Lyrics of the 50s Quiz | 1950s Music

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What song contains the following play by play? "Two-three the count with nobody on He hit a high fly into the stands Rounding third and heading for home..."

Answer: Brown Eyed Handsome Man

Chuck Berry at his most clever. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" is loaded with great lyrics, including this one...

Milo Venus was a beautiful lass
She had the world in the palm of her hands
She lost both her arms in a wrestlin' match
To win a brown eyed handsome man

2. Cars and girls. Hundreds of rock and roll singers--from Chuck Berry to Bruce Springsteen--have waxed eloquent about this irresistible combination. What ode to teenage desire contains the following lyrics? "I never thought I'd do this before But here I am a-knockin' on her door Car's out front and it's all mine Just a '41 Ford not a '59"

Answer: Somethin' Else

The great Eddie Cochran. Died too young, still largely unappreciated but I put him up there with the greats--Buddy, Chuck, Elvis. If he'd only written this one song, he should still be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because it is one the GREAT SONGS! In this song, Eddie sees the girl he wants...
'She's sure fine lookin', man. She's somethin' else'
Then he sees the car he wants...
'That car's fine lookin', man. Wow, it's somethin' else'
In the end he settles for a lesser model car...
'Car's out front and it's all mine/Just a '41 Ford not a '59'
But he's got the girl so he's thinking to himself...
'She's sure fine lookin', man. Wow! She's somethin' else'

3. What song makes this alluring prediction? "I'm gonna shout, laugh, holler and giggle tonight I'm gonna shake it just a little in the middle of the night"

Answer: Rock Around With Ollie Vee

In "The Buddy Holly Story", a terrific 1978 film with Gary Busey as Buddy, this is the first rock and roll song they sing in the movie. The band's playing country music on a radio show being broadcast from a roller rink. Bored to distraction by the mind-numbing country music they are forced to play, Buddy kicks into "Rock Around With Ollie Vee" and the place comes alive. Next day, Buddy sits in church with his parents listening to the preacher rail on about the evils of rock and roll.

4. "My gal is_________________________." If you know what goes in the blank, you know the name of the song. "Well I gotta gal, six feet four, Sleeps in the kitchen with her face at the door"

Answer: Red Hot

Billy Lee Riley might have become a household name along with his Sun Records cohorts Elvis and Jerry Lee. Sam Phillips, however, chose to put his publicity behind "Great Balls of Fire" instead of Billy's "Red Hot." Ironically, Jerry Lee Lewis played back up piano on this song. You might remember the rest of the opening lyric: "My gal is red hot/Your gal ain't doodly squat!"

5. What a confident fellow! What song is he singing? "If you don't believe I'm all that I say Come up and take my hand When I let you go you'll cry 'Oh yes'"

Answer: Sixty Minute Man

Recorded numerous times by different artists (Jerry Lee Lewis, Clyde McPhatter), "Sixty Minute Man" hit the charts in 1970, sung by Rufus Thomas. But it is the Dominos' original 1951 version that stands out as the best. The lyrics get pretty racy and fun. For example:
'There`ll be fifteen minutes of kissin`
Then you hollar, `please don`t stop.`
There`ll be fifteen minutes of teasin`
And fifteen minutes of squeezin`
And fifteen minutes of blowin` my top.'

6. Thank you, doctor. Say, aren't those song lyrics? Yes, I think they are! What song are they from again? "Measles make you bumpy and mumps'll make you lumpy And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch"

Answer: Poison Ivy

Another delightfully clever lyric, this one by Lieber and Stoller. The line above ends with:
'But poison ivy, lord, it makes you itch.'
The classic line from the song, though, has to be:
'You're gonna need an ocean
Of Calamine Lotion"

7. The following clue may strike you as painfully brief but if you know the song, you will recognize it immediately. If you don't know the song, you'd have to guess anyway. So, what song contains the following line? "And meanwhile, back in the states..."

Answer: Stranded in the Jungle

'Stranded in the Jungle' by Ernestine Smith & James Johnson has been recorded by numerous artists but it is the version by the Cadets that brought it to my attention. It tells the sensitive tale of a man who is trying to get home to his girl in the US. His plane crashes and he is captured by cannibals:
'I smelled something cookin' and I looked to see
That's when I found out they was a cookin' me!'
Meanwhile, back in the states his girl is being romanced by some other Lothario so our hero escapes, tries to swim back to the US, falters, but in a master stroke of plotting, he is miraculously saved by a...well, here's the lyric:
"So I jumped in the ocean and started to swim
But my chance of survival was gettin' mighty slim
So I thumbed down a whale who was headin' my way
And I reached the states in 'bout a half a day"
He tracks down his girl and all ends happily. If you can't track down the Cadets' version of this novelty, check out the New York Dolls version. It pales by comparison but it'll do until you find the real thing.

8. Me ask the question. What song he sing? "She hold me tight, she touch me lips Me eyes they close, me heart she flip"

Answer: Havana Moon

Chuck Berry again, this time with a story to tell. 'Havana Moon' is the tragic tale of a young Cuban man waiting on the beach for the boat that will bring him his new American bride. But, alas, the hapless Cuban drinks too much rum, falls asleep and misses the boat so no one is there to meet the bride. Crestfallen, she gets back on the boat and heads home. I hate when that happens!

9. Personally, I think the singer here is exaggerating slightly. I'm no scientist but am pretty doggone sure the moon and the stars still shine. What song employs the following outrageous display of hyperbole? "Oh, the moon and stars no longer shine The dream is gone I thought was mine There's nothin' left for me to do But cry-y-y-y over you"

Answer: Singing The Blues

Guy Mitchell's 'Singing the Blues' stayed at number one on the charts for more than two months in 1956. Composed by Melvin Endsley, the song has been covered by numerous artists. Paul McCartney covered it for his 'Unplugged' concert on MTV in the '90's.

10. Clearly, the singer of this song is up to no good. But what song? "I'll be home about twelve tonight And not a minute-minute-minute later Don't forget the front door light That's all for now. I'll see you later, mater."

Answer: This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'

Ruth Brown sings the living daylights out of this 1958 hit! A girl still lives at home with Mom but she's got a wild streak. Nonetheless, she doesn't go out rockin' until she's finished her chores!
'I left some biscuits for the pup
I put fresh water in his cup
But now I'm off, I'm gonna live it up
This little girl's gone rockin'

Source: Author matriplex

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Lyrics of the 50s Trivia Quiz

"Roll Over Beethoven, tell Tchaikovsky the news." Is there a greater lyric in the history of rock and roll? No, but here are some 50s lyrics that come close.

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