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Jan Dean Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
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Jan & Dean Trivia

Jan & Dean Trivia Quizzes

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4 quizzes and 40 trivia questions.
1.
  Lyrics Of Jan & Dean    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Between 1959 and 1965, Jan & Dean (Jan Berry and Dean Torrance) had 21 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. From the lyrics given, can you identify ten of those songs? [All songs listed are by Jan & Dean.]
Easier, 10 Qns, lowtechmaster, Oct 27 17
Easier
lowtechmaster
431 plays
2.
  The Little Old Lady From Pasadena   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Jan & Dean reached the number three spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the U.S. with this song in 1964. What do you remember about it?
Average, 10 Qns, daver852, Mar 17 15
Average
daver852 gold member
275 plays
3.
  Jan and Dean    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz about one of the greatest beach musical groups of the '60s, Jan and Dean.
Average, 10 Qns, Uga76, Mar 03 14
Average
Uga76
645 plays
4.
  Jan & Dean    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Trivia questions on the legendary surf/drag duo.
Difficult, 10 Qns, Drivein101, Sep 20 05
Difficult
Drivein101
673 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What color is the car?

From Quiz "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena"





Jan & Dean Trivia Questions
1. What type of flowers does the "little old lady," also known as "Granny," like to grow?

From Quiz The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

Answer: Gardenias

At the beginning of the song, we are told that Granny "has a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias." Gardenia must have been the closest thing the songwriters could come up with to rhyme with Pasadena. The song was co-written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry, and Roger Christian.

2. What was the name of the garage band Jan Berry, Arnie Ginsberg, and Dean Torrence started as teenagers?

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: The Barons

The original group they started, while still high school students, was The Barons. The Barons appeared in a school talent contest and practiced in Jan's garage. The group was made up of fellow students Cuck Steele, Ginsberg, Wally Agi, John Saliman, Berry, and Torrence.

3. What high school sport were Jan & Dean in when they first met?

From Quiz Jan & Dean

Answer: Football

Jan & Dean played for the Emerson Jr. High and University High football teams in Los Angeles. It was in the showers that they, along with four other teammates, started harmonizing together, forming a vocal group called The Barons.

4. What Jan & Dean song includes these words? "I am only five years old and my baby's three. (Bom Ba Ba Bom um dab um dab um dab um dab) But I know that she's my girl just you wait and see. (Bom Ba Ba Bom um dab um dab um dab um dab)."

From Quiz Lyrics Of Jan & Dean

Answer: Baby Talk

Billboard's Hot 100 listed "Baby Talk" at number ten in 1959. "Jeanette, Get Your Hair Done" was its B side. "Gee" only got to number 81 in 1960. Its B side was "Such A Good Night For Dreaming".

5. What type of car does the little old lady drive?

From Quiz The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

Answer: Dodge

The song was inspired by a series of television commercials that aired in early 1964. A little old lady, played by actress Kathryn Minner, was shown speeding down the street in a modified Dodge. She would then tell the audience, "Put a Dodge in your garage, Honey." The idea of an elderly woman driving a muscle car must have seemed amusing to people at the time. The ad campaign was very successful.

6. "Dead Man's Curve" was written about a car crash involving what famous person? Hint: Bugs Bunny.

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: Mel Blanc

Many people thought the song "Dead Man's Curve" was about James Dean; however, it was actually written about another car crash, in 1961, involving Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny.

7. Which TV show did Jan & Dean pay homage to with a single and album in February 1966?

From Quiz Jan & Dean

Answer: Batman

The "Batman" single reached #66 on Billboard, but the album did not chart at all. Both single and album were the last ones released before Jan's car accident about two months later

8. "Surf fever brings them here to meet the test, And hanging round the beach you'll see the best. They're waxed up and ready, just waiting for The surf to build up on the northern shore." These lyrics can be found in which Jan & Dean song?

From Quiz Lyrics Of Jan & Dean

Answer: Ride The Wild Surf

In 1964, the Billboard Hot 100 listed "Ride The Wild Surf" at number 16 and "The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review, and Timing Association" (its B side) at number 77. In 1960, "We Go Together" ranked number 53, and "Rosie Lane" (its side B) went unlisted.

9. What color is the car?

From Quiz The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

Answer: Red

"But parked in a rickety old garage / Is a brand new, shiny red Super Stocked Dodge." We aren't told what Dodge model it was, but since Beach Boys' version of the the song tells us it has a "four speed stick and a four - two - six," it was probably a 1964 426 Max Wedge Polara. That's the only model I can find that would have been street legal.

10. What year did "Surf City" hit number one on the charts?

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: 1963

On June 22, 1963, Jan and Dean had their first number one hit, "Surf City". The song was given to Jan and Dean by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. In fact, Wilson performed on the original release.

11. Where does Granny like to do her street racing?

From Quiz The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

Answer: Colorado Boulevard

"She drives real fast and she drives real hard / She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard." Colorado Boulevard runs east-west from Griffith Park in Los Angeles to Monrovia, California, passing through Pasadena on the way. It was originally a part of the famous Route 66. Part of the Tournament of Roses parade route is along Colorado Boulevard.

12. When did Jan Berry have his critical car accident by rear-ending a parked vehicle in Beverley Hills, California?

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: April 19, 1966

April 19, 1966 Jan Berry was critically injured in a car crash while driving his Corvette Stingray on a back street in Beverley Hills, California. The accident mirrored the tragedy of "Dead Man's Curve". He suffered critical head injuries and was in a comma for weeks.

