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Elton John 's "Empty Sky" Trivia Quiz

Elton John's first album was released in 1969 in the UK (1975 in the US, making it NOT his first album ... but I digress). How well do you know it?

A multiple-choice quiz by tournavy. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
tournavy

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
265,613

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
395

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. "Empty Sky" was Elton John's first album. It was released in 1969 in England and in 1975 in America. Which of the following songs does NOT appear on the album as originally released? Hint

Sails

Western Ford Gateway

Hymn 2000

Lady Samantha

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Question 2 of 10

2. "Empty Sky", with lyrics by Bernie Taupin, is the opening song of the album. What is the opening line of the song? Hint

I'm not a rat to be spat on, locked up in this room

Holy Moses I have been removed

I looked high and saw the empty sky

Clouds flew by and caught my eye

3. Perhaps the most memorable and well-received song from the album is "Skyline Pigeon". It contained a haunting melody on the harpsichord, one of the few times Elton chose not to feature the piano. A remade single was later released that did, in fact, have a piano instead. The redone "Skyline Pigeon" was the B-side; what was the A-side?

Answer: (One Word. A man's name.)

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Question 4 of 10

4. True or False: There are two songs on this album that draw heavily from Christianity and Egyptian mythology respectively.

True

False

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Question 5 of 10

5. What is the next word in this song lyric:

"Now there's concrete and no _____" Hint

farming

beauty

clover

nature

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Question 6 of 10

6. Complete this Bernie Taupin lyric:

"And a baby cried, and I saw the light
and I wondered where, and I wondered why,
there'd be a ___________
down here tonight." Hint

flashing light

loss of life

empty sky

black eye

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Question 7 of 10

7. "Lady Samantha" is one non-album single that can now be found on the remastered "Empty Sky" CD. There are three other such bonus songs. Which of the following cannot be found on the remastered album? Hint

Just Like Strange Rain

It's Me That You Need

All Across the Havens

Can I Put You On?

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Question 8 of 10

8. This "place" is mentioned multiple times on the album. The area is known for its delicious food, beautiful rugs, and a big long, wall. What is this place?

Answer: (One Word (No "the" - give the country or the region))

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Question 9 of 10

9. The 9th (and last) song on the album is "Gulliver". Included with the song is a reprise consisting of snippets of all the previous songs, as well as a short jazz instrumental. What famous Beatles song did the title of Elton's jazz piece parody? Hint

Get Back

Hey Jude

Lady Madonna

Yesterday

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Question 10 of 10

10. "Empty Sky" was the first of over 30 albums for Elton John. Did the album reach the top ten in the charts in either the United Kingdom or the United States?

Yes

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Empty Sky" was Elton John's first album. It was released in 1969 in England and in 1975 in America. Which of the following songs does NOT appear on the album as originally released?

Answer: Lady Samantha

"Lady Samantha" was released as a single (Elton's second) around the time of the album's release, but was not included among the tracks. The song was added onto later, remastered releases of the "Empty Sky" CD.

2. "Empty Sky", with lyrics by Bernie Taupin, is the opening song of the album. What is the opening line of the song?

Answer: I'm not a rat to be spat on, locked up in this room

"I looked high and saw the empty sky" is the first line of the chorus.

"Holy Moses I have been removed" is the first line of "The Border Song".

"Clouds flew by and caught my eye" is completely made up (though it sounds pretty real, huh?).

This ("Empty Sky") is a wonderful, lengthy song with some freestyling towards the end.

Answer: Daniel

This song is great in both versions. It was song number 8 on "Empty Sky". The piano version can now be found on the remastered "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" CD.

4. True or False: There are two songs on this album that draw heavily from Christianity and Egyptian mythology respectively.

Answer: False

"Hymn 2000" does indeed make several references to Christianity, including the title and references to the Bible, Judas, and Pilate. "Val-Hala" is another 'religious' song, but it draws from Norse mythology, not Egyptian. Val-hala is more-or-less the heaven of Norse legend. The song also mentions Thor (Norse God of Thunder) twice.

5. What is the next word in this song lyric: "Now there's concrete and no _____"

Answer: clover

This line is from the song "Lady What's Tomorrow". Clover is mentioned a number of times. The song seems to be about the inevitable price of advancement: the destruction of nature in the name of progress. It comes fifth on the album.

6. Complete this Bernie Taupin lyric: "And a baby cried, and I saw the light and I wondered where, and I wondered why, there'd be a ___________ down here tonight."

Answer: loss of life

This is a great early example of Bernie Taupin's often bizarre and mysterious lyrics. The song has the non-descript title "Western Ford Gateway", and comes third on the album. Anyone's guess on the song's meaning is as good as mine.

Answer: Can I Put You On?

"Can I Put You On" was released on the soundtrack to the movie "Friends" in 1971. The other three songs appeared as B-sides to other singles (though "Just Like Strange Rain" was never released in America").

8. This "place" is mentioned multiple times on the album. The area is known for its delicious food, beautiful rugs, and a big long, wall. What is this place?

Answer: China

"In search of the living or the spices of CHINA" is a line from the song "Sails", a song about sailors and a girl named Lucy doing random things.

"In ORIENT where wise I was to please the way I live" can be found in the song "The Scaffold". Again, I don't really know what this song is about. That's a common feeling when dealing with Bernie Taupin.

These songs are sixth and seventh on the album, respectively.

Answer: Hey Jude

The name of the jazz section of the song is "Hay-Chewed", a reference to the Beatle's "Hey Jude". The song was mis-titled in some releases, called "It's Hay Chewed" instead.

10. "Empty Sky" was the first of over 30 albums for Elton John. Did the album reach the top ten in the charts in either the United Kingdom or the United States?

Answer: Yes

The album did not chart in England, but peaked at number 6 in America. This album was not released until 1975 in America, when Elton was already a full-fledged star. Despite the high chart position in America, the album never reached Gold certification status. For comparison, it sold only 4000 (approximately) copies in England when first released.

Source: Author tournavy

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