A Harmony of Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: Halloween

"Monster Mash" (1962) has been a mainstay at Halloween parties since it was released by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. In fact, after being released in August that year, it made it to number one on the "Billboard Hot 100" on October 20-27. Written by Pickett and Lenny Capizzi, the song was originally released as a single.

It is sung by a mad scientist whose monster comes to life to perform a new dance. "He did the Monster Mash/It was a graveyard smash/It caught on in a flash". After the scientist performs the dance on his own, other vampires, ghouls, zombies, and the like were invited to join in.

Just how popular is this song still today? One source said the song still generates $1 million annually in royalties!

Answer: Halloween

Michael Jackson's song "Thriller" was released in 1982 on the album of the same name. By the end of 1983 the album had sold 32 million copies, and all of the seven singles that were released eventually reached the top 10 on "Billboard Hot 100".

Vincent Prince's spoken voice was featured in the song "Thriller", which was written by Rod Temperton. There are several references to Halloween creatures in the song:

"Night creatures call
And the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time (they're open wide)
This is the end of your life, ooh...."

In the video that was released Jackson himself turns into a werecat who sings and dances with zombies in the street.

Answer: Halloween

While you may be able to think of many songs that use the word strange, what came to my mind is "Ghostbusters" (1984). "If there's something strange In your neighborhood/Who you gonna call?/Ghostbusters!" The song was written and performed by Ray Parker Jr. for the movie "Ghostbusters" (1984), and released as a single. One side was an instrumental, while the other had lyrics.

"Ghostbusters" was number one on the "Billboard Hot 100" for three weeks, and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 57th Academy Awards. Experts believe that the successful theme song added $20 million to the movie's box office gross.

Answer: Christmas

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is a Christian hymn that is typically sung during the Advent season before Christmas in anticipation of the birth of Christ. The Gospel of Matthew tell us about a Messiah, who will be called "Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins". He will also be called "Immanuel, which means God with us".

The chant originated in monasteries, and is thought to have been used during Vespers, or evening prayers. It is at least 1200 years old, although its first documentation was in Germany in 1710. The tune is believed to have originated in France in the 1400s.

The lyrics were initially written in Latin. John Mason Neale, an English Anglican priest, translated them into English for inclusion in his book, "Hymni Ecclesiae" (1851). He revised the song a bit, and it was included in "Hymns Ancient and Modern" (1861), a hymnal used in the Anglican Church. The 1861 version of the song is the one most popularly used today.

Answer: Christmas

Of course, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (1868) is a reference to the fact that Mary and Joseph had to travel to the town in order to be assessed for taxes, resulting in Christ's birth there rather than at home. It describes the town as being asleep while Christ was born,

"For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love"the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight".

The words were written by Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal priest, who had visited Bethlehem in 1865. Lewis Redner, the church organist, added the music; he said that he wrote the tune in less than a week after receiving pressure to get it done for a Christmas Sunday school program.

Answer: Christmas

I have always been a bit partial to "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" - ("It's the best time of the year") - that was sung by Burl Ives and performed in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964). Ives also included the song in the following year on his album, "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas". Written by Johnny Marks, it has been recorded by many different people, but Ives' version is still making its way to the charts, reaching number four on "Billboard Hot 100" in 2020!

Now jolly is a word that is just associated with Christmas, don't you think? There's "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" (1865) and "Deck the Halls" (1862) -"'Tis the season to be jolly" - of course, what else rhymes with holly?!

Answer: July 4

"My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty", is a song that has been sung by every school child across the United States. Also called "America", the lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831, while he was a seminary student. The music was adopted from the UK anthem, "God Save the King". It's a rather interesting mix, isn't it? It's a song about democracy that came out of a song about monarchy.

There have been several striking performances of the song. Martin Luther King Jr. included the first verse in his "I Have a Dream Speech" (1963), and Aretha Franklin sang it in 2009 at President Barack Obama's first inauguration.

Answer: July 4

With lyrics written by Katharine Lee Bates and music written by Samuel A. Ward, "American the Beautiful" began as a poem published in "The Congregationalist" (1895). Bates had taken a train trip to Colorado, which explains why it was originally called "Pike's Peak".

"Oh beautiful, for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain"

Ward added the melody - interestingly the two never met - and the title was changed to "America the Beautiful" in 1910.

Answer: July 4

"The Stars and Stripes Forever" was written by John Philip Sousa, known as The March King, in 1896. While it began as an instrumental, he later added lyrics to the song. In 1987 it was adopted by Congress as the official march of the United States.

