Pat Boone first heard this song when he was on a trip to the Philippines and was convinced that the track was a sure fire hit. His label owner, Randy Wood, would not have a bar of it and, despite all of Boone's cajoling and pleading, refused to allow Boone to record it. Sometime later they were in the studio making a new recording and found themselves a song short of a complete record. Once again Boone put forward "Speedy Gonzalez" and Wood relented.
Originally recorded by David Dante in 1961, it proved to be a big hit for Boone in 1962.
2. "Song For ____"
Answer: Guy
"Song For Guy" appears on Elton John's 1978 album "A Single Man" - his first venture without regular lyricist Bernie Taupin. Generally viewed as an instrumental the song does contain one line of lyric; "Life... isn't everything". When John recorded it, as an untitled track, on August 18, 1978 he said to his producer that it was a song about death. Little did he know that on that same afternoon his label's messenger boy would be killed in a motor bike accident.
The song is dedicated to Guy Burchett, that messenger boy.
3. "____ Jackson"
Answer: George
This Bob Dylan song is a tribute to the former Black Panther leader George Jackson, who was shot and killed during an attempted prison break from San Quentin in August of 1971. He was twenty nine at the time. Dylan must have been deeply moved or motivated by the event because (a) the song was released within ten weeks of Jackson's death and (b) this track and the single "Watching the River Flow" (1971) represent the only two tracks of new material that Dylan released between his albums "New Morning" (1970) and "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" (1973), the longest fallow period in his career to that point.
4. "____ Gilmore Eyes"
Answer: Gary
This track was released in 1977 by the punk band The Adverts. Gary Gilmore was an extremely violent career criminal who was sentenced to death for the senseless killing of gas station attendant Max Jensen in 1976. Legend has it that it is at this point that Gilmore realised that there was no place in society for him, so much so that he refused to contest the death penalty sentence handed down to him.
In a token act of nobility he donated his organs to medicine. Two people received his corneas within hours of his death and this track was written from the viewpoint of one of those recipients.
5. "Sweet ____ Vincent"
Answer: Gene
This single by Ian Drury was taken from his first solo LP "New Boots and Panties!" released in 1976. Drury was a massive fan of rockabilly legend Vincent stating that he first took notice of him when he heard his song "Be-Bop-A-Lula" on the soundtrack to the movie "The Girl Can't Help It" (1956).
Many have claimed that he (Drury) held a strong affinity with Vincent because both were crippled in one leg and needed to resort to a leg brace to help them move - Drury as a result of polio when he was a child and Vincent as the result of a motor accident. Drury denied that this was the case.
The song was lauded by critics but largely ignored by the public. Despite this, Drury would play this song at every live gig that he did from the song's release until the end of his career.
6. "The Killing of ____ (Part I & II)"
Answer: Georgie
In 1974 a homosexual man is killed during a robbery in New Jersey. The man was a close friend with members of The Faces and Rod Stewart. Stewart penned this song in his friend's honour and it was included in his 1976 album "A Night on the Town". The track represents one of pop music's earliest attempts to tackle the subject of homophobia and whilst, for many, this seemed to be a risky venture Stewart declared that he didn't feel the same sentiment.
The single performed well in the UK Singles Charts for Rod but outside of Great Britain it only enjoyed moderate success.
7. "Full Force ____"
Answer: Gale
Van Morrison's 1979 album "Into the Music" is not one of his finest pieces of work but the single lifted from it "Full Force Gale" certainly is. This is a gospel styled number where Morrison exhibits his faith in the Lord, delivering it with the forces of nature rather than through the rantings of religious teachings;
"Like a full force gale
I was lifted up again
I was lifted up again by the Lord".
Now when I say that the album does not sit amongst his finest works do not make the mistake that I am denigrating it. "Into the Music" is still a classy album produced by a master craftsman only its immediate charm is just a little elusive.
8. "Roland the Headless Thompson ____"
Answer: Gunner
In 1974 Warren Zevon went to Spain where he worked for a while in a bar called The Dubliner, which was owned by a former mercenary named David Lindell. The story told by Warren is that during the course of several pints of ale they maintained their senses long enough to come up with this song. The track, which appears on Zevon's 1978 album "Excitable Boy", revolves around a Norwegian mercenary named Roland, the best in his field, who is betrayed by his rival Van Owen and winds up getting his head blown off. He returns to stalk the land as a headless phantom and exacts his revenge on Van Owen. Zevon's last public appearance before his death was on the David Letterman Show and this song would be the last song he would sing live.
Scriptwriter David Koepp is a huge fan of the track and when searching for a name for his big game hunter for the film "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997) he turned to this song and named him Roland Tembo. Then, in a moment of levity, he named his rival Van Owen.
9. "Theme from 'Flash ____'"
Answer: Gordon
Also known as "Flash's Theme", this song was composed by the band Queen for the soundtrack to the 1980 comic-book fantasy film "Flash Gordon". Drummer Roger Taylor in his 1980 interview with Mojo magazine revealed that their goal was to do a "rock and roll soundtrack for a non-music film".
As part of this process they imported dialogue and special effects from the film into the tracks of this album with the aim of creating the experience of being within the film while simply listening to the LP. On "Flash's Theme" you can clearly hear Brian Blessed, who plays Prince Vultan in the film, exclaiming "Gordon's alive".
The song is done with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek. This is ideal as it fits nicely with the campy demeanour of the film.
10. "Fade to ____"
Answer: Grey
London was drab and dreary in the run toward the end of the 1970s and the start of the 1980s. The punk rockers responded to this in the best way they knew how - by producing a brutal sound that beat on the tin roof of London's desolation with the persistence of angry rain and thunder. To the Blitz Kids of London's Covent Gardens though this was boring and the arrival of Visage (the band) with their counter culture New Romantics sound was like being deposited into a disco fantasia. "Fade to Grey" became their pulsating anthem complete with an eerie ambience, haunting layers of synth and the breathy French sounds of Brigitte Arens. Released in 1980 it was Visage's second single and, whilst it was the height of their career, it laid the platform on which bands such as Ultravox and Spandau Ballet could build upon.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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