Let Me Finish That For You Trivia Quiz

Answer: The White Cliffs of Dover

These lyrics are from the song 'We'll Meet Again' which was sung by Vera Lynn. It was released in 1942, three years into WWII. The song was huge at the time, and could almost be called an anthem. The words uplifted the forces, giving them hope that the long, drawn-out war would eventually end, and that the British forces would once more see their White Cliffs of Dover.

An irony of this song is that bluebirds are not endemic to Britain (instead they are native to southeastern U.S. and Mexico) a fact not known by the two American writers of the song, Nat Burton and Walter Kent.

Vera, who was born in East Ham, U.K. in 1917 was a singer, songwriter, and an actress. She became known as 'The forces' sweetheart' and often toured the world to entertain troops during the war.

She lived to a grand old age, dying at 103 in June 2002. On her 100th birthday, and as a tribute, a 350 foot (106m) image of Vera was projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover.

Here are some lyrics:
'There'll be bluebirds over/
The white cliffs of Dover/
Tomorrow/
Just you wait and see/
There'll be love and laughter/
And peace ever after/
Tomorrow/
When the world is free.'

Answer: So pretty in the sky

These lyrics are, of course, from Louis Armstrong's song 'What a Wonderful World'. The song was released in 1967 and reached number one in the UK in 1968. The song is simply about appreciating life and nature and was written by Bob Thiele and George Weiss.

You might be surprised to learn that Louis was at end of his career when he recorded this song. He was 66 years old when he recorded it live, and he died of heart failure just three years later - at age 69, in 1971. He did achieve a record at the time though - he became the oldest act to top the UK charts when the song reached number one in 1968.

Here are some lyrics:
'The colors of the rainbow/
So pretty in the sky/
Are also on the faces/
Of people going by/
I see friends shaking hands/
Saying how do you do/
They're really saying/
I love you.'

Answer: I'm not really sure how it goes

Hmmm - well, I have been singing this as 'son, can you play me a melody?' all my life, so, I've learnt something! The lyrics of course, are from 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel.

Released in 1973, it was inspired by Billy Joel's experiences playing at a piano bar in Los Angeles. He worked there for six months in 1972 and the characters in the song are based on the real people he met while he was working there.

This part of my research made me laugh: apparently the line "Paul is a real estate novelist" is about a man Billy met at the bar who was a regular and a real estate broker. He always claimed he was working on a book, but Billy privately believed the real estate broker would never finish the book - because he was always in the bar!

As far as I can tell, the song didn't reach number one anywhere, but it did go 4x Platinum in the U.S., 2x Platinum in Canada and Platinum in Australia.

Here are some lyrics:
'It's nine o'clock on a Saturday/
The regular crowd shuffles in/
There's an old man sittin' next to me/
Makin' love to his tonic and gin/
He says, "Son can you play me a memory?/
I'm not really sure how it goes/
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete/
When I wore a younger man's clothes."'

Answer: Like a sleepy blue ocean

These lyrics are from 'Annie's Song (You Fill Up My Senses)'. It was both written and performed by John Denver. He wrote it in 1973, and his inspiration was his (then) wife, Annie Martell Denver (m. 1967-1982). As John Denver told the story, he had recently split up with Annie, but after a brief separation, they had got back together. Later, after they reunited, they went on a skiing holiday to Aspen. Denver wrote the song in the ten minutes he was on the ski lift. His inspiration was both the beauty of his surroundings, and how happy he was to be back with his wife.

It hit number one in the U.K., the U.S., Canada and Ireland. John sadly lost his life when his light aircraft went down in a bay off California in 1997. He was just 53 years old.

Below are some of the lyrics:

'You fill up my senses/
Like a night in a forest /
Like the mountains in springtime/
Like a walk in the rain/
Like a storm in the desert/
Like a sleepy blue ocean/
You fill up my senses/
Come fill me again.'

Answer: I should have made you leave your key

These lyrics were sung by the American singer Gloria Gaynor and come from the the disco song, 'I Will Survive' first recorded in 1978.

Though most of us think of it as an empowering song that helps us recover from a bad relationship, the inspiration was actually a stressful work-related problem. One of the song's lyricists, Dino Fekaris, wrote the song after getting sacked by Motown Records, where he was a staff writer. He said: 'They let me go after almost seven years. I was an unemployed songwriter contemplating my fate. I remember saying, "I'm going to make it. I'm going to be a songwriter. I will survive!"'

The iconic disco song hit number one in the U.S and the UK in 1978, but also managed to return to the Billboard Hot 100 in the 80s, 90s, 2000's and 2010s with different remixes and versions.

Lyrics are needed here, I think:
'At first I was afraid, I was petrified/
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side/
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong/
And I grew strong/
And I learned how to get along/
And so you're back/
From outer space/
I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face/
I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key/
If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me.'

Answer: Your legend ever did

These lyrics are from 'Candle in the 'Wind'. This song is a threnody (a lament) which was sung by Elton John and written by Elton and songwriter Bernie Taupin in 1973. It was originally written as a tribute to filmstar Marilyn Monroe, who died of a drug overdose in 1962 and the song represented her short, but eventful life.

