Lyrics To Pop & Rock Songs 1970s Quiz

Answer: "Sweet City Woman" by the Stampeders

In 1971 "Sweet City Woman" by The Stampeders spent four weeks as a number one hit in Canada on the RPM Magazine chart. It also rose to number one on the Canadian Country and the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart. In the U.S. it hit number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on October twenty third of 1971. Believe it or not The Stampeders were actually a rockin' power trio ! You'd never know from the sound of this song. Just go to Youtube and check out the video for their song "Wild Eyes". Now I won't think only of the band Rush when I hear Canada and power trio in the same sentence. "And she feeds me love and tenderness and macaroons" has my vote for the single worst line I've ever heard in a song.

Answer: "Rings" by Cymarron

This song peaked at number seventeen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on August seventh of 1971. Cymarron was a trio consisting of Rick Yancey, Sherrill Parks and Richard Mainegra. They were a "one hit wonder" and "Rings" was obviously it. Alex Harvey and Eddie Reeves wrote the song basically as a wedding gift for friends, Bob and Chris Hamilton. The lyrics are all about the couple's relationship. The wedding took place on a beach at sunrise. Hence the line "the sun comes up across the city."

Answer: "Me And You And A Dog Named Boo" by Lobo

This song peaked at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on May fifteenth of 1971. It went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening chart and was Lobo's debut single. His name in Spanish is of course Wolf and his birth name is actually Roland Kent LaVoie.

Answer: "Signs" by The Five Man Electrical Band

The anti establishment protest hit song "Signs" by the Canadian group The Five Man Electrical Band was released in 1970 as the B side to a single that was a real dud, titled "Hello Melinda Goodbye". It was released once again in 1971, but as an A side this time, and it shot up to number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on August twenty eighth of 1971.

It also peaked at number four on the Canadian RPM Magazine chart. In 1990 the band Tesla released a live version of the song "Signs". It peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

However, Tesla changed a few words of the song. The line "blockin' out the scenery" was changed to (curse)n' up the scenery" and the line "made up my own little sign" was changed to "made up my own (curse)n' sign. Music sure has changed...

Answer: "Games" by Redeye

The song "Games" by Redeye was released at the end of 1970. It peaked at number twenty seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on January twenty third of 1971. The misheard lyrics "everyday fight" are incorrect. It is actually "everyday flight". Almost all websites say "flight" is correct. It didn't make sense to me so I went to Youtube to hear the song and it is indeed "flight". If you like Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, you should like Redeye. The vocal harmonies sound very similar to C.S.N. and Y. There is even a bit of fuzz guitar in the song.

Answer: "Small Beginnings" by Flash

This is the song that made the band Flash known to mainstream rock listeners. It peaked at number twenty nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on August twenty sixth of 1972. It was also a song that was featured in the movie "Record Review". Flash was an English progressive rock band that was started by Peter Banks who had been the guitar player for the band Yes, along with the singer Colin Carter. To me Flash sounds like a cross between Yes and the obscure band Yezda Urfa.

Answer: "American Pie" by Don McLean

I think we all remember this one. At the end of 1971 the song "American Pie" was released. It peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on January fifteenth of 1972 and also hit number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. It stayed on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks.

The LP also hit number one, but on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 album chart that same year. It was included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Don's inspiration for this song was his memory of being a paper boy back in 1959 and learning of the death of Buddy Holly.

He had cut into the stack of newspapers he was to deliver for the day and saw the lead story about the plane crash and deaths of Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens. "American Pie" is still the longest song ever to be number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

It's over eight minutes and thirty seconds long. In 2001 the RIAA and the National Endowment For The Arts had a survey of the Greatest Songs Of The Century.

