Flying with the Byrds Quiz | Music

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Sidewalk scenes and black limousines / Some living, some standing alone".

Answer: Eight Miles High

The Byrds said the song was about the group's trip to England in 1965 and they stuck to that story until years later when Gene Clark and David Crosby said that their drug use may have influenced the lyrics. The song was originally banned from several U.S. radio stations because of drug connotations.

2. "I opened my window, they'd written my name / Said: 'So long, we'll see you again'".

Answer: Mr. Spaceman

Often cited as an early country rock song, "Mr. Spaceman" was on the Byrds' "Fifth Dimension" album in 1966 and was a single release that year. It paved the way for some of the work on their "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" album.

3. "I'm an all night musician in a rock 'n' roll band / And why he don't like me, I can't understand".

Answer: Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man

Written by Roger McGuinn and Graham Parsons, the song was released as the B-side of the "Bad Night at the Whiskey" single in 1969 and later included on the "Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde" album.

4. "All he wanted was to be free / And that's the way it turned out to be".

Answer: Ballad of Easy Rider

Peter Fonda, the star and writer of the "Easy Rider" movie (1969) asked Bob Dylan to write a song for the movie. Dylan declined but gave Fonda an idea to take to Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn who wrote what became the theme for the movie. After McGuinn recorded the song the whole group recorded an alternate version.

5. "Now I've got to say that it's not like before / And I'm not gonna play your games anymore".

Answer: I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better

An early Byrds song (1965), "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" was released as the B-side of "All I Really Want to Do". It was written by Gene Clark, who wrote much of the Byrds' material at the time. The song, more so than the A-side, hinted at the harmonies and 12-string guitar work that would come to define the Byrds' sound.

6. "The crashin' waves like cymbals clashed / Against the rocks and sands".

Answer: Lay Down Your Weary Tune

Bob Dylan wrote "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" for his "The Times They Are a-Changin'" album but replaced it at the last minute. The Byrds got the song from Dylan's music publisher and put it on their "Turn! Turn! Turn!" album. Dylan was impressed with their rendition.

7. "And we'll be friends for life / She'll be just like a wife".

Answer: Chestnut Mare

Originally to be part of a country rock musical play, "Chestnut Mare" was put on the Byrds' "(Untitled)" album and released as a single. It never broke the top 100 in the U.S. but reached number 19 on the "UK Singles Chart" in 1971.

8. "Where the trees have leaves of prisms and break the light in colors / That no one knows the names of".

Answer: Wasn't Born to Follow

A Carole King, Gerry Goffin song, "Wasn't Born to Follow" appeared on "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" album in 1968. It was another Byrds song used in the "Easy Rider" movie and became part of its soundtrack album.

9. "And my toes too numb to step / Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin'".

Answer: Mr. Tambourine Man

Though one of the songs most associated with Bob Dylan, the Byrds released their version of it the same year as Dylan did his (1965). It was the Byrds' first single and went to number one on the "Billboard Hot 100", the only Bob Dylan-authored song to ever reach number one in the U.S. It was the song that started the folk rock genre.

10. "A time to kill, a time to heal / A time to laugh, a time to weep".

Answer: Turn! Turn! Turn!

"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" was written in the 1950s by Pete Seeger, in which he quoted virtually word-for-word from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Christian Bible, which may (or may not) have been written by King Solomon. The Byrds made a number one hit of it on the "Billboard Hot 100".

The song contained, as one reviewer noted, the oldest written lyrics to become a number one song.

Source: Author CmdrK

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Flying with the Byrds Trivia Quiz

Can you match lyrics to song titles from the group that invented folk rock?

Questions		Choices
1. "Sidewalk scenes and black limousines / Some living, some standing alone".		Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man
2. "I opened my window, they'd written my name / Said: 'So long, we'll see you again'".		Ballad of Easy Rider
3. "I'm an all night musician in a rock 'n' roll band / And why he don't like me, I can't understand".		Lay Down Your Weary Tune
4. "All he wanted was to be free / And that's the way it turned out to be".		I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better
5. "Now I've got to say that it's not like before / And I'm not gonna play your games anymore".		Turn! Turn! Turn!
6. "The crashin' waves like cymbals clashed / Against the rocks and sands".		Wasn't Born to Follow
7. "And we'll be friends for life / She'll be just like a wife".		Chestnut Mare
8. "Where the trees have leaves of prisms and break the light in colors / That no one knows the names of".		Mr. Tambourine Man
9. "And my toes too numb to step / Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin'".		Mr. Spaceman
10. "A time to kill, a time to heal / A time to laugh, a time to weep".		Eight Miles High