Most people will remember that it was also played at Princess Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997, although many of the lyrics were changed. Notably, instead of saying 'Goodbye Norma Jean' it said 'Goodbye England's Rose'.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Princess Di version, which was called 'Candle in the Wind 1997,' was the second highest-selling physical single of all time (Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' being the first.)

Here are some of the lyrics to the original version:
'And it seems to me you lived your life/
Like a candle in the wind/
Never knowing who to cling to/
When the rain set in/
And I would've liked to know you/
But I was just a kid/
Your candle burned out long before/
Your legend ever did.'

Answer: I give you all a boy could give you

These lyrics are from the song 'Tainted Love'. It was actually not Softcell that originally released this song by Ed Cobbs, but an American soul singer named Gloria Jones. She released it in 1964. (Her boyfriend, incidentally, was Marc Bolan of T-Rex, whom she met in 1972, and it was Gloria that was driving the car that killed the 29-year old Marc Bolan in 1977.)

Soft Cell, which is a duo comprised of Marc Almond (vocals) and David Ball (instruments), released their version of the song in 1981. It immediately hit number one in the UK and in 17 other countries. In the U.S., it spent a whopping 43 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 chart - a longevity record at the time.

Marc Almond did just one take on the vocals.

Here are some of the lyrics:
'Once I ran to you (I ran)/
Now I run from you/
This tainted love you've given/
I give you all a boy could give you/
Take my tears and that's not nearly all/
Tainted love/
Tainted love.'

Answer: Livin' in the gangsta's paradise

'Gangsta's Paradise' was performed by Artis Leon Ivey Jr, better known as Coolio, in 1995. The composition was a collaboration by Coolio, Larry Sanders, Doug Rasheed, and Stevie Wonder.

While this is on my absolute favourites list, I can also understand why David Browne of 'Entertainment Weekly' wrote of the song: "this may be the bleakest tune ever to top the pop singles chart".

Nevertheless, 'bleak' was apparently good. This song was huge. It was the number one biggest-selling single of 1995 on the U.S. Billboard, and, in fact, is thought to have been the biggest-selling single of 1995 worldwide. It went to number one in at least 19 countries and in the U.S., won a Grammy for best rap solo performance. For a full 22 years, 'Gangsta's Paradise' held the record for being the longest running number one single in Australia (it held the number one spot for 14 weeks).

The song also returned to Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, and the charts of Australia, NZ, and Switzerland after Coolio sadly died from a cardiac arrest in September, 2022.

You know the lyrics I'm sure, but here they are anyway:
'As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/
I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left/
'Cause I've been blastin' and laughin' so long, that/
Even my mama thinks that my mind is gone/
But I ain't never crossed a man that didn't deserve it/
Me be treated like a punk, you know that's unheard of/
You better watch how you're talkin', and where you're walkin'/
Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk.'

Answer: But now I'm only falling apart

These lyrics are from the song 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'. It was written and produced by American Jim Steinman (who produced many tracks for Meatloaf including the hit song 'Bat Out of Hell'). When Steinman originally penned it in 1969, he called it 'Vampires in Love'. In 1982 it was recorded by Welsh singer, Bonnie Tyler as 'Total Eclipse of the Heart.'

This was by far the biggest hit for Bonnie. It reached number one in the UK, the U.S., NZ, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, Canada and Norway.

You might be interested to know that in a UK survey conducted in 2013, the song came in at number one as 'most popular song to sing in the shower.' Also of interest, is that sales of the song increase during solar and lunar eclipses. In fact, during the solar eclipse of August 2017, Nielsen Music reported that the song enjoyed a 503% increase in record sales.

Here are some lyrics in case you want to have a sing-along in the shower:
'I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark/
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks/
I really need you tonight/
Forever's gonna start tonight/
Forever's gonna start tonight/
Once upon a time I was falling in love/
But now I'm only falling apart/
There's nothing I can do/
A total eclipse of the heart.'

Answer: Since you took your love away

These lyrics are from another huge hit - 'Nothing Compares 2 U'. The song was actually written and composed originally by Prince in 1984. He wrote it when he was really quite depressed about a break up with his girlfriend, and his mother dying from cancer shortly after.

Sinéad O'Connor released her version of the song in 1990 and was just 23 when the song became a hit. You may have noticed that Sinéad shed a tear in the video. In an interview, she said that the tear was triggered by the loss of her mother who was killed in a car accident in 1985.

This power ballad topped the charts not only in Sinéad's native country of Ireland, but also in the U.S., the UK, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, NZ , Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In the U.S., the song spent a full four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2020, a list of 'The 100 greatest UK Number Ones', placed Sinéad O'Connor's 'Nothing Compares 2 U' at number 12.

Let's have a reminder of the lyrics:
'It's been seven hours and 15 days/
Since you took your love away/
I go out every night and sleep all day/
Since you took your love away/
Since you been gone, I can do whatever I want/
I can see whomever I choose/
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant/
But nothing/
I said nothing can take away these blues/
'Cause nothing compares/
Nothing compares to you.'