It ranked number five behind "Over The Rainbow," "White Christmas," "This Land Is Your Land," and "Respect." The final chorus in the song was sung by several singers we all know, but who went uncredited. They were James Taylor, Carly Simon, Pete Seeger, and Livingston Taylor. Don's vocals in the song were patched together from twenty four different takes. The Brady Bunch covered "American Pie" on their first album "Meet The Brady Bunch" from 1972. The song was much too long for one side of a forty five RPM record, so half the song went on one side of it and half on the other side. I'm not sure how DJs segued smoothly from side A to side B. They used forty five RPM records to play on the air! In this case I believe they used the LP. In my opinion this song is lyrically the greatest song ever written. Pure genius. That's only my opinion though.

Answer: "D.O.A." by Bloodrock

The song "D.O.A." by Bloodrock was on their "Bloodrock 2" LP. This album peaked at number twenty one on the U.S. Billboard Pop Album chart in 1971. D.O.A as a single peaked at number thirty six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on March sixth of 1971. Bloodrock also released "D.O.A." on their "Bloodrock Live At The Chicago Amphitheater" double LP that came out in 1972.

The song is about a person laying down dying after a plane crash, so it tends to be a bit morbid. The song was inspired by an actual plane crash but I read two conflicting stories about what crash it was, so I can't go into any details being unsure of the facts.

Answer: "Toast And Marmalade For Tea" by Tin Tin

"Toast And Marmalade For Tea" was released by the Australian band Tin Tin in 1971. The song was on their debut self titled LP from the same year. Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees produced both of Tin Tin's albums as well as played a number of instruments on both.

The album peaked at number one hundred ninety seven on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 album chart in 1971. The song itself peaked at number twenty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on May twenty ninth of 1971. There's no mistaking the Bee Gees' influence in this song.

It has a distinct psychedelic pop sound. The song features some distorted piano and guitar that is very psychedelic in nature.

Answer: "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" by England Dan & John Ford Coley

"I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on September twenty fifth of 1976 and reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening chart. England Dan's name was actually Danny Wayland Seals. He was the brother of Jim Seals from the pop duo Seals and Crofts. England was a childhood nickname he was given because he loved the Beatles so much and because of his put-on English accent. John Ford Coley was born John Edward Colley.

The spelling of his last name was changed so that it was easier to say properly. Ford was added because it made the whole name flow smoothly. Both guys were previously in a psychedelic band called Southwest F.O.B.

The F.O.B. stood for Freight On Board. They released one album in 1968 titled "Smell Of Incense".

Answer: "Old Man" by Neil Young

The song "Old Man" by Canadian musician Neil Young peaked at number thirty one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on June third of 1972. It was on the album "Harvest" which was Neil's fourth LP. In the U.S. The album was the best seller of 1972. Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor sang background vocals on "Old Man" and James played banjo as well.

The song was written for the old caretaker Neil had purchased a ranch from. It's in Northern California and Neil still lives there today. The caretaker for the land the ranch was on was Louis Avila, who lived there with his wife Clara.

There was a blue jeep on the property and Louis took Neil for a ride in it to show him the lake on the top side of the ranch that fed all the pastures. While there Louis asked Neil "Well, tell me, how does a young man like yourself have enough money to buy a place like this?" To this Neil replied "Well, just lucky, Louie, just real lucky." So Louis replies "Well, that's the darndest thing I ever heard." Neil wrote "Old Man" for him. Neil occasionally introduces the song with this story before singing it at his live concerts.

Answer: "Come And Get Your Love" by Redbone

In 1974 the song "Come And Get Your Love" was a hit for the American Indian rock band Redbone. It peaked at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on April thirteenth of 1974 and eventually wound up as the fourth most popular song on the Hot 100 for that year.

The Native American brothers, Candido and Patrick Vasquez, were the core of the band. They went by the names Pat and Lolly Vegas. Lolly died as a result of lung cancer in March of 2010. For me "Come And Get Your Love" is one of those feel good songs that I'll sing along with every time I hear it.

It sounds just as good as it did in 1974 and it's now thirty nine years later.

