Sing Me a Rainbow Quiz | Something in Common

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the song, what color are the sails in the sunset? "_____ sails in the sunset Way out on the sea Oh, carry my loved one Home safely to me"

Answer: Red

"Red Sails in the Sunset was written by Jimmy Kennedy and Hugh Williams in 1935. It has been recorded by many artists since, including by Nat "King" Cole in 1951 and by Engelbert Humperdinck on his 1985 album "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening."

The red triangles in the image are meant to be reminiscent of sails.

2. In the Nat "King" Cole song, what color is the sky? "I was walking along, minding my business, When out of a(n) _____ colored sky, Flash! Bam! Alikazam! Wonderful you came by."

Answer: Orange

Recording with Stan Kenton's orchestra, Nat King Cole laid down "Orange Colored Sky", written by Milton Delugg and Willie Stein, on August 16, 1950. His daughter Natalie covered the song on her 1991 album of her father's songs, "Unforgettable... with Love."

The photograph shows fresh oranges.

3. In the Brothers Four song, what color is the bird? "_____, up high in banana tree _____, you sit all alone like me Did your lady friend leave the nest again? That is very sad, makes me feel so bad You can fly away, in the sky away You're more lucky than me"

Answer: Yellow

Adapted from the Nineteenth Century Hatian song "Choucoune" by Michel Mauleart Monton and poet Oswald Durand, "Yellow Bird" was written in 1957 by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Keith (better known as Marilyn Bergman) and Norman Luboff. It is played in a Calypso or Hawaiian style. Probably most closely associated with The Norman Luboff choir, "Yellow Bird was recorded by The Brothers Four in 1959. Chris Isaak included "Yellow Bird" on his 1996 "Baja Sessions" album.

The photograph shows a canary.

4. Although Porter Wagoner and Jerry Lee Lewis had success with their recordings of "Green, Green Grass of Home" in the U.S. what British singer, not unusually, had the worldwide hit with the song? "The old home town looks the same As I step down from the train And there to meet me is my Mama and Papa Down the road I look and there runs Mary Hair of gold and lips like cherries It's good to touch the green, green grass of home"

Answer: Tom Jones

"Green, Green Grass of Home" was written by Claude "Curly" Putman Jr. in 1965. Recorded that year in the States by several Country acts including Johnny Darrell, Wagoner and Lewis, it was not until Welsh singer Tom Jones released his single in 1966 that the song became a worldwide number one hit. It remains closely associated with him.

"It's Not Unusual", alluded to in the question, was Tom's first and biggest hit.
The photograph shows a green lawn.

5. Which of these artists has NOT recorded "Blue Bayou"? "I feel so bad, I've got a worried mind I'm so lonesome all the time Since I left my baby behind On Blue Bayou"

Answer: Olivia Newton-John

Roy Orbison and Joe Nelson wrote "Blue Bayou" in 1963 and Roy released his recording of the song later that year. Linda Ronstadt recorded "Blue Bayou" in 1977, including it on her "Simple Dreams" album. Engelbert Humperdinck added the song to his repertoire in 1991 and included it on that year's album release, "Magic Night".

To the best of my knowledge, Olivia Newton-John never recorded the song.
The photograph shows a bayou in New Orleans, Louisiana USA.

6. In what year did American bandleader and composer Duke Ellington write the Jazz classic "Mood Indigo"? "You ain't been blue, no, no, no You ain't been blue, 'til you've had that mood indigo"

Answer: 1930

In 1930, pianist Duke Ellington and clarinetist Barney Bigard composed "Mood Indigo" with lyrics by Irving Mills. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The image shows indigo musical notes on a light blue background.

7. Which song does this verse come from? "It was winter in Manhattan, falling snowflakes filled the air The ground was covered with a film of ice When a little simple magic that I heard about somewhere Changed the weather all around, just within a trice."

Answer: Violets for Your Furs

"Violets for Your Furs" was written in 1941 by Matt Dennis and Tom Adair. It was first recorded in that year by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with vocals by Frank Sinatra. Frank revisited the song for his 1954 album "Songs for Young Lovers", and through time, it has been recorded by other artists such as Johnny Desmond, Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hartman, Shirley Horn and, in latter years, Barry Manilow.

The photograph shows growing violets.

8. Which sibling team had a hit with "Deep Purple" in the 1970s? "When the deep purple falls over sleepy garden walls And the stars begin to twinkle in the sky"

Answer: Donny & Marie

Peter DeRose composed "Deep Purple" as an instrumental in 1933. It proved so popular that Mitchell Parish added lyrics in 1938. The song has remained a perennial favorite ever since.

The 1963 recording of "Deep Purple" by brother-sister act Nino Tempo & April Stevens went to number one on the U.S. pop charts in November of that year, remaining in the Top 40 for twelve weeks. It also won that year's Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Record.

The record itself is unusual in that in the second half, April speaks the lyrics over Nino's vocal. This came about by accident rather than plan. It seems that while recording the demo, Nino forgot the lyrics, so April spoke them softly to remind him. The record's producers liked the affect, and left the spoken part on the finished record.

In 1975 another brother--sister team, Donny and Marie Osmond, recorded "Deep Purple", doing "a note-for-note cover" of the 1963 recording, down to Marie speaking the lyrics as April had done. Donny & Marie's record peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March, 1976.

The image shows a block of purple.

9. What did Vaughn Monroe, in 1949, and Wayne Newton and Andy Williams, both in 1965, all ask for? "We had a silly quarrel the other day Hope these pretty flowers chase her blues away"

Answer: Red Roses for a Blue Lady

Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett wrote "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" in 1948. Orchestra leader and singer Vaughn Monroe recorded the song in December of that year, with The Moon Men joining him on vocals. This record entered the Billboard charts on January 14, 1949 remaining there for nineteen weeks and peaking at number four. Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians entered the charts the next month and stayed for thirteen weeks.

A flurry of recordings of the song came in 1965 with vocalists Vic Dana and Wayne Newton and instrumentalist Bert Kaempfert all charting simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100. Dana's rendition was the most successful, peaking at number ten, while Kaempfert's recording peaked at number 11 and Newton's reached number 23. All three versions were also listed on Billboard's Easy Listening chart, reaching number two, number three and number four respectively. Andy Williams also had success with the song in 1965 as the B-side to his hit "...and Roses and Roses".

The red rose on a blue background was meant to be a hint.

10. Which rainbow song was the love theme from the 1967 film "Fitzwilly"? "Make me unwind, leave behind rhyme and reason Make me a room where I'll bloom out of season"

Answer: Make Me Rainbows

"Make Me Rainbows" was written by John Williams with Alan and Marilyn Bergman for the 1967 United Artists romantic comedy "Fitzwilly" starring Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Feldon, John McGiver and Edith Evans. My favorite rendition of "Make Me Rainbows" is by Vic Damone.

The photograph shows a rainbow in the sky.

Source: Author Catreona

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Sing Me a Rainbow Trivia Quiz

Follow this rainbow of songs to the end of the quiz.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>