Automotive Airs Trivia Quiz

Answer: Billy Ocean

This song was released in 1988 by Billy Ocean, a Trinidadian-born pop singer
who had a number of hits in the eighties. The song was inspired by the line from the fifties song "You're Sixteen", that goes "You walked outta my dreams and into my arms"... (Sung by Johnny Burnette, covered most successfully by Ringo Starr.)

Answer: Cadillac Ranch

"Cadillac Ranch" is a song about a real place, the Cadillac Ranch located in Amarillo, Texas. This is an amazing tourist attraction which has been in place for over 50 years. It was begun by an artist colony, and consists of ten Cadillacs which have been driven literally into the ground, and buried with the fronts downwards in the dirt. In 2016, it still draws a crowd of visitors.

"The River" contains a lyric sheet with a picture taken at the Cadillac Ranch, highlighting the fins on some cars, and showing the graffiti and coloured paint that the cars have acquired over the year. The song itself is an upbeat rocker, written with a sense of fun, and not meant to be taken terribly seriously.

Answer: Commander Cody

"Hot Rod Lincoln" has many verses, and they almost all contain very clever rhymes, as the story unfolds. The song was written and recorded in 1955 by Charlie Ryan as an answer to another song released in 1951, called "Hot Rod Race".

But it is Commander Cody (George Frayne) and his band Lost Planet Airmen whose version of "Hot Rod Lincoln" became well-known. The group, working out of San Francisco, played a mix of rockabilly, Western swing, and jump blues. They continued to release albums until 2009, but "Hot Rod Lincoln" remained their biggest hit.

Answer: Roger Taylor

It was Queen's drummer, Roger Taylor, who gave us the music and lyrics for "I'm In Love With My Car". The song couldn't help but be a bestseller, as it was the B-side of the single "Bohemian Rhapsody". The car in question was a custom-made Alfa Romeo; it seems to have been particularly lovable!

Answer: Ford Thunderbird

The song calls the Thunderbird "the T-Bird" and promises that the girl, though she is sad ("you've been thinkin' that your fun is all through now") predicts she will in fact have a wonderful time in the future, as the singer will start to date her. It is presumed they will drive in his car and "We'll have fun, fun, fun now that Daddy took the T-Bird away." This is not meant to be a serious reflection on reality!

"Fun, Fun, Fun" peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1964.

Answer: Bruce Springsteen

"Racing In The Street" is found on the album "Darkness On The Edge of Town". It was not released as a single, but is still a major favourite with Springsteen fans. It has also been hailed by some serious music writers as the best song in the Springsteen oeuvre.

The reason "Racing In The Street" has been accorded such status is that it seems to mark the transition of Bruce Springsteen from fun-loving poet of rock'n'roll, to a musician concerned with the everyday preoccupations of working-class men and women. In addition, the music itself is beautifully orchestrated, especially the piano score.

Answer: Jan and Dean

"The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" went to number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No.1 on the Canadian hit parade. The interesting thing was that there really was a Little Old Lady. In the time just preceding the song's release, Dodge ran an extremely successful TV ad campaign.

The ad showed an elderly woman speeding down a street (an alternate version showed a drag strip), who when she slows down, leans out the window and says "Put a Dodge in your garage, honey!" Presumably the song was based on the idea of the ad.

Answer: Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman, an American singer from Cleveland, also wrote the song "Fast Car". The song made it to the highest position on Billboard's Top 500 for a female performer who both wrote and sang a particular number. (This position was a dismal 167.)

The song and the album "Fast Car" were nominated for six Grammy awards in 1988; Chapman took home three of them. She has continued to release albums (as of 2016); her second best-known hit was probably "Give Me One Reason". She has the ability to write and sing at the level of the common people.

Answer: A woman

The song "Little Red Corvette" was released in 1982, and became at that time Prince's best-selling single so far, in the US. The "Little Red Corvette" of the title is a woman that the singer is dating, but there is also a car referred to in the lyrics. The words are quite sexually explicit.

It becomes plain that the singer cares about what happens to the lady, and the lyrics, continuing the car metaphor, ask her if she has enough gas. He warns her to slow down, " 'cause if you don't you're gonna run your little red Corvette right into the ground."

Answer: Porsche

"Mercedes-Benz" is unusual for a popular hit, in that it is sung a cappella (i.e., it is sung without accompaniment). The song was written in 1970 by Joplin and friends, in a very casual setting (a home party); it was recorded in one take and released in 1970. As of 1995, the Mercedes-Benz car company was using the song for a commercial that aired during that year's Super Bowl.

There is a funny line in the comedy movie "A Fish Called Wanda". Upon being told of a couple's decision to name their daughter Portia, Kevin Kline's character, Otto, says "Who would name their kid after a car?"