It has been a tradition to use the song as a signal for a life-threatening emergency, especially in the circus or theater. When people hear it played they will hopefully exit the building in an orderly fashion.

Answer: Spring

There was a lot going on in George Harrison's personal and professional life when he wrote "Here Comes the Sun" (1969), so the song definitely has a hidden meaning. The lyrics, however, also point to the pure joy one feels when it becomes apparent that winter is coming to an end.

Meteorological data indicates that February and March 1969 had been unusually cold - hence the reference to a "long, cold, lonely winter", so it may have felt like "years since it's (the sun) been here". Subsequently, in April that year 189 hours of sunshine were recorded, so the ice was "slowly melting".

"Here Comes the Sun" was included on the Beatles "Abbey Road" (1969) album.

Answer: Spring

"Primavera" is Spanish for spring, and the song relies heavily on references to nature. Written by K.C. Porter, J.B. Eckl, and Chein Garcia Alonso, "Primavera" was originally sung with Spanish lyrics. The chorus of the song translates to, "As the seed brings new life there is a new age this spring".

Carlos Santana included "Primavera" on his album "Supernatural" (1999), which is probably best known for his collaboration with Rob Thomas on "Smooth". The album won nine Grammy awards", with "Primarvera" receiving the award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Answer: Spring

"April Showers" was written by Louis Silvers and B. G. DeSylva in 1921. It was first sung by Al Jolson in the Broadway musical, "Bombo" (1921). The musical told the story of a man who was transported back in time to 1492 Spain. There he met Christopher Columbus, and journeyed with him on his first voyage to America.

The song was recorded by a long list of early celebrities, including Bing Crosby in his album "Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around" (1956). Who hasn't heard this lyric? "When April showers may come your way/They bring the flowers that bloom in May". The song, however, isn't just about springtime; it's about facing challenges and getting through them.

Answer: Halloween

Of course you can't have Halloween without a skeleton! Louis Armstrong sang "The Skeleton in the Closet" (1936) in "Pennies From Heaven" the same year. He played the role of a bandleader who was hired to play in a nightclub owned by Larry Poole, played by Bing Crosby. Although the song sounds like a Halloween song, there is some deeper hidden meaning that is related to the movie.

"Boy, don't you go in there
Come outta there, boy
Don't you know that house is haunted?
There's an old deserted mansion on an old forgotten road
Where the better ghosts and goblins always hang out".

Some sources credit the song to Armstrong, while others list Arthur Johnson and Johnny Burke, who wrote the movie score, as the songwriters.

Answer: July 4

"The Star Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. It was written as a poem called "The Defence of Fort M'Henry" by Francis Scott Key in 1814. He had been nearby and viewed the British bombardment of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812. As the bombardment kept going through the night - an estimated 1500-1800 bomb shells and 700 rockets altogether - Key was relieved the next day to see the American flag still flying over the fort.

The poem was put to music that was written by Englishman John Stafford Smith and called "To Anacreon in Heaven" (1775). The melody apparently was used for a variety of songs in America, and Key even used it for another poem he wrote called "When the Warrior Returns from the Battle Afar" (1805). Congress chose the "Star Spangled Banner" as the U.S. national anthem in 1931.

Answer: Christmas

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire/Jack Frost nipping at your nose" are the first lines from "The Christmas Song" (1945), which was written by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The song was first released by the Nat King Cole Trio in 1946, but a more updated version the following year popularized the song and made it a hit.

Cole recorded more versions of the song - and so did a lot of other people - but the 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974. And it's still a hit today; it showed up on the top 10 "Billboard Top 100" on January 23, 2023!

By the way - roasting chestnuts is a tradition that goes quite a way back. According to the story, Saint Martin (c. 4th century AD) shared half of his cloak with a freezing beggar. This act was emulated by other Christians, and on November 14, St. Martin's Day, it became a tradition to roast chestnuts and share them with the poor.

Answer: Spring

"April in Paris" (1932) was written by Vernon Duke and Yip Harburg for the Broadway musical "Walk a Little Faster", which is described as a musical revue in two acts. While the show was described as a modest success, the song, "April in Paris", which was called the "perfect theater song", became famous.

Friends said that Suke and Harburg were simply inspired to write the song while in Paris. After someone remarked, "Oh, to be in Paris now that April's here", they started writing the song. "I never knew the charm of spring...Till April in Paris".

Although it was recorded by many different people, Count Basie's 1955 recording is considered to be the most famous. His performance was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame.