Anatomy of a Song: "Home For A Rest" Quiz

Answer: December

"... We stayed at the bars on Charing Cross road."

Spirit of the West started out as a folk band in the '80s. In the '90s, they developed their sound and their music was heavily influenced by hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic sounds. They were considered one of Canada's most successful 'alternative' bands in the 1990s.

Answer: brass taps and oak

"...kept a shine on the bar with the sleeves of our coats."

Spirit of the West began as a trio named Evesdropper in Vancouver, BC in 1983. A year later they were called Spirit of the West and were signed to a small Edmonton, AB label called Stony Plain Records.

Answer: I'm not at my best

"...I've been gone for a week, I've been drunk since I left."

When this chorus is repeated at various times in the song, "I've been gone for a week" is sometimes changed to "I've gone for a month."

Answer: Euston Station

"...In the buffet car, we lurched back and forth."

"Home For A Rest" can be found on Spirit of the West's 1990 album "Save This House". The song was never actually released as a single, but is arguably the band's most well-known and most still-played song.

Answer: Yorkshire

"...We were flung into dance as the train jigged and reeled."

The song was written by two of the band's founding members, John Mann and Geoffrey Kelly who are both still with the band. The lyrics are about a drinking spree in London, and are supposed to reflect both the fun and excitement of the experience as well as a desire for the comfort of home, a feeling most young people on drinking binges are familiar with.

Answer: a rare old perfume

"...so seductive and sweet."

"Home For A Rest" is always the last song played at Spirit of the West's live performances, except occasionally when it is not used as an encore song.

Answer: tease us and flirt

"...Then walk on us on home and deny us a round."

"Home For A Rest" is considered to be a standard anthem for 'frosh weeks' at Canadian colleges and universities. It was one of two Canadian songs to appear on the 1998 compilation album called "Frosh", a collection of party anthems (David Wilcox's "Do The Bearcat" being the other Canadian song included). "Home For A Rest" is also usually played at least once a night at every bar I've ever been to (in Canada).

Answer: now ghosts in the room

In 1999, "Home For A Rest" was named number 689 of the "Top 1002 New Rock Songs of All Time" by CFNY, a Toronto-area radio station. However, the same radio station ranked the song number eight of the "Top 102 Canadian New Rock Songs of All Time." It was also named the 22nd greatest Canadian song of all time in a 2005 CBC Radio listener vote.

Answer: the twelve bells at noon

"Home For A Rest" is often covered by other Canadian alt-folk bands, including most famously by Mudmen and Great Big Sea. The Great Big Sea version appears on the compilation CD "Irish Punk Drinking Songs."

Answer: I need home for a rest

"Take me home!"

Other well-known songs by Spirit of the West include "And if Venice is Sinking"(1993), which was the band's most successful single on the charts, and "Political"(1988, 1991). The 1988 version of "Political" enjoyed modest success in the mainstream. The song was re-vamped for a 1991 album, and it was thought it would be even more successful, but the band was presented with a fan-signed petition demanding that they play the original version. This resulted in a third version of the song that was created for live performances. The third version keeps most of the rock instrumentation used in the 1991 version, but also reverts to the original 1988 melody.