Cities in Song Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bangkok

"One Night in Bangkok" was released in 1984 and could be found in the musical "Chess" written by half of ABBA (Benny and Bjorn) along with Tim Rice. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is the setting of a Cold War chess contest between an American and a Russian, modeled after the battle between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. On the "80 of the 80s" podcast, the song was rated as the number 69 song of the decade.

Answer: New York

In 1976, Billy Joel was "taking a Greyhound bus on the Hudson River Line" because he was "in a New York State of Mind". The song appeared on the album "Turnstiles" and, in October 2001, he played it at 'The Concert for New York City' as a benefit concert for the 'first responders' who lost their lives during the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Answer: in Moscow

In 1962 the song hit number two in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song was originally written with lyrics by two Russians and called "Leningrad Nights", but changed at the 'request' of the Soviet Ministry of Culture. Pianist Van Cliburn performed the song, then called "Moscow Nights", in 1958.

The British group Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen turned it into a hit under the title "Midnight in Moscow" and, in March 1962, it spent three weeks at number one on the American Easy Listening charts.

Answer: Phoenix

Jimmy Webb wrote this tune about how "she" (no name is given) will be rising by the time he gets to Phoenix. It was originally recorded in 1965 by Johnny Rivers; in 1967 Glen Campbell covered "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and won two awards at the 10th Annual Grammy Awards which were held in 1968 in Chicago, Nashville, Los Angeles and New York (but NOT in Phoenix).

The song went as high as number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, and it was ranked number 20 on BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century.

Answer: Arrivederci Roma

"Arrivederci Roma" (meaning Goodbye, Rome) is an Italian song released on the soundtrack of the 1955 musical film "Arrivederci Roma". In the movie the song is sung by American tenor and actor from the late 1940s and 1950s, Mario Lanza. Lanza was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, it is with goosebumps, I tell you that he died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 38 in...Rome!

Answer: San Jose

"Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" was a song written by the popular duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and released in 1968 on the album "Valley of the Dolls". Dionne Warwick was "going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose" and, at the same time, winning a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

It was Warwick's third consecutive Top Ten hit (with "Walk On By" and "I Say a Little Prayer") and her first Grammy win. As an aside, Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston were cousins.

Answer: Rio

Actually, the movie was the first pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, although Ginger was not the star; the female star, coincidentally, was Delores Del Rio and Rio was the destination. Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil at that time (from 1763 to 1960) and is famous for Ipanema, a statue of Christ the Redeemer, and Carnival.

Answer: Philadelphia Freedom

The number one hit "Philadelphia Freedom" was recorded as a single in 1974 while John and Taupin were working on the album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy". At the time, it was the only song they consciously wrote as a single, and it did not make its album debut until 1977's "Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume 2". Taupin has stated that the lyrics "bear no relation to tennis, Philly Soul or even flag-waving patriotism".

Answer: Tripoli

While all the incorrect choices happen to fit the tune of the "Marines Hymn", it takes us "to the shores of Tripoli", which is the capital of Libya. The lyrics were taken from a 1917 book of poems called "Rhymes of the Rookies" by W.E. Christian. The poems dealt with military life before World War I, with "the halls of Montezuma" referring to the Battle of Chapultepec in 1847 and "the shores of Tripoli" indicating the First Barbary War in 1805. (FYI, there is also a Tripoli in both Lebanon and Greece.)

Answer: LA

Singer-songwriter, composer and pianist Randy Newman wrote "I Love LA", i.e., Los Angeles, California. The song was released on the album "Trouble in Paradise" in 1983 but, since he also wrote "Short People got no reason to live", I wouldn't necessarily take his word or his beliefs to heart! More recently, Randy has composed a great many film scores including "Ragtime", "Awakenings", "Meet the Parents" and "Toy Story" (1, 2 and 3).

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.