Locations in Song Titles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nightingale

"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" was written in 1939 by Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin while they were holidaying in a French fishing village. It was composed just before the outbreak of the Second World War. When first performed by the artists themselves, it didn't particularly impress their audience. It wasn't too long after its publication, however, that it became extremely popular, not only with the public, but with various singers over time since then who have included it in their albums. These include Vera Lynn, Bobby Darin, Mel Torme, Twiggy of all people, the great old Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Rod Stewart. Berkeley Square is located in a lovely leafy suburb of London in England, and part of the gentle, nostalgic lyric of the song, which follows, reflect its location.

"That certain night, the night we met, there was magic abroad in the air
There were angels dining at the Ritz, and a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

I may be right, I may be wrong, but I'm perfectly willing to swear
That when you turned and smiled at me, a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

The moon that lingered over London town, poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown
How could he know we two were so in love? The whole darn world seemed upside down

The streets of town were paved with stars, it was such a romantic affair
And as we kissed and said goodnight, a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square"

Answer: Botany Bay

Though some people argue that this song is really about Captain Cook's historic voyage to the south seas and his subsequent discovery of Australia, the song "Botany Bay", as it has come to be called, is generally agreed by most to be about the later convict transportation to that country for some eighty years from 1788 until 1868, as England unloaded her superfluous convicts onto these fair shores at Botany Bay. The song is believed to have been written back in the 1880s by Henry Pottinger, William Yeardley and Wilhelm Meyer Lutz, and possibly adapted from an earlier folk song that dates back earlier. Usually "Botany Bay" is sung with gusto in get togethers or at pubs and the like where patrons have had one too many under their tails, but, with the omission of a couple of verses, I have heard it sung by trained sopranos as a ballad - so amazingly effective that it can bring tears to the eyes. Part of its lyrics follow:

"Farewell to old England for ever,
Farewell to my rum coes as well,
Farewell to the well-known Old Bailey
Where I used for to cut such a swell.

There's the captain as is our commander,
There's the bo'sun and all the ship's crew,
There's the first- and the second-class passengers,
Knows what we poor convicts go through.

Oh, had I the wings of a turtle-dove,
I'd soar on my pinions so high,
Straight back to the arms of my Polly love,
And in her sweet presence I'd die.

Chorus:

Singing too-ral-li, oo-ral-li, addity,
Singing too-ral-li, oo-ral-li, ay,
Singing too-ral-li, oo-ral-li, addity,
And we're bound for Botany Bay"

Answer: Gardens

The Salley, or Sally, Gardens were part of a section along the river that ran by the Irish coastal town of Sligo. It is believed that the Irish used the twigs and branches from the trees that grew along this river to thatch the roofs of their houses. The words of the beautiful old Irish ballad "Down By the Salley Gardens" were taken from a poem by the famous Irish writer William Butler Yeats (1865-1939). He said he based the poem "... from three lines imperfectly remembered by an old peasant woman in the village of Ballisodare, Sligo, who often sings them to herself". Authorship of the melody can be claimed by various composers who each gave it their own particular slant. These include Herbert Hughes, Rebecca Clarke, John Ireland or Benjamin Britten. As it is a vocal exam piece, the lovely melodic version I know best is probably the composition by Britten. Its lyrics follow below:

"Down by the Salley gardens my love and I did meet
She passed the Salley gardens with little snow-white feet
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree
But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree

In a field by the river my love and I did stand
And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand
She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs
But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears"

Answer: White Cliffs

"The White Cliffs of Dover", will be forever associated with the famous British songstress Vera Lynn and her rendition of this World War Two number. The full title of the song is "(There'll be Bluebirds Over) the White Cliffs of Dover", but as that is somewhat of a mouthful, it is usually referred to by its shorter version. Performed by Vera Lynn in 1942, at a time when Britain was almost on its knees under the onslaught of the Germans, the song proved an emotional focal point for people to remember why they were fighting, to mourn their losses, to celebrate love, and to hope for a happy future. The song was written in 1941 by Walter Kent and Nat Burton, a year after the Battle of Britain in the skies over the cliffs of Dover in 1940, between the air forces of Britain and Germany. Some of its lyrics follow below:

"There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow, just you wait and see

There'll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow, when the world is free

The shepherd will tend his sheep
The valley will bloom again
And Jimmy will go to sleep
In his own little room again

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow, just you wait and see"

Answer: Roma

Written by Renato Rascel, Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini, the 1955 "Arrivederci Roma" was one of the songs that appeared in the Italian-American musical of the same name. The movie was released under the English title "Seven Hills of Rome" as well. "Arrivederci Roma" translates to "Goodbye, Rome". The song, with its catchy music, proved to be very popular on the music charts at that time and stayed up there for several weeks, before apparently departing to go back to Roma.

There are several versions of the lyrics. One tells of a man's envy for tourists who come to feast their eyes on Rome's ruins and then toss a coin in the Trevi fountain before leaving for their distant shores back home. Another, which would have been well and truly frowned upon in English speaking countries, relates a man's longings for all the dinners and short-lived love affairs he had with English speaking female tourists during their visits to Rome. Charming. One wonders if he missed the love affairs or the meals the most. The Italian lyrics of the chorus follow, which, for all I know, could be a recipe for spaghetti bolognese.

