Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Definitely one of Elton John's most famous songs, one now played as a final encore in almost all of his concerts, is "Your Song". Bernie's lovely (if not a bit odd - "If I was a sculptor; but then again, no") lyrics, along with Elton's marvelous voice and just enough piano, make it easy to see why the song is a classic. It also helped Elton's self-titled "debut" album make it to number 4 on the US charts and 5 in the UK, and get a gold certification (his true debut, "Empty Sky", was not released in America until 5 years later). The question is:
Did this song ("Your Song") make it into the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
2. Another well-known track from the album "Elton John" is the song "Take me to the Pilot". Decidedly faster and more intense than "Your Song", with which it shared a single. Many current fans don't know that it was actually "Take me to the Pilot" which was the A-side, while "Your Song" held B-side status.
Did this song ("Take Me to the Pilot") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
3. Everyone knows the song "Tiny Dancer", especially since it was featured in Cameron Crowe's film "Almost Famous". It also serves as a great example of a misheard (most likely intentionally) lyric: "Hold me closer Tony Danza". No, that isn't actually the real lyric. The song was found on the "Madman Across the Water" album, released in 1971.
Did this song ("Tiny Dancer") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
4. Elton John's double album of 1973 was titled "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and took his already blossoming career into an entirely new level! It spent 8 weeks at the top spot on the US charts (two weeks in the UK), and was certified 7x platinum! The album was filled with memorable and famous songs, but "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" was released as the first single. The song can still be heard almost daily either on the radio or used in a TV ad or sports telecast.
Did this song ("Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
5. "The Big Picture" (1997) was Elton John's follow-up to the the highly popular albums of the early 90s ("The One" and "Made in England"). It charted in the top ten in both England and America. It had a decidedly laid-back feel, mostly comprised of slow love songs and ballads. "Something About the Way you Look Tonight" was the most famous song from the album, but another surprisingly solid single was "If the River can Bend". It was one of the higher-tempo songs of the album.
Did this song "If the River can Bend" make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
6. With Elton's popularity waining in the mid 80s (due to rampant drug use and alcoholism, controversial sexuality, and perhaps a decline in musical quality), his 1988 album was aptly titled "Reg Strikes Back" (his given name was Reginald). The first single, "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That", met with great success. The second single in both countries included the song "Town of Plenty".
Did this song ("Town of Plenty") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
7. "Breaking Hearts" was an Elton John album released in 1984, following up the very successful (mostly critical) "Too Low for Zero". The first single ("Sad Songs Say So Much") had top ten success in both countries. A later single included the offbeat number "Passengers".
Did this song ("Passengers") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
8. Many people are certainly familiar with Elton John's duet version of "Don't Let the Sun go Down on Me" with George Michael. This song was released in 1991 and hit number one in England and America. But the song could originally be found on the "Caribou" album and was released as a single in the mid 70s.
Did this song ("Don't Let the Sun go Down on Me" - THE ORIGINAL) make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
9. A very catchy song in the mid 80s was Elton John's duet with singer George Michael, "Wrap Her Up". A funny video was made for the song, featuring Elton imposed into lots of old video clips showing beautiful women.
Did this song ("Wrap Her Up") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
10. The Elton John album "Ice on Fire" takes its name from a lyrics in the song "Nikita" ("With eyes that look like ice on fire"). This song featured background vocals by George Michael, who did a lot of collaborative work with Elton in this period.
Did this song ("Nikita") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
11. After many years apart in the late 70s and early 80s, Elton John reunited full-time with his long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1983. Many of Elton's old band members also returned from long hiatuses to record the "Too Low for Zero" album. This marked a great improvement in the critical success of Elton's albums, and also went gold in the US and platinum in the UK. One of four "hit" singles was "Kiss the Bride".
Did this song ("Kiss the Bride") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
12. Another of the successful singles from the album "Too Low for Zero" was "I'm Still Standing". This song was basically a testament to Elton's continued success and longevity in the face of personal and professional ups and downs.
Did this song ("I'm Still Standing") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
13. From the album "Too Low for Zero", the song "I Guess That's Why they Call it the Blues" was released as an early single. A great feature of the song is the astounding harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder. Elton now includes this song in almost all of his concerts.
Did this song ("I Guess That's Why the Call it the Blues") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
14. The album "Jump Up!" was released in 1982. Elton collaborated with a number of different lyricists, including Bernie Taupin, Gary Osborne, and Tim Rice. It was with Taupin that Elton John released this single, sparked by a tragic event that shook the hearts of people across the world.
Did this song ("Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
15. In 1992, after surviving the ups and downs of the 1980s, Elton John released one of his finest albums: "The One". Many felt it was the closest he had ever come to recapturing his magic of the early 1970s. The album went double platinum in America and charted at number 8, while it reached number 2 in the UK. The first single released was the title track, "The One".
Did this song ("The One") make it to the top ten in either country (US / UK)?
Source: Author
tournavy
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stuthehistoryguy before going online.
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