People in Songs Trivia

1. Gordon Lightfoot wrote "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" about a shipwreck on which of the Great Lakes?

From Quiz Songs About Actual Events and People

Answer: Superior

The Edmund Fitzgerald was a 729-foot freighter that capsized and sunk during a severe winter storm on November 10, 1975. It was a large vessel that was full of iron ore, en route to Detroit. In fact, it was the largest ship ever to sink in the Great Lakes until the end of the 20th century. Despite radioing for assistance, twenty-nine men perished in this accident. In tribute to the men who lost their lives that day, the last line of the song is "Superior, they said, never gives up her dead / When the gales of November come early."

From Quiz Military And Police Ranks In Song

Answer: David Bowie

Major Tom was a character who first appeared in the 1969 David Bowie song "Space Oddity" and was mentioned again in other Bowie songs, "Ashes to Ashes", "Hallo Spaceboy", and "Blackstar". The inspiration for the song was the Stanley Kubrick movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968). In 2003 Bowie told 'Performing Songwriter' magazine: "In England, it was always presumed that it was written about the space landing, because it kind of came to prominence around the same time. But it actually wasn't. It was written because of going to see the film '2001', which I found amazing. I was out of my gourd anyway, I was very stoned when I went to see it, several times, and it was really a revelation to me." The single reached number five on the Official UK Charts Company listing. Re-released in the USA in1972, it reached number 15 on the Hot 100.

From Quiz 50 Million Elvis Presley Fans Can't be All Wrong

Answer: Tennessee Plates

In the song the singer was obsessed with "lookin' for a Cadillac with Tennessee plates." He picked up the woman referenced in the question in Nevada and they decided to head for Graceland. Upon arriving, the singer decided to help himself to one of Elvis's Cadillacs because "he gave 'em to his friends". Elvis and the police apparently disagreed with his reasoning because the singer revealed he was writing from the Tennessee state prison in Brushy Mountain, where he was serving a five-to-eight year sentence "stamping out [his] time, making Tennessee plates."

From Quiz Vinyl Vixens

Answer: Elvis Presley

"Hard Headed Woman", written by Claude Demetrius, was used in Elvis's 1958 movie "King Creole". It told of the problems Adam, Samson and King Ahab had with women. As a single, it went to number one in the U.S. on the "Billboard Hot 100" charts and, because of its 12-bar blues structure, number two on the "Billboard Hot R&B Singles" chart.

From Quiz Characters From Classic Rock Songs

Answer: Jimmy

Bryan Adams was one of the guest artists who appeared with Roger Waters at the 1990 "The Wall in Berlin" concert that took place eight months after the wall fell.

From Quiz You're the Inspiration

Answer: John Denver

John Denver, born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. in 1943, married Ann Martell in 1967. He came up with the outline for "Annie's Song" in about ten minutes on a ski lift in Aspen. The song was a big hit single - reaching number one in several countries. The marriage hit difficulties, with Denver allegedly attacking his wife and cutting up a bed with a chainsaw, and they divorced in the early 1980s.

From Quiz Real People Used In Song Lyrics

Answer: Leon Trotsky

The single 'No More Heroes' by The Stranglers charted in the UK in 1977. The song listed a number of real life and literary figures including Lenny Bruce, William Shakespeare and Sancho Panza. It was covered in the television series 'Ashes to Ashes' by The Violent Femmes. In 1995 the band sued Elastica for using elements of 'No More Heroes' in their single 'Waking Up'. Elastica settled out of court. Partial lyric: 'Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky? He got an ice pick that made his ears burn Whatever happened to dear old Lenny? The Great Elmyra and Sancho Panza?'

From Quiz Sing Me Someone Famous

Answer: Kim Carnes

"Bette Davis Eyes" was written in 1974 by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss. Jackie DeShannon originally recorded the song on her album "New Arrangement". Kim Carnes had a number one Billboard hit with this song in 1981. In fact it was Billboard's biggest hit for that year. At the 1982 Grammy Awards the song won both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It also topped the charts in countries such as Australia, Italy, Germany, Japan and Brazil, just to name a few, but only rose to number ten in the UK. The song has been covered by such artists as Alvin and the Chipmunks, Courtney Love and Taylor Swift. Kim Carnes was born in Los Angeles, California, on 20 July, 1945 and is a singer-songwriter. She originally wrote songs for other artists whilst working as a session musician. She joined the New Christy Minstrels with Kenny Rogers and Karen Black in 1965. She released her first solo album, "Rest on Me" in 1972. Her "big break" came after performing a duet with Kenny Rogers "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer". In her memoir "This 'N That", Bette Davis said about the song "It was a thrill to become a part of the rock generation". At a tribute to Bette Davis held just before her death in 1989, Carnes performed the song live.

