How Are We Getting There? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hot Rod Lincoln

Johnny Bond recorded the tune "Hot Rod Lincoln" in 1960. He was the second to record the song; the first being Charlie Ryan in the late 1950s.It was basically a song about racing a Lincoln hot-rod. Perhaps the most poular version was a cover by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen in 1972, which topped out on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts at number nine.

Answer: Mustang

"Mustang Sally" was first recorded by its writer, Mack Rice, in 1965. His version went to number 15 on the the Billboard R&B charts that year. The most popular version was recorded by Wilson Pickett in 1966. His version made it to number 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts, and number six on the R&B charts.

The song has been covered numerous times over the years, and shows up on Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Gratest Songs Of All Time" at number 434.

Answer: Bus

"Bus Stop" was a big 1966 from the British band, The Hollies. It tells the tale of a guy meeting a girl at the bus stop everyday during the summer, and sharing his umbrella with her. Of course, the natural progression occurs as the lyrics go "All that summer we enjoyed it, wind and rain and shine, that umbrella we employed it, by August she was mine".

It was the first Hollies tune to reach the Top 10 on Billboard's US. Hot 100 charts, peaking at number five. It also reached number two in the U.K. that year.

Answer: Bus

"Magic Bus" was a 1968 international hit for The Who. It's tale is that of a bus rider who goes to see his girlfriend everyday. He tries to buy the bus from the driver, at first without success, but he is able to buy it eventually, and he promises to drive the bus to his girlfriend's house every day. The song itself reached number 25 in the U.S. and number 26 in the U.K.

Answer: Train

"Last Train To Clarksville" was The Monkees debut hit in 1966, and what a debut it was. The song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song was written by the dynamic team of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who were responsible for numerous Top 40 charting hits by various artists of the 1960s.

The lyrics seem to point to Clarksville Tennessee as the destination for our singer, who has been drafted into the military. Clarksville Tennessee is right outside of Fort Campbell Kentucky, where a huge U.S. military base is located.

The writers deny this, claiming that the name Clarksville was chosen totally at random, and is purely a coincidence.

Answer: Little Honda

"Little Honda" was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys, and first appeared on their "All Summer Long" album. The Hondells cut the track and took it to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1964. The song is said to be a tribute to the Honda motorcycle.

Answer: Jet Plane

"Leaving On A Jet Plane" was a song originally written by John Denver in 1967. He allegedly wrote the song while being delayed at an airport. The song appeared on an album called "Rhymes and Reasons", which Denver released in 1969, but he never released it as a single. Peter Paul and Mary, on the other hand, recorded the song in 1967, but didn't have it released until 1969, when it became a number one U.S. Hot 100 hit for the trio.

Answer: False

"Drive My Car" came to the U.S. on two different albums. It appeared on both "Rubber Soul" and "Yesterday and Today" and was the first track on both albums. Written by Paul McCartney, with lyrics by McCartney/Lennon, and although it received much airplay at the time, and continues to receive lots of airplay even today, the song was never released as a U.S. single.

Answer: False

"Mercedes Benz" was a 1970 cut from Joplin. It never made it onto the Billboard Charts as a single. She recorded the song on October 1, 1970. She died three days later. It did, however, appear on the album called "Pearl" which was released postumously, and that album became a number one album on The Billboard Top 200 Album list in 1971.

It is also listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" at number 121.

Answer: The O'Jays

"Love Train" hit the charts for the O'Jays in 1973, and became their biggest all time hit, and their only number one Billboard Hot 100 charting hit. It also reached number one on the R&B charts. The song is about world harmony, and a number of countries are specifically mentioned in the song, including Israel, Egypt, China, Russia and England.

Answer: Jet Airliner

"Jet Airliner" was a song which was written and recorded by Paul Pena in 1973, but due to various contractual disagreements, the song sat unreleased until the year 2000. Steve Miller, however, allegedly heard a bootleg copy of the song, and decided to record it. Good choice. The song went to number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1977.

Answer: Peace Train

Cat Stevens cut this anti-war tune in 1971 and it climbed to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that year, becoming his first Top 10 hit. Other notable singles by Stevens included "Morning Has Broken", and a cover of the Sam Cooke tune "Another Saturday Night". Stevens converted to the Islamic faith in 1977, and took the name Yusef Islam.

Answer: Morning Train (9 to 5)

"Morning Train (9 to 5)" was Sheena Easton's international hit in 1980. The song was a number one U.S. Billboard Hot 100 hit, as well as a number one hit in both Canada and New Zealand, and a number three charting hit in the U.K. The song was actually called "9 to 5", but the song title was modified for it's American release, so as not to be confused with Dolly Parton's song called "Nine To Five", the theme song from the motion picture of the same name.

Answer: Little Red Corvette

"Lttle Red Corvette" was a smash hit for Prince in 1983 and is one of his most enduring songs. It is rumored to have a sexual connotation and supposedly has nothing to do with automobiles, but we will not explore that here. The song itself was a number five U.S. Billboard Hot 100 hit.

Answer: Pink Cadillac

"Pink Cadillac" was written by Bruce Springsteen, but never released as a single, although it gets major airplay across the U.S. It actually was the B-side of the Springsteen hit, "Dancing In The Dark". The Natalie Cole version is the one that actually made the U.S. Billboard charts, peaking at number five, as well at the same number five placing on the U.K. charts.