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Big Country "Steeltown" (album) Quiz

Here are some questions about Big Country's second album, 1984's "Steeltown".

A multiple-choice quiz by taumpytom. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
taumpytom

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
401,790

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
84

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The first song on Steeltown is "Flame of the West", a song that makes reference to a "stranger" in whose "eyes was the flame of the west". What contemporary political figure was the song in reference to? Hint

Ronald Reagan

Mikhail Gorbachev

Margaret Thatcher

Deng Xiaoping

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Question 2 of 10

2. From which "Steeltown" song do the following lyrics come from?

"And you seemed so bright and hard / Like a bloody edge of sword / But if you're an enemy / Then you look a lot like me" Hint

Just a Shadow

East of Eden

Tall Ships Go

The Great Divide

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Question 3 of 10

3. The single "East of Eden" had a b-side that was a cover of what Roxy Music song? Hint

Avalon

More Than This

Prairie Rose

Love is the Drug

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Question 4 of 10

4. What prolific 80s producer was involved with "Steeltown"? Hint

Steve Lilywhite

Peter Wolf

Mutt Lange

Brian Eno

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Question 5 of 10

5. In the song "Just a Shadow", what does the narrator think is like being just a shadow, "that the world will never see"? Hint

a lover's voice

sons of men who stand like gods

a flash of a spark

a garden in the forest

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which "Steeltown" song includes the lyrics "Why care about the weather? It always ends in dark"? Hint

East of Eden

Just a Shadow

Where the Rose is Sown

Steeltown

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Question 7 of 10

7. What color eyes does the girl from the song "Girl With (this color) Eyes" have? Hint

Blue

Brown

Green

Grey

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Question 8 of 10

8. While always included on the remastered bonus track versions of "Steeltown", which song was actually originally from its own EP, released in the same year of 1984? Hint

Heart and Soul

Wonderland

Song of the South

Promised Land

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Question 9 of 10

9. In the song "Come Back to Me", who is the point-of-view narrator? Hint

A soldier returning from war

The wife of a soldier who has died in war

The wife of a soldier, who is wishing for his safe return

The mother of a soldier who has died in war

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Question 10 of 10

10. And finally, what record label was "Steeltown" released on? Hint

Columbia

Capitol

Mercury

Warner Brothers

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Ronald Reagan

Stuart was inspired to write the song after Reagan's first visit to the UK - and while the lyrics can also broadly apply to many political figures, the references to Reagan's acting career and nuclear program in the lyrics make the specific reference clear!

2. From which "Steeltown" song do the following lyrics come from? "And you seemed so bright and hard / Like a bloody edge of sword / But if you're an enemy / Then you look a lot like me"

Answer: Tall Ships Go

Many of Stuart Adamson's songs include ship and sailor imagery - the band frequently wrote songs about characters who were working class everymen.

3. The single "East of Eden" had a b-side that was a cover of what Roxy Music song?

Answer: Prairie Rose

"Prairie Rose" was included on the 1996 reissue of "Steeltown", as well as the B-sides "Bass Dance", "Belief in the Small Man", "Winter Sky", and a 12" version of "Wonderland".

4. What prolific 80s producer was involved with "Steeltown"?

Answer: Steve Lilywhite

Peter Wolf was not involved with "Steeltown". He was however a producer for the band's 1988 album "Peace In Our Time".

5. In the song "Just a Shadow", what does the narrator think is like being just a shadow, "that the world will never see"?

Answer: a garden in the forest

Stuart Adamson uses the construction "like (blank) in the forest the world will never see" again in the song "Remembrance Day" on Big Country's next album, "The Seer" - though in that song it's "some flower" instead of "a garden".

6. Which "Steeltown" song includes the lyrics "Why care about the weather? It always ends in dark"?

Answer: East of Eden

While sharing the same name, the song was not intended to explicitly reference the John Steinbeck novel.

7. What color eyes does the girl from the song "Girl With (this color) Eyes" have?

Answer: Grey

Stuart refers to an Alexandra in the song lyrics - a clear nod to his then wife Sandy.

8. While always included on the remastered bonus track versions of "Steeltown", which song was actually originally from its own EP, released in the same year of 1984?

Answer: Wonderland

"Heart & Soul" is from "The Crossing" B-sides, and appeared on the "In a Big Country" single. "Song of the South" was the b-side for "One Great Thing" from The Seer sessions. And "Promised Land" was from the "Peace in Our Time" era.

9. In the song "Come Back to Me", who is the point-of-view narrator?

Answer: The wife of a soldier who has died in war

This song is a poignant look at the loss of life in wartime, from the point of view of someone who could not go to fight.

10. And finally, what record label was "Steeltown" released on?

Answer: Mercury

Big Country was with Mercury through their first three albums: "The Crossing", "Steeltown", and "The Seer".

Source: Author taumpytom

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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