The Ultimate Colorful Songs Quiz | Something in Common

Answer: Red

"Red Barchetta" tells a story set in a dystopian future where vehicles have been prohibited by "the Motor Law". The singer's uncle has a red barchetta in prime condition and hidden at his farm. Each week, the singer sneaks out to his uncle's and goes for a joyride in the countryside. A couple of police see him and give chase. However, their aircars are wide, and cannot follow over a narrow bridge. The singer then returns the car back to his uncle's farm.

"Red Red Wine", written by Neil Diamond in 1967, is sung from the point of view of someone who can only forget his troubles by drinking red wine. The song reached number 62 on the American Charts.

In 1983, UB40 recorded a reggae version of the song.

Answer: Blue

"Blue Bayou" was originally written and recorded by Roy Orbison. Fourteen years later, Linda Ronstadt covered the song, and it became her signature song. Her name then became a slang term in baseball for a fastball, since the ball "blew by you".

"Blue Christmas" was a story of unrequited love during the Christmas holiday. Elvis Presley is the most well-known singer of this song.

Another Elvis song, "Blue Hawaii", was the title track of the same name from his album, which again was the soundtrack to his movie "Blue Hawaii".

"Mr. Blue Sky", written by Jeff Lynne (frontman for ELO), came about when Lynne sequestered himself in a Swiss chalet, trying to write songs for ELO's next album. While the weather was gloomy, he couldn't write anything. But when the sun appeared after two weeks, Lynne was able to write this and 13 other songs in two weeks.

Answer: Black

"Black Dog" is titled after a black Labrador retriever who wandered around the studio while Led Zeppelin recorded.

"Black Water" relates to Patrick Simmons's actual experience of New Orleans: "going down to the French Quarter as often as possible and going into the clubs and listening to Dixieland".

The origin and meaning of the lyrics to "Black Betty" are subject to debate. The "Black Betty" might refer to the nickname given to a number of objects: a musket, a bottle of whiskey, a whip, or a penitentiary transfer wagon.

Answer: purple

Prince's explanation of the meaning of "Purple Rain" is this: "When there's blood in the sky - red and blue = purple... purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain."

One of the explanations of Hendrix's "Purple Haze": Hendrix read "Night of Light", a 1966 novel by Philip Jose Farmer, that expanded on a short story published in 1957. In the story set on a distant planet, sunspots produce a "purplish haze" which has a disorienting effect on the inhabitants.

"The Purple People Eater" is the story of a strange creature (a "one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple people eater") who lands on Earth to be in a rock 'n' roll band. The song was derived from a joke told by the child of a friend of Sheb Wooley's.

Answer: brown

"Brown Eyed Girl" was originally titled "Brown Skinned Girl", and was a song about an interracial relationship. He subconsciously changed it to "Brown Eyed Girl", changing the title to "make it more palatable to radio stations" of the time.

Mick Jagger was not swayed by these influences, and wrote "Brown Sugar" about his secret African-American girlfriend, Marsha Hunt, mother of his first child.

"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", a hit for Crystal Gayle, was originally going to be offered to Shirley Bassey to record. But when played for Gayle's producer, he immediately laid claim to it. He played it for Gayle, and she was instantly excited to perform it.

Answer: white

Composer Keith Reid says of "A Whiter Shade of Pale": "I was trying to conjure a mood as much as tell a straightforward, girl-leaves-boy story. With the ceiling flying away and room humming harder, I wanted to paint an image of a scene. I wasn't trying to be mysterious with those images, I was trying to be evocative. I suppose it seems like a decadent scene I'm describing. But I was too young to have experienced any decadence, then. I might have been smoking when I conceived it, but not when I wrote. It was influenced by books, not drugs."

Songwriter and satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote "White and Nerdy" as a parody of "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. It's both a satire and praising of nerd culture.

"Dirty White Boy" is the first song released from Foreigner's "Head Games" album. Co-writer Mick Jones said the song is about Elvis Presley; quote: "he always was that dirty white boy who changed the shape of music completely. It was talking about the kind of heritage that he left, and I think that had an effect on all the musicians that came after, like Mick Jagger - he was also a dirty white boy. Elvis paved the way for all that."

Answer: orange

In R.E.M.'s song "Orange Crush", the title refers to the chemical Agent Orange, which was used as a defoliant during the Vietnam war. In interviews, Michael Stipe explains the song is about a young American football player who leaves the comforts of home for the war in Vietnam.

Answer: silver

"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was a song reviled by all of The Beatles except for the writer, Paul McCartney. Recording it took days, as McCartney wanted to get the song "just right".

"Silver Spring" was intended for release on Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album, but was left off because of length constraints of vinyl LPs. It was released as the B-side to the song "Go Your Own Way".

"Man on the Silver Mountain", co-written by Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio, is immortalized on Dio's gravestone as: "The man on the silver mountain Ronnie James Dio".

Answer: yellow

Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell says this about her inspiration for the 1970 song "Big Yellow Taxi": "I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song."

Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" uses imagery from the movie "The Wizard of Oz" (the first film Elton's writing partner Bernie Taupin remembers seeing). The lyrics create a metaphor that describe wanting to go back to a simpler existence after living what was thought to be the good life, but realizing he had simply been treated like a pet.

Brian Hyland's novelty song "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" came out after the introduction of the skimpy two-piece swimsuit. The suit was considered quite risque. The song tells the story of a woman who brings one to the beach, changes in to it, but then is too shy to be seen. She is first scared to leave the locker room where she's changed, then she sits wrapped up on the beach, and finally goes into the water but won't leave it, despite developing slight hypothermia. The song is credited with bringing acceptance to the revealing attire, and also to the surf culture of the 1960s, emphasized in movies and television.

Answer: pink

Like other artists before Springsteen, "Pink Cadillac" follows tradition of using automobile travel as a metaphor for sexual activity. In particular, the lyric "I love you for your pink Cadillac" was a veiled pudendal reference.

The 1981 song "Pretty in Pink" had moderate success when first released. Songwriter Bill Janovitz attributes producer Steve Lillywhite for combining "the ideal sound for the band, with a perfect blend of classic pop, punk, and art rock elements." The 1986 movie was named after the song. It was included on the movie's soundtrack, which has been rated as one of the best in modern cinema.