From Quiz Rock & Roll Battle of the Sexes

Answer: All the Young Dudes

Bowie wrote "All the Young Dudes" for the English rock band Mott the Hoople. It was released in 1972 and peaked at number three on US charts. Notable cover versions include those by Aerosmith, Ringo Starr and Ozzy Osbourne.

From Quiz Songs with American Indian Themes

Answer: Jorgen Ingmann and His Guitar

"Apache" was written by Jerry Lordan, one of The Shadows' supporting acts. The Shadows were impressed with the song and subsequently had a hit with the instrumental version of "Apache" in the UK. Jørgen Ingmann was a Danish Jazz guitarist who recorded a version of "Apache" and "Anna". His rendition of "Apache" almost topped the US charts. "Apache" has been covered by many artists. "(Ghost) Riders In the Sky" was a 1961 Ramrods instrumental single. "Mexico" was a US Top Ten hit by bassist Bob Moore and His Orchestra. The Ventures recorded a version on "Apache" on their 1963 "The Ventures Play Telstar and the Lonely Bull" LP.

From Quiz Historical Figures in Songs

Answer: Nixon

From 'Ohio' on the album 'So Far' (compilation album) by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. A song about the Kent State shootings.

From Quiz Characters in Classic '60's Hits - Part 2

Answer: Pretty Flamingo

This was the band's second U.K. No.1,a follow-up to "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" - a No.1 in the U.K.,U.S. and Canada.

From Quiz Characters in Classic '60's Hits - Part 1

Answer: 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' - The Rolling Stones

So good, they named a movie after it! Hard to believe it's from 1968, and still going strong!

From Quiz Characters of Classic Rock

Answer: Slim

The lyrics, "You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger, and you don't mess around with Jim.", are changed to "and you don't mess around with Slim." in the last chorus. Slim cuts up Jim for taking all his money in a pool game.

From Quiz Who's that song about, again?

Answer: Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King became one of the first women to coach an all male tennis team. The team was called the Philadelphia Freedoms. Elton John became a fan of Billie, and after the tennis star presented him with a shirt, he and lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote the song in her honour. It was released in 1975.

From Quiz Just Call Me "Mr."

Answer: Johnny Cymbal

Johnny Cymbal (real name) was born in Scotland. He was a prolific songwriter and has a list of over 200 published songs. He recorded songs under the pseudonyms Derek, Brother John, The Eye-Full Tower, and The Non-Conformists. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, Gene Pitney, The Partridge Family and The Spencer Davis Group, among others. Regrettably, he died of a heart attack in 1993 at age 48.

From Quiz I Sang About You

Answer: Alan Jackson

"Then I asked her if she'd heard of Alan Jackson. And she said "Didn't he sing that song called 'Where Were You?'" I said "Ya, but girl, that man's a livin' legend." And she said "Really? I thought he was new."" Ray Scott was born in Semora, North Carolina. He began singing in a band when he was 18 years old. He has written hits for country artists such as, Randy Travis and Clay Walker. His 2005 hit, "My Kind Of Music" only reached number 39 on Billboard's US Country Chart.

From Quiz Historical Figures on the Charts

Answer: Herman's Hermits

Hermans' Hermits unseated the Rolling Stones', "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", from the Number One spot with "I'm Henry VIII, I Am". It was the group's second and final Number One hit on the US Hot 100 chart. They topped the charts earlier the same year with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter". "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" was a British music hall song that had been done by various artists since the turn of the century. Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas had US hits with "Little Children" and "Bad to Me". "I'm Telling You Now" was a 1965 Number One hit by Freddy and the Dreamers.

From Quiz Who's That Song About ?

Answer: Norma Jean Baker

Norma Jean, or Marilyn Monroe, was the subject of the original version of the song. After Princess Di's untimely demise in 1997, Elton released a new version "Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight" as a tribute to Diana. It became the world's best selling single of all time.