Answer: "My World" by The Bee Gees

In 1972 the Bee Gees were in the process of recording their newest album titled "To Whom It May Concern". In the meantime they released the song "My World" as a single only. It peaked at number sixteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on February twenty sixth of 1972. In 1973 "Best Of The Bee Gees, Volume 2" was released and "My World" was finally on LP.

Answer: "Jennifer Tomkins" by the Street People

Street People was a studio group of which Ron Dante and Rupert Holmes were members. "Jennifer Tomkins" was their only hit and it peaked at number thirty six on March seventh of 1970 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Ron Dante is known for being the lead singer for the non-existent cartoon band The Archies.

He also sang for the band The Cuff Links. Ron was born Carmine Granito on Staten Island in New York. My old stomping grounds! Rupert Holmes was known for his number one pop hit on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart titled "Escape" a.k.a. "The Pina Colada Song".

It was actually the very last number one song of the 1970s.

Answer: "Spill The Wine" by Eric Burdon & War

On August twenty second of 1970 the single "Spill The Wine" by Eric Burdon And War peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. There was a non LP track on the B side of this forty five RPM titled "Magic Mountain". The lyrics to "Spill The Wine" didn't seem to make much sense so it was widely thought that the song was inspired by drug usage. That wasn't the case though.

The drummer for War, who was Harold Brown at the time, said that there is a sexual reference in the song and it is "take that pearl". We'll leave it at that.

The majority of the lyrics are spoken and in one part of the song a female voice can be heard in the background rambling something in Spanish. That girl was Eric Burdon's girlfriend. The following is a rough translation of what she was saying. I found this translation on several websites.

It may not be perfect so take it for what it is. "Blue's crazy but so is, well, all things are azure blue, because I am no longer here in my body; I am flying there outside of my body among truth and I am among the spirits of my dead relatives". Harold Brown also said in an interview that the song idea came from spilling wine on the keyboard they used in the studio while recording and that the song as a whole was about celebrating how beautiful all women are.

Answer: "Black Betty" by Ram Jam

On September third of 1977 "Black Betty" by the group Ram Jam peaked at number eighteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was the only hit for the band so they were obviously considered a "one hit wonder". In 1939 the bluesman Lead Belly did a fifty nine second version of "Black Betty". That version was on a ten inch seventy eight RPM record which was titled "Negro Sinful Songs". Maybe "sinful" because "black betty" was a term used in the olden days for being drunk or for a bottle of whiskey.

In 1977 Bill Bartlett from the Lemon Pipers joined Ram Jam. In the interim of being a member of those two bands, Bartlett formed the band Starstruck. While in Starstruck he took Lead Belly's version of "Black Betty" and rearranged it. It was released on a private label belonging to Starstruck and it became a local hit.

Some producers in New York liked what they heard and created the band Ram Jam. The song was released once again, but on the Epic label this time, and it became a hit all over the U.S.

It also peaked at number seven on the UK Singles chart in 1977.

Answer: "Wildflower" by Skylark

The Canadian band Skylark released their song "Wildflower" in 1973. That same year on May twenty sixth, it peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. In Canada it rose to number ten on the RPM Singles chart and hit number one on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. I have read in the past that the lyrics to "Wildflower" came from a poem that was written by a Canadian police officer to his girlfriend. Apparently she had experienced a really bad day. Being a nurse, she was caring for some elderly women and two of them had passed away that day.

The policeman, not knowing, arrived at her apartment and she was not ready for their date. She told him she just had to get dressed and they could leave, but she went into her bedroom and fell fast asleep. Being careful not to wake her up he put a blanket on her.

At that point he decided to go home. When he got there he was suddenly completely inspired so he sat down and wrote the poem in about fifteen minutes.

