Atlas of Song Titles Trivia Quiz

Answer: San Francisco

Tony Bennet won two Grammy awards in 1962 (Record of the Year and Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male) for this song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," where "little cable cars climb halfway to the stars."

Answer: Paris

"The Last Time I Saw Paris" was the title of a 1954 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson. The title song was written by Jerome Kern. "He Went to Paris" is featured on Jimmy Buffett's 1973 album, "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean". Paris, the capital and largest city of France, has often been immortalized in song.

Answer: Bangkok

The song "One Night in Bangkok" was featured in the musical "Chess", which opened in 1984. The music for the show was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA, among others. This song has some very imaginative lyrics. "Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist whose every move's among the purest."

Answer: Allentown

"Allentown", the tale of the eastern Pennsylvania industrial center, was a hit for Mr. Joel in 1982. Allentown was named for Chief Justice of Colonial Pennsylvania's Supreme Court, William Allen.

Answer: Georgia

This ballad with a Faustian theme tells of a fiddle player named Johnny who bets the Devil that he can out-fiddle him- and wins. "The Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny's feet." This song is from the 1979 album "Million Mile Reflections".

Answer: Pet Shop Boys

The Pet Shop Boys was the British duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. Their synth-pop sound, popular in dance clubs, was typical of mid-80s music. Although they had hits with "What Have I Done to Deserve This" and "Opportunities", they are probably best known for their song about "the East End boys and West End girls".

Answer: San Jose

San Jose must be a hard city to find; Dionne Warwick, the Carpenters, and others have asked "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" The song was written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach in 1968. San Jose is located in central California near Palo Alto.

Answer: Chattanooga

"The Chattanooga Choo-Choo", popularized by Glenn Miller, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song in 1941. Chattanooga, Tennessee, which bills itself as the Scenic City, boasts the largest mall in Tennessee.

Answer: Rio

Rio de Janeiro, or Rio for short, is a popular resort city in Brazil. The song "Rio", from the album of the same name, was a big hit for the English band Duran Duran in 1982. Princess Diana once said that Duran Duran was her favorite band- we always knew she had great taste!

Answer: Boston

The group Steely Dan, known to fans as "The Dan", was formed in 1967 by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. "The Boston Rag" was featured on their 1973 album, "Countdown to Ecstasy".

Answer: Africa

The group Toto, which formed in 1977, is said to have been named for the canine star of "The Wizard of Oz". The hits "Africa" and "Rosanna" were from their 1982 album, "Toto IV". Africa is, of course, a continent.

Answer: Argentina

"Don't Cry for me Argentina" is the hit song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Evita". The musical, which tells the story of Eva Peron of Argentina, was made into a movie in 1997 starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas. Evita, born in 1919, was an actor and singer before she married Argentinian dictator Juan Peron. Check out her website at http://www.evitaperon.org/Principal.htm.

Answer: Mexico

"Good to Go to Mexico" is from country singer Toby Keith's 2002 album, "Unleashed". Mexico is a Latin American country that has been inhabited for over 20,000 years.

Answer: Miami

Although the moon is seen over many places, it was seen over Miami in a song, a 1941 movie, and a 1993 TV show. The song, written by Eddy Duchin, was featured in the musical movie starring Betty Grable. The city of Miami, Florida, was incorporated in 1896.

Answer: China

Tori Amos, born in North Carolina (US) in 1964, is a singer, pianist, and writer. "Little Earthquakes", her 1992 album, features such songs as "China" and "Me and a Gun".

Answer: New England

Barry Manilow, the king of the "Adult Contemporary" genre, has a spot in the "Guinness Book Of World Records" for the fastest sellout and largest ticket gross on Broadway (1976). The tear-jerker "Weekend in New England" is from his 1976 album, "This One's for You". New England is a beautiful region of the northeastern US, comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Answer: Tijuana

This 'beer drinking song' by Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass Band is from their first album, "The Lonely Bull" (1962). The Latin trumpeter is known for his fun, toe-tappin melodies such as "Tijuana Taxi", "Spanish Flea", and "What Now my Love". Tijuana, Mexico, is the foreign city most often visited by Americans. Sauerkraut is a traditional German cabbage dish, probably not made often in Tijuana.

Answer: California

The Mamas and the Papas consisted of Cass Elliot, Denny Doherty, John Phillips, and Michelle Phillips. "California Dreamin'", written by John, was their first hit. The song was inspired by a trip to the Virgin Islands, which I'm sure would inspire one to do many things.

Interesting tidbit: Cass Elliot had supposedly been invited to the gathering at Sharon Tate's residence in August of 1969 in which she and her friends were slain by the infamous Manson Family. Luckily for her, Cass didn't go.

Answer: Scarborough

The American pop duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel recorded their first record, "Hey Schoolgirl", as Tom and Jerry in 1957. "Scarborough Fair" is featured on their 1966 album, "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme". The Yorkshire town of Scarborough bills itself as the world's first seaside resort.

Answer: Phoenix

Although "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was made famous by Glen Campbell in 1969, many others have sung this sad song written by Jimmy Webb. Phoenix is the capital and largest city of the state of Arizona.

Answer: Alabama

The Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynrd sang about "Sweet Home Alabama, where the skies are so blue," in 1974. The Grateful Dead sang "Alabama Getaway", from their 1980 album "Go To Heaven." Alabama became the 22nd state of the US in 1819. One of its claims to fame is the city of Huntsville, where the US Space Program was developed.

Answer: Ibiza

The Vengaboys are a Spanish dance/techno band. Their 1999 song "We're Going to Ibiza" was originally titled "We're Going to Barbados." Ibiza, one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, has gained a reputation as a wild party spot in recent years- that's probably why the Vengaboys are going there.

Answer: Hawaii

The song, of course, is "Blue Hawaii", from the 1961 movie of the same name. The movie features The King as a tour guide crooning such hits as "Hawaiian Wedding Song" and "Can't Help Falling in Love."

Answer: Waterloo

The Bee Gees sang "Walking Back to Waterloo", from their 1971 album "Trafalgar". The Swedish group ABBA scored their first big hit with "Waterloo", on the 1974 album by the same name. Waterloo is, of course, the Belgian town at which Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington on June 18, 1815. Since then, the term "waterloo" has come to mean someone's defeat or downfall.

Answer: Copenhagen

Hopefully you got the hint. The most famous denizen of the Danish capital is probably the fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). Born in the city of Odense, Anderson wrote 168 fairy tales, some of which were published in the US before Denmark. "Wonderful Copenhagen" is a tribute to this lovely city, "salty old queen by the sea".