Driving Up The Charts Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cadillac Coupe de Ville

Berry sang, "As I was motivatin' over the hill, I saw Maybellene in a Coupé de Ville, A Cadillac a-rollin on the open road, Nothin' will outrun my V-8 Ford" in this 1955 track which was a top five hit on the Billboard pop chart in USA.
The Cadillac Coupe de Ville was available between 1958 and 2005 which would seem to suggest Berry could see into the future in his 1955 hit. The truth is, before the Coupe de Ville model, the name was used to denote a trim level of the Cadillac Series 62, first available in 1949.

Answer: Flatbed Ford

In the track, "Take It Easy" (1972), the Eagles sang, "Well, I'm standing on a corner, In Winslow, Arizona, And such a fine sight to see, It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford, Slowin' down to take a look at me".
The song was the debut single from the band's debut album, "Eagles" (1972) and has appeared on most of the greatest hits compilation albums released by the band.
Ford have been making flatbed trucks since the late 1910s and early 1920s, with one of the earliest being the Model TT.

Answer: Jaguar XKE

The opening lyrics to this 1964 track are, "I was cruisin' in my Stingray late one night, When an XKE pulled up on the right, And rolled down the window of his shiny new Jag, And challenged me then and there to a drag".
The song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in USA and was one of top ten hits on this chart for Jan and Dean, the others being "Baby Talk" (1959), "Surf City" (1963), "Drag City" (1964) and "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)" (1964).
The Jaguar XKE was the famous Jaguar E-Type, rebadged for the American market, made between 1961 and 1975. Although never confirmed, rumours persist that on the car's release, the great Enzo Ferrari called it the most beautiful car ever made, and I for one would have to agree with him.

Answer: Toyota

"Darlin' what you waiting for that old blue Toyota's outside the door, Put it in drive I'm by your side" sang Glorious Sons in this 2013 track with which the boys from Kingston Ontario announced their arrival on the music scene.
They have gone on to have further success with songs such as "S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun)" (2018) and "Panic Attack" (2019).
Toyota were founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda and are the company behind the Corolla, which began production in 1966 and it seems almost everyone has owned at some point in their lives.

Answer: Chrysler LeBaron

Specifically a white Chrysler LeBaron, as it also had a cup holder armrest, and Karen, formerly Kitty, felt it was a car which would "get her there".
The track was most successful in Australia, where it broke into the top 50, becoming the third single from Cake to do so, after "The Distance" (1996) and their cover of "I Will Survive" (1997).
The Chrysler LeBaron was initially produced between 1931 and 1941 and the name was revived after a 14 year hiatus in 1955. LeBaron's continued to be produced until 1995, after which it was replaced with the Sebring and Cirrus models.

Answer: Rolls Royce

The track was "Children of the Revolution", which in 1972 reached number two in UK charts for Bolan and T. Rex.
Rolls Royce were founded in 1904, in Manchester by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce and Marc Bolan, despite never learning to drive, did own a Rolls Royce, along with several other vehicles.

Answer: Cortina

Dury sings, "Had a love affair with Nina, In the back of my Cortina, A seasoned up hyena, Could not have been more obscener" in this classic track.
Surprisingly, given that this track was much loved at Dury's live shows, it was never released as a single, but like so much of his work, shows what a clever wordsmith Dury was.
The Ford Cortina was produced between 1962 and 1982 and was hugely popular in the 1970s when it seemed like the father of every kid at school drove one. The car seemed to change it's image with every re-release, with the fun Mark II (1966-1970) being replaced by the sexy, curvy Mark III between 1970 and 1976 until it gave way to the serious, refined Mark IV.

Answer: Chrysler

"I got me a car, it's as big as a whale, And we're headin' on down to the love shack, I got me a Chrysler, it seats about twenty, So hurry up and bring your jukebox money" are the lyrics which tell us of the best car for the task.
"Love Shack" (1989) was a massive hit for B-52's reaching the top ten in many countries and hitting number one in Australia and New Zealand.
Walter Chrysler founded Chrysler in 1925 and the company has brought us classic vehicles such as the New Yorker and the 300. Chrysler remains one of the Big Three automobile manufacturers in USA. along with General Motors and Ford.

Answer: Chevy

"So bye-bye, Miss American Pie, Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry" sings McLean in his all time classic hit, "American Pie" (1971). McLean reached number one in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and in USA on the Billboard Hot 100 with this track, which peaked at number two in UK.
In 2000 Madonna covered "American Pie" and her version did reach number one in UK, as well as topping the charts in Australia and Canada, although in USA it didn't crack the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Chevrolet was founded in 1911 by Swiss brothers Louis and Arthur Chevrolet along with American William C. Durant.
It is not stated in McLean's song, which model of Chevy was used, but popular models of 1971 included the Camaro, the Corvette, the Suburban and the Vega which was introduced in 1971, the same year as the song's release.

Answer: T-Bird

The Beach Boys tell of this girl who goes cruising with the radio blasting in the 1964 track, "Fun, Fun, Fun", but also warn that, "She'll have fun fun fun, 'Til her daddy takes the T-bird away", which does eventually happen.
"Fun, Fun, Fun" was a top five hit for the band in USA on the Billboard Hot 100.
The T-Bird, or Ford Thunderbird to give it its correct name was a hugely popular car made between 1955 and 1997 and then revived between 2002 and 2005.
A 1964 Thunderbird was the car of choice for CIA operative Felix Leiter in the James Bond film, "Goldfinger" (1964) while in real life, several celebrities owned a T-Bird, including Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Prince Rainier of Monaco.