Answer: "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin

In 1971 the song "Black Dog" was released by Led Zeppelin. The B side of the single was "Misty Mountain Hop". Both songs were on the "Led Zeppelin Four" LP which was A.K.A. "The Runes" LP. "Black Dog" is the opening cut and got its name from a black Labrador dog that was hanging out at the studio while Zeppelin was recording their album. On February twelfth of 1972 it peaked at number fifteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: "I'd Love To Change The World" by Ten Years After

In 1971 the UK band Ten Years After released their LP titled "A Space In Time". The lead single and only song on the LP that ever charted for the band was the "peace anthem" "I'd Love To Change The World". It peaked at number forty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on November twentieth of that same year. Sadly, I just learned that singer and lead guitar player for Ten Years After, Alvin Lee, passed away just about the day I started working on this quiz.

He died in Spain on March sixth of 2013 due to "unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure".

His abilities on the guitar were legendary and in 1968 he was named "the fastest guitar alive" by the "Record Mirror" which was a UK music publication. Even though "I'd Love To Change The World" was a hit for Ten Years After, Alvin Lee initially hated it because it was a pop song.

He even refused to play it live! That was during his more rebellious period. Michael Moore, political activist, book author, U.S. filmmaker, and social commentator, used the song in his award winning documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" which was the highest money making documentary ever made.

Answer: "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain

In 1970 Mountain released the song "Mississippi Queen". It was on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks beginning April fourth of 1970 and then went off the charts for two weeks. It had debuted at number ninety two and went down to number ninety four the second week.

It reappeared suddenly on May second and started climbing up the charts until it peaked at number twenty one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on July eleventh of 1970. The song was a hard rocker with excellent lead guitar playing by singer/guitarist Leslie West. Using the cowbell was very popular with bands during this time and Mountain took advantage of it on "Mississippi Queen".

It wasn't in the song purposely at first. While it was being recorded, bass player/producer Felix Pappalardi, had the band do take after take because he didn't like how it sounded.

The drummer, Corky Laing, decided to use the cowbell to count off the song to avoid repeated takes. Felix loved the sound so there it stayed. There is no other song more associated with the cowbell than this one. Those familiar with the song recognize it within the first few seconds of it being played.

Answer: "L.A. Goodbye" by The Ides Of March

The Ides of March released "L.A. Goodbye" on March thirteenth of 1971. It peaked at number seventy three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on May first of that same year. It's a very melodic pop song with a great hook that makes you want to sing along. That of course is my opinion though. The ides Of March started out as The Shon-Dels and are from the Berwyn, Illinois area.

Answer: "Ride Captain Ride" by the Blues Image

The single "Ride Captain Ride" by the Blues Image was released in the Spring of 1970. It was destined to be a hit and flew up the charts until it peaked at number four on May twenty third of 1970 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The version on the charts was a shortened version of the album cut. In Canada the song peaked at number four as well on the RPM Singles chart. "Ride Captain Ride" was from the band's second album titled "Open".

Answer: "Easy Livin'" by Uriah Heep

In September of 1972 the song "Easy Livin'" by the British rock band Uriah Heep peaked at number thirty nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the second single released from their "Demons And Wizards" LP. The LP reached number twenty three on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 album chart. That made it their most successful LP.

Answer: "Midnight At The Oasis" by Maria Muldaur

In 1974 Maria Muldaur released a single titled "Midnight At The Oasis" that peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was on her first solo LP which was self titled and released in 1973. The author of the song is David Nichtern who later became a Shambhala Buddhism teacher. Maria's vocals are quite sultry in this exotic love song. The lyrics can be a bit silly at times but the song really works. I for one, am a huge fan of it. Those are my opinions of course.

Answer: "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath

In September of 1970 the British band Black Sabbath released their second LP in the UK titled "Paranoid". Their first LP which was self titled had just begun to sell in the U.S. so the "Paranoid" LP was held back there until January of 1971. On that album was the second Black Sabbath single in the U.S. titled "Iron Man".

The song "Paranoid" being the first. On the B side of "Iron Man" was the song "Electric Funeral". The single was released in the U.S. on September eighteenth of 1970 so I'm fairly certain that the "Paranoid" LP was released the same day. I'm not sure of the exact date, but "Iron Man" did not peak at number fifty two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart until 1972.