"Arrivederci Roma, Goodbye, Au Revoir...
Mentre l'inglesina s'allontana
un ragazzinetto s'avvicina
va nella fontana, pesca un soldo, se ne va!
Arrivederci Roma!"

Answer: Paris

This song has been used twice in movies, winning an Oscar the first time around. The first of these movies was the 1941 "Lady Be Good", while the second was the 1954 "The Last Time I Saw Paris" which borrowed its title from the song. Composed by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1940, six different artists recorded this number in that same year, all of which could be heard playing on the radio. How confusing. The theme of the song itself is a nostalgic looking back on how lovely and gay Paris was before the onslaught of the Second World War, and in that regard, the lyrics are rather lovely. The melody though, to be honest, is a bit dreary and over simplified. It lacks a certain rise and fall, and is altogether too bland. Some of its appealing lyrics follow however:

"The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay,
I heard the laughter of her heart in every street café

The last time I saw Paris, her trees were dressed for spring,
And lovers walked beneath those trees and birds found songs to sing.

I dodged the same old taxicabs that I had dodged for years.
The chorus of their squeaky horns was music to my ears.

The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay,
No matter how they change her, I'll remember her that way"

Answer: El Paso

El Paso is in the state of Texas, in the United States. The song "El Paso" which was released late in 1959, had climbed to number one in both the country and western AND the pop music charts by early 1960. It will be forever associated with its singer, Marty Robbins, and without a doubt was his most famous song. Its lyrics tell of the destructive love a man has for a dance hall girl, Felina, how, in jealousy, he shot a dashing young man who made advances towards her, how he fled for his life, but how, filled with longing to see Felina once more, he rides back to try to do that, only to be shot and killed by a posse. Felina appears out of nowhere at the last moment and cradles him in her arms as he dies. Sniff. Great lyrics and a ringing melody are the hallmarks of this song, with part of the lyrics following below.

"Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel
A deep burning pain in my side
Though I am trying to stay in the saddle
I'm getting weary, unable to ride

But my love for
Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen
Though I am weary I can't stop to rest
I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle
I feel the bullet go deep in my chest

From out of nowhere Felina has found me
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side
Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for
One little kiss and Felina, goodbye..."

Answer: Choo Choo

Chattanooga is a large city in Tennessee, in the United States, and this song is one excellent tribute to it. Filled with catchy lyrics and a fantastic rhythm and melody, "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was written by Harry Gordon and Mack Gordon in 1941. Featured in the 1941 musical "Sun Valley Serenade", it was promptly nominated for an Oscar for Best Song. I love this old toe-tapper, particularly when sung by a fine group, or by a solist who can really belt it out - accompanied by a big band. Just hearing it played by a big band is magic on its own. The only terrible thing of note about this award winning number is that it reached number one right across the United States - on 7 December, 1941 - the day of the attack on Pearl Harbour by the Japanese. An extract from its lyrics follow:

"You leave the Pennsylvania station 'bout a quarter to four
Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer
(Then to have your ham and eggs in Carolina)

When you hear the whistle blowin' eight to the bar
Then you know that Tennessee is not very far
Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep it rollin'
(Whoo whoo, Chattanooga, there you are)

There's gonna be a certain party at the station
Satin and Lace, I used to call funny face
She's gonna cry until I tell her that I'll never roam
So Chattanooga Choo Choo
Won't you choo choo me home"

Answer: Rocky

Written by John Denver and Mike Taylor in 1972, and subsequently recorded by Denver, "Rocky Mountain High", a tribute to the lovely Rocky Mountains that pass through Colorado, reached number nine on the US music charts in 1973. Oddly enough, it took John Denver a long time to write, some nine months in fact, but this doesn't detract from the song at all of course, and possibly made it even better. It was inspired by his love for Colorado after he had relocated to that state three years earlier. Rather amusingly, it was banned for a short time by the US Federal Communications Commission because of the word "high" and its association with illegal drugs. Denver had to work hard to convince them that that had nothing to do with mind altering substances, but the overwhelming sense of peace and joy of life he experienced whenever he went to the mountains. Some of its lyrics follow below:

"Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it raining fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky mountain high"

Answer: Tulsa

Tulsa is the second largest city in Oklahoma, USA. "Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 1963 and taken to the top of the charts by Gene Pitney, particularly so in the United Kingdom surprisingly. Dusty Springfield also had a great success with the song the following year. In Sweden, Osten Warnerbring made a version of it called "15 minuter från Eslöv" which I think is just a little bit comical. When other international performers try to reproduce songs that are popular in English, and vice versa, it always reminds me of Americans trying to say "Gidday, mate". A few of this song's lyrics follow below:

"Oh I was only 24 hours from Tulsa
Ah only one day away from your arms
Oh the jukebox started to play
And night time turned into day, as we were dancing, closely
All of a sudden I lost control as I held her charms
And I caressed her, kissed her
Told her I'd die before I let her out of my arms
Oh I was only 24 hours from Tulsa
Ah only one day away from your arms
I hate to do this to you
But I love somebody new
What can I do
And I can never, never, never, go home again"