Astorian's Lyrical Game - England in Songs Quiz

Answer: Simon & Garfunkel

Paul Simon, who wrote 'Kathy's Song', originally recorded it as a solo artist in the 1965 album 'The Paul Simon Songbook'. He wrote the song, dedicated to his then-girlfriend Kathy Chitty, while he was living in England. He had moved there following the initial failure of Simon and Garfunkel's first album 'Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'; he moved back to pick up the duo's career when one of the tracks from that album, 'Sound of Silence', became popular.

They rerecorded it as the title track of 'Sounds of Silence', released in 1966, and things took off! 'Kathy's Song' was the fourth track on the first side of that album and has since been included in a number of compilation albums. The lyric used in the question are the second verse of the song.

Answer: Roger Miller

Roger Miller was better known as a Country singer, with such hits as 'King of the Road' (1964) also crossing over into the pop charts, and 'England Swings (Like a Pendulum Do)' repeated that success in 1965. It peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the Easy Listening chart. Cover versions included those of Petula Clark and Pat Boone, both released in 1967.

The lyrics purport to celebrate the Swinging Sixties scene in England, but many of the actual images used are of more traditional aspects of life there. Here is the first verse (repeated later, so maybe you should consider it as a chorus that happens to come before the first verse):

'England swings like a pendulum do
Bobbies on bicycles, two by two
Westminster Abbey, the Tower, and Big Ben
The rosy red cheeks of the little children'.

Answer: Love

'She Comes in Colors', written by Arthur Lee for the band Love, was released in 1966 as a single, then on their 1966 album 'Da Capo'. Unlike most of the songs in this quiz, 'She Comes in Colors' did not make the charts, but has since been recognised as a classic. According to band member Johnny Echols, it was inspired by a fan, who used to come to all their shows wearing what he described as "outrageous gypsy clothes." A few years later, he said she wore "colorful clothes, like the flower children did then."

The title is considered by many to have been the inspiration for the Rolling Stones song 'She's a Rainbow', which uses it as one line. Since it was a bigger hit, you may be thinking of that song when you see the title, but it is definitely not the one. The song was part of Lee's attempt on the band's second album to expand their musical genres: as well as psychedelic influences, it includes elements taken from folk rock, jazz and Latin music. Inclusion of harpsichord and flute gave some sections a baroque feel.

The chorus, from which the title springs, goes:
"Whoa-oh-oh-oh, my love she comes in colors
You can tell her from the clothes she wears".

Answer: Beatles

This is the start of 'Honey Pie', a song written by Paul McCartney (but credited, as usual, to Lennon/McCartney) that was first released as the second track on the fourth side of the 1968 double album officially called 'The Beatles', but more commonly known as the White Album (because the cover was completely white, with the title set off by embossment rather than colour). It was recorded to have the feel of an old-fashioned music hall song, where the situation it describes could easily have been the theme of a show.

McCartney sang lead, projecting the persona of a lover left behind as his girl went off to find fame and fortune, leaving him alone back home. While he proclaims to miss her, it is not enough to propel him in her wake:
"Honey pie
You are making me crazy
I'm in love but I'm lazy
So won't you please come home?"

Answer: Three Dog Night

'Never Been to Spain' is only one of the songs written by Hoyt Axton that found a bigger audience when recorded by Three Dog Night, along with 'Joy to the World'. That was the name of Axton's album on which he recorded it before Three Dog Night covered it, releasing it on their 1971 album 'Harmony'. The song later became a staple part of Elvis Presley's shows.

The song considers various places where the singer has never been, but with which he feels a connection: Spain, England and Heaven. For the first two verses, the connection is explicitly musical. In the second and third verses, an alternative, more prosaic, destination gets included. Getting as far as Needles on the way to Las Vegas is one; being born in Oklahoma is apparently the closest he has been to Heaven.

Answer: Genesis

'Dancing With the Moonlit Knight' comes from the 1973 album 'Selling England by the Pound'. This track had intentionally English-focused lyrics to counter contemporary criticism that Genesis had been placing too much emphasis on the American market, as seen by the increasingly R&B content of their material.

Answer: Steve Miller Band

(Admittedly, New England is a bit of a cheat, but this is an adopted quiz, and it worked back then.) Written by Paul Pena, 'Jet Airliner' was released by the Steve Miller Band on their 1977 album 'Book of Dreams'. The single made it to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the Cash Box Top 100.

The third verse of the song is considered to have popularised the phrase "keep on keepin' on", although it is not the first song to have used the phrase. Earlier appearances include two Bob Dylan songs ('You Ain't Goin' Nowhere' and 'Tangled Up in Blue') and one from John Lennon ('Old Dirt Road'), with 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere' in 1971 being the first of these.

"Touchin' down in New England town
Feel the heat comin' down
I've got to keep on keepin' on".

Answer: Bob Dylan

Speaking of Bob Dylan, 'Gotta Serve Somebody' was the opening track on his 1979 album 'Slow Train Coming', recorded at the start of his short-lived Christian phase. As is typical for many of his songs, the title words never appear in the lyrics, although in this case there are some close approximations.

Each verse lists some of the lifestyles one might have, before each verse reminds the listener:
"But you're going to have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're going to have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're going to have to serve somebody".

As happened numerous times during Dylan's career, his change of direction received what might be called mixed reviews. John Lennon was scathing in his parody 'Serve Yourself', urging individual responsibility for taking action, not reliance on some external power.

Answer: The Kinks

Dave Davies's 'Living on a Thin Line' was first released on the Kinks' 1985 album 'Word of Mouth'. According to the author, the song expresses a number of different things: the band's long and arduous career, combined with a sense that English identity was disappearing (for which he especially blamed politicians who have betrayed the common people to their own benefit) led to a longing for the good old days.

As the second verse says,
"It's a crime, but does it matter?
Does it matter much, does it matter much to you?
Does it ever really matter?
Yes, it really, really matters".

Answer: Elton John

This was the title track for the 1995 album 'Made in England', and the second single released from the album. It was, for an Elton John song, only a moderate success, and only made the top ten on Canadian charts.

The lyrics, which ostensibly celebrate what it means to be "made in England", actually are highly critical of what his life there was like, and makes multiple references to iconic American items, such as the Cadillac in the line used here. As the bridge declares:
"If you're made in England
You're built to last
You can still say 'homo'
And everybody laughs
But the joke's on you
You never read the song
They all think they know
But they've all got it wrong".