13. What shade of green was the '48 Buick in "Schlock Rod, Part 1"?

From Quiz Jan & Dean

Answer: Olive

This is mentioned in the very first line of the song

14. What was the name of the high school Jan and Dean attended together?

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: University High School in West Los Angeles

They attended University High School in West Los Angeles. While singing in the showers, after football practices, they came up with the idea of starting a musical group.

15. What kind of car was Jan driving when he crashed on Whittier Blvd. on April 12, 1966?

From Quiz Jan & Dean

Answer: Corvette Stingray

In tragic irony, the song "Dead Man's Curve" told the story of Jan's Stingray VS a Jaguar XKE. The crash was not far from the actual Dead Man's Curve.

16. "Just tuned my car, now she really peels, A lookin' real tough with chrome reverse wheels. A blue coral wax job sure looks pretty." These three lines are found in what song by Jan & Dean?

From Quiz Lyrics Of Jan & Dean

Answer: Drag City

"Drag City" was a number ten hit on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1964. "Schlock Rod" was side B. "Tennessee" made it to number 69 in 1962. Side B was "Your Heart Has Changed Its Mind".

17. What does the song predict is going to happen to Granny?

From Quiz The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

Answer: She's going to get a ticket

"She's gonna get a ticket now sooner or later." Street racing is highly illegal in all parts of the United States, a much more serious offense than just speeding, but was highly popular in the United States in 1964, particularly in California. The sport of drag racing evolved from street racing.

18. Who's picture was on the sheet music of Jan and Dean's hit "Linda"?

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: Linda Eastman McCartney

A lawyer involved with the song suggested his daughter, whose name was Linda Eastman, would be willing to have her picture appear on the sheet music. Her picture appeared on the final product and she would later marry Paul McCartney of the Beatles.

19. Jan & Dean's final Hot 100 single: "______ Around" (One word)

From Quiz Jan & Dean

Answer: Fiddle

This song, recorded in 1962, was released in September 1966 and only reached #93 on the charts

20. Granny can't keep her foot off what?

From Quiz The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

Answer: The accelerator

"She's gonna get a ticket now sooner or later / Cause she can't keep her foot off the accelerator." The accelerator controls the speed of an automobile; pushing down on it with one's foot makes the car go faster. A person who cannot keep his or her foot off the accelerator is someone who drives too fast, sometimes called a "speed demon." Granny clearly feels the "need for speed."

21. What was Jan Berry and Dean Torrences's debut single?

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: Baby Talk

Jan and another friend, Arnie Ginsburg released a single, "Jennie Lee", during the time that Dean was in the Army Reserves. But Jan and Dean's first single was "Baby Talk, which was released in 1959.

22. In the bio movie "Dead Man's Curve", what song did Jan & Dean (played by Richard Hatch and Bruce Davison, respectively) attempt to lip-synch in their comeback show at the conclusion of the movie?

From Quiz Jan & Dean

Answer: Surf City

Unfortunately, the tape player jammed and was restarted, but it was too late.

23. Can you name this top hit by Jan & Dean from only these five words? "Two girls for every boy."

From Quiz Lyrics Of Jan & Dean

Answer: Surf City

On Billboard's Hot 100, "Surf City" (1963) was the only number one smash hit for Jan & Dean. "She's My Summer Girl" was its flip side. In 1959, "There's A Girl" made it only to number 97. Its B side was "My Heart Sings".

24. Who does Granny race against?

From Quiz The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

Answer: The guys

"The guys come to race her from all around." Most street racers are young men. This line tells us that Granny has developed quite a reputation.

25. What song did Jan and Dean sing when they appeared on "American Bandstand" in 1959?

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: Baby Talk

In October of 1959, the group made it into the top ten with "Baby Talk" and appeared on American Bandstand. The song hit the top 10.

26. Jan to Dean from the "Deadman's Curve" movie: "If it weren't for me, you'd still be ______ _______"?

From Quiz Jan & Dean

Answer: Pumping gas

This was the head to an arguement between the two about the creation of their Jan & Dean (J&D) label. Earlier in the movie, Dean is seen working in a gas station after his release from the Army reserves.

27. "You'll probably wipeout when you first try to shoot the curve. Bust your buns, bust your buns now. Takin' gas in a bush takes a lotta nerve." Which Jan & Dean tune has these three lines?

From Quiz Lyrics Of Jan & Dean

Answer: Sidewalk Surfin'

In 1964, "Sidewalk Surfin'" got to number 25 on the Hot 100. Side B was "When It's Over". In 1965, "I Found A Girl" peaked at number 30. "It's A Shame To Say" was its side B.

28. When Granny races, what does she do?

From Quiz The Little Old Lady From Pasadena

Answer: Gives her opponent a headstart

"The guys come to race her from all around / But she'll give 'em a length then she'll shut em down." Since all cars are not created equal, some cars are often given a handicap, or headstart, at the beginning of the race. Granny is evidently confident enough to give all comers an advantage. "Shut 'em down" means to defeat them in a way that humiliates her opponents.

29. Who helped Jan and Dean with developing a couple of surf songs in the early '60s?

From Quiz Jan and Dean

Answer: Brian Wilson

Dean asked Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys, if the group would play the instrumental parts to "Surfin" and "Surfin' Safari" on their album. Wilson sang the opening line of a new song, and offered it to Jan and Dean. Lyrics were added and "Surf City" resulted from their hard work.

30. In the rock concert movie "The T.A.M.I. Show", what was in Jan & Dean's guitar case?

From Quiz Jan & Dean

Answer: Skateboard

Shown on the front cover of the "Command Performance/Live In Person" album, which features the duo's performance from the movie

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