Lyrics of the British Invasion Quiz

Answer: Happiness is a Warm Gun

'Happiness is a Warm Gun' is one of the White Album's many highlights. John Lennon was inspired to write this when he saw a print ad for a rifle company with 'Happiness is a Warm Gun' as the headline. John's ability to find lyrics in such obscure places--circus posters, child's drawings, the stoned utterings of American movie stars--is one of the factors that made his songs so colorful and imaginative. My favorite part of this song is when John sings the title line--Paul and George respond in classic doo-wop style with "Bang, bang, shoot, shoot."

Answer: I'm Into Something Good

Herman's Hermits had a hit with this irresistible Carole King/Gerry Goffin tune. A tad too cuddly for my taste, the Hermits nonetheless knew how to choose their material and they usually performed it with their own unique blend of whimsy and a certain unthreatening, asexual charm. Scoff all you want, but when this or a handful of other Hermits' tunes crackle through the cheap speakers in your VW Bus, I bet you find yourself tappin' your toes and singing along. Go on, admit it.

Answer: Carrie Anne

The Hollies' never scored big in the US. At least not as big as the Beatles, Stones, the Who or even the Dave Clark Five. Too bad because they had some first rate songs. Their most recognizable hit was probably 'Bus Stop' but there are numerous others that should be at least as famous as 'Wild Thing' or 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy'. 'Carrie Anne' was penned by band members, Allan Clarke and Graham Nash. Nash, of course, soon left the Hollies to team up with David Crosby and Steven Stills.

Answer: Itchycoo Park

Ducks? This is the imagery that Steve Marriot and Ronnie Lane of the Small Faces chose to use in a song about getting high? Ducks? The Small Faces would eventually become just the Faces when Ron Wood and, eventually, Rod Stewart joined the band. But their pre-Stewart output certainly had its high points, 'Itchycoo Park' being the highest (in every sense of the word}.

Answer: Having a Wild Weekend

"Having a Wild Weekend" was the theme song for the Dave Clark Five's first and only movie. Dave Clark is in love with a model who, as it happens, is in very high demand because she is the representative of the--wait for it--meat industry. (No, not THAT meat industry; the actual MEAT industry--beef, steak, pot roast, ground round, sirloin tips, etc.). Dave and Meatgirl go off for a wild weekend accompanied, for no good reason that I can remember, by the rest of the Dave Clark Five. Curiously, the film was directed by John Boorman, auteur film director who hit it big in 1972 with 'Deliverance'.

The script was written by Peter Nichols, a British playwright who rose to prominence in the early '70s. I don't think any of his later plays used meat as a central plot point. You may still be able to catch this film on some obscure cable station at 4 a.m. under the UK title "Catch Us If You Can".

Answer: The Kids Are Alright

'The Kids are Alright' was recorded by the Who back when the Who were releasing pop songs along with everyone else in an effort to get a spot on the Billboard charts. Pete Townsend's music, of course, soon became about much more than romance gone wrong. Both 'Tommy' and 'Quadrophenia' would deal, to a certain extent, with the teenage angst that lies at the heart of all rock and roll, but in a grander and more original way.

The Who later tackled politics as well--most famously in 'Won't Get Fooled Again'. Still, their early pop singles--'I Can't Explain' and 'I Can See For Miles' being two more examples--represent some of the best music of the era.

Answer: Mother's Little Helper

It could be argued by someone much brighter and better looking than I that 'Mother's Little Helper' was one of the Stones' most subversive songs. First, it suggested that your average everyday housewife was taking "little yellow pills" to make it through the day. Second, it regarded men as loutish deadbeats, often driving their overworked wives to the breaking point. Finally, the song seemed to be trashing the very institution of marrage--"The pusuit of happiness just seems a bore". Our most sacred ideal a "bore"? No wonder our parents hated their music so much.

Not so shocking, you say to yourself sitting in front of your computer while your wife makes dinner? Remember that 'Mother's Little Helper' was released more than forty years ago, in December 1965. "The Beatles are bad enough," my father would have said had he caught me listening, "but you've gotta go and bring those Rolling Stones into my house! That's it! You're grounded! And if you think you're staying up late to watch the 'Twilight Zone' tonight, you've got another think coming!"

Answer: Nobody I Know

Peter Asher was a lucky guy. He and his friend Gordon Waller wanted to be a rock and roll stars and, wouldn't you know it, his sister Jane was dating Paul McCartney! Peter and Gordon scored a number one hit with Lennon and McCartney's "World Without Love". The duo recorded several more L&M songs in the years to come, "Nobody I Know" being my favorite of the bunch. A handful of other British acts were given Lennon and McCartney songs to record and some became hits, including:
'Bad to Me' by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas
'From a Window' by Chad and Jeremy
'It's For You' by Cilla Black
After his career as a singer ran its course, Peter Asher established a spectacular career as a record producer, scoring gold with James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.

Answer: How Do You Do It?

Convinced that it was going to be a chart topping hit, Beatles producer George Martin wanted the boys to record 'How Do You Do It?' by Mitch Murray. History might be different had they taken Martin's advice but no, they were set on recordng their own songs and finally convinced their producer to record 'Please Please Me' instead. Martin, who produced several other British bands, gave 'How Do You Do It?' to another Brian Epstein managed band, Gerry and the Pