Away Sweet Sister" sees usual frontman Freddie Mercury hand off the vocals for most of this tune to another member of the band - the fellow who wrote the song! Who is this intrepid musician? Hint

Roger Taylor

David Bowie

John Deacon

Brian May

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. On some editions, "Sail Away Sweet Sister" is listed with an additional parenthetical title. What subtitle is this? Hint

(For the Sister I Never Had)

(Hail, Britannia)

(For My Sister on Her Wedding Day)

(For My Daughter)

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Though well-composed musically, the lion's share of this piece's charm is probably in its lyrics, which balance the need to protect with the need to let go. What word goes in the blank below?

"Hey little babe you're changing
Babe, are you feeling sore?
Ain't no use in ______
You don't wanna play no more"
Hint

Explaining

Complaining

Ignoring

Pretending

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. As the song continues, the singer makes it clear that he's afraid that his rapidly maturing sister is not ready for the world to perceive her as an adult. What goes in the blank below?

"It's plain that you ain't no baby
What would your mother say?
You're all dressed up like a lady
How come you _____ this way?" Hint

Act

Behave

Perform

Go on

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Next comes the chorus, where we see the singer willing to let his sister take her own chances. What word goes in the blank below?

"Sail away sweet sister
Sail across the sea
Maybe you'll find somebody
Who _____ you half as much as me"

Answer: (One Word, five letters, "agape" in Greek)

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. The chorus continues in the same reassuring, supportive voice. What word goes in the blank below?

"My _____ is always with you
No matter what you do
Sail away sweet sister
I'll always be in love with you" Hint

Faith

Heart

Love

Peace

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The chorus is followed by a brief verse, also echoing the theme of support. What goes in the blank?

"Forgive me for what I've told you
My heart makes a ____ of me
Oh, you know I'll never hold you
I know that you gotta be free" Hint

Square

Guard

Brother

Fool

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. The chorus is sung again, but with a different second quatrain:

"Take it the way you want it
But when they let you down my friend
Sail away sweet sister
Back to my ____ again"

Again, this is a message of support - but it also promises that if there's any time the sister needs someone, the singer is there. What word goes in the blank above? Hint

Arms

Love

Home

Port

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Though not one of Queen's better-known songs (hence the title of this quiz), "Sail Away Sweet Sister" was later incorporated into live performances of one of the 1980s most popular songs. What "hair band" epic was this?
Hint

"Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum

"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison

"Come Sail Away" by Styx

"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns 'N Roses

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 14 2024 : Guest 165: 6/10
Oct 09 2024 : Guest 117: 9/10
Oct 09 2024 : jksun: 9/10
Oct 01 2024 : Guest 104: 0/10
Oct 01 2024 : Guest 120: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. One reason that "Sail Away Sweet Sister" had been so neglected is that it was never released as a single - even on a B-side! On what 1980 album will you find this ballad?

Answer: The Game

"The Game" was released on June 30, 1980. It would go on to become Queen's greatest commercial success in the United States, selling over four million copies. Among the better-known songs on the album are "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".

Answer: Brian May

Ranked in the top 40 guitarists of all-time by "Rolling Stone", May is especially known for his unusual equipment. His main guitar of choice, nicknamed "Red Special", is a one-of-a-kind special that he made himself (with the help of his father, an accomplished draftsman) using the wood from an old fireplace and a number of non-standard parts, including rebuilt pickups and a tremolo from motorcycle valve strings and a reshaped blunted knife blade.

The specific nuances of the guitar (including the resonances of its internal hollow spaces and the tone quality of the pickups) have been very difficult to replicate commercially.

3. On some editions, "Sail Away Sweet Sister" is listed with an additional parenthetical title. What subtitle is this?

Answer: (For the Sister I Never Had)

This secondary title is quite appropriate, as lyricist Brian May is in fact an only child. He has one son of his own, Jimmy, born in 1978.

4. Though well-composed musically, the lion's share of this piece's charm is probably in its lyrics, which balance the need to protect with the need to let go. What word goes in the blank below? "Hey little babe you're changing Babe, are you feeling sore? Ain't no use in ______ You don't wanna play no more"

Answer: Pretending

In addition to "Sail Away Sweet Sister" May is also credited as lyricist on "We Will Rock You", "Fat-Bottomed Girls", and "Hammer to Fall", along with several others. For a full list, please visit: http://www.queenpedia.com/index.php?title=Brian_May

5. As the song continues, the singer makes it clear that he's afraid that his rapidly maturing sister is not ready for the world to perceive her as an adult. What goes in the blank below? "It's plain that you ain't no baby What would your mother say? You're all dressed up like a lady How come you _____ this way?"

Answer: Behave

Though May usually played piano on other tunes that he wrote and sang lead on with Queen, for "Sail Away Sweet Sister" he turned these duties over to Freddie Mercury, ostensibly because of Freddie's sense of timing and rhythm. Mercury also sings lead on the song's "bridge" section.

6. Next comes the chorus, where we see the singer willing to let his sister take her own chances. What word goes in the blank below? "Sail away sweet sister Sail across the sea Maybe you'll find somebody Who _____ you half as much as me"

Answer: loves

It is arguable that "Sail Away Sweet Sister" writer Brian May's first love is astronomy. He holds a Ph.D in the field from Imperial College London, and is co-author of the book "Bang! The Complete History of the Universe" as well as several academic papers in the field.

7. The chorus continues in the same reassuring, supportive voice. What word goes in the blank below? "My _____ is always with you No matter what you do Sail away sweet sister I'll always be in love with you"

Answer: Heart

The producer of "Sail Away Sweet Sister's" album, "The Game" (along with Queen themselves) was Reinhold Mack, credited simply as "Mack". An engineer by trade, he provided technical support for Electric Light Orchestra through the 1970s, and would go on to coproduce Queen's "Flash Gordon" soundtrack, as well as their next three albums: "Hot Space", " The Works", and "A Kind of Magic". Mack would also work with Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and Roger Taylor on various solo projects.

8. The chorus is followed by a brief verse, also echoing the theme of support. What goes in the blank? "Forgive me for what I've told you My heart makes a ____ of me Oh, you know I'll never hold you I know that you gotta be free"

Answer: Fool

For many years prior to 1980's "The Game", Queen had been adamant about eschewing synthesizers. This ethic extended to branding several of their releases with the disclaimer that: "No synthesizers were used on this album" - a disclaimer especially necessary because of May's ability to imitate several different instruments on his custom guitar.

This changed with "The Game", on which several cuts (including "Sail Away Sweet Sister") do indeed feature an Oberheim OB-X synth.

9. The chorus is sung again, but with a different second quatrain: "Take it the way you want it But when they let you down my friend Sail away sweet sister Back to my ____ again" Again, this is a message of support - but it also promises that if there's any time the sister needs someone, the singer is there. What word goes in the blank above?

Answer: Arms

In production, Queen and their producer, Reinhold Mack, used multiple overdubs of the group's voices to create the effect of a chorus on the song's chorus and bridge sections. This was not a new idea; Queen's immortal song "Bohemian Rhapsody" featured 189 overdubs!

Answer: "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns 'N Roses

"Sweet Child O' Mine" began as a scale exercise, and was not taken seriously by the band - according to bassist Duff McKagen, it was universally agreed that the song would be mere "filler". In particular, lead singer Axl Rose chronically expressed contempt for the tune in live performance. Adding the chorus of "Sail Away Sweet Sister" was his way of mitigating this reaction.

As always, I'd love to hear any comments you might have, especially those that will make this a better quiz. Thanks for playing!

Source: Author stuthehistoryguy

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