From Quiz Songs and Bands About Captains

Answer: The Magic Band

Don Van Vliet and Frank Zappa became acquainted as teens in Antelope Valley High School. The Captain Beefheart name first appeared on a movie script the two collaborated on called "Captain Beefheart vs. the Grunt People". He assumed the stage name when assembling a band in the mid-sixties. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band signed to the A&M label and did a version the Bo Diddley tune, "Diddy Wah Diddy", and a song titled "Moonchild" by David Gates. In 1966 they signed to Buddah Records and the following year "Safe as Milk" was the first of a dozen albums that Beefheart released between 1967 and 1982. Don Glen Vliet took up painting after retiring from the music business. Country Joe's band was called The Fish. Big Brother and the Holding Company was a San Francisco area band that hired Janis Joplin as their singer. The Charlatans was a Bay Area band in the sixties.

From Quiz Serial Killers Gone Vinyl

Answer: Ed Gein

Prior to writing the song, Shannon Hoon, the late frontman of Blind Melon, read a book about serial killers that included Gein. It was the inspiration behind the song. Gein was also the inspiration for other films such as "Motel Hell", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and "House of 1000 Corpses".

From Quiz Musical Alter Egos

Answer: Steve Miller

This is the opening line to "The Joker", the Steve Miller Band's signature song. Actually, each of those lines refer to previous Steve Miller songs--"Space Cowboy", "Gangster of Love", and "Enter Maurice" are all Steve Miller songs, and "Enter Maurice" is quite possibly the first recorded usage in the English language of the word "Pompatus" (with "The Joker" being the second). As for the other options, in the small world of music in which the beginnings of careers build off each other, Les Paul, the inventor of the electric guitar, was Steve Miller's godfather and taught him to play. Miller taught Boz Scaggs ("Lido Shuffle", "Lowdown") how to play guitar so they could play in a college band together, and after college Miller joined in a Chicago band with harmonica player Paul Butterfield, later of the greatly influential Butterfield Blues Band.

From Quiz Songs About Singers and Musicians

Answer: Tchaikovsky

"Roll Over, Beethoven" was written by Chuck Berry in 1956, and covered by a plethora of artists, including the Beatles and Jerry Lee Lewis. "You know my temperatures risin and the jukebox is blowin a fuse/My heart beats in rhythm and my soul keep on singin the blues/Roll over Beethoven and give Tchaikovsky the news" Legend has it that Chuck Berry was inspired to write the song by his sister, who played classical piano.

From Quiz Immortalised in Song

Answer: The Sweet

"Alexander Graham Bell" peaked at No. 33 in the UK charts in October 1971. With such lyrics as "Telephone, telephone, never be on your own" it's not hard to see why it had limited success! The group were known as The Sweet on albums before 1974 and singles before 1975, after which time they were known simply as Sweet.

From Quiz Songs About Movie Stars

Answer: Bette Davis

"Bette Davis Eyes" was a UK number ten hit for Kim Carnes in 1981. It's a good song but I prefer Half Man Half Biscuit's take on it; "Dickie Davis Eyes".

From Quiz Classic Rock Characters III

Answer: The Greek

At the shocking end of the story, we learn that the only things left on the island were a panama hat and a pair of old Greek shoes. After many verses becoming familiar with the characters on Black Diamond Bay and learning of their fateful demise, we hear about the narrator in the last verse, who is watching the news on TV and says "it didn't look like much was happening, so I turned it off and went to grab another beer. Seems like every time you turn around there's another hard-luck story that you're gonna hear. And there's really nothing anyone can say. And I never did plan to go anyway to Black Diamond Bay."

From Quiz Classic Rock Characters II

Answer: Eleanor Rigby

This song appeared on the album "Revolver", considered by many lists to be the best album ever recorded.

From Quiz Classic Rock Characters I

Answer: Billy Shears

The song "With a Little Help From My Friends" is introduced by the lines: "I don't really want to stop the show But I thought that you might like to know That the singer's going to sing a song And he wants you all to sing along So let me introduce to you The one and only Billy Shears And Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

From Quiz Talking About Mrs. and Mr. X

Answer: Mrs. Robinson

From Simon and Garfunkel's great hit "Mrs Robinson" from 1968, used in the soundtrack for "The Graduate".

From Quiz Gender Benders

Answer: Polythene Pam

The first tracks were recorded on 07/25/69. "Pam" is a song of John's. The song was recorded as one along with Paul's "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window".

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Last Updated Dec 21 2024 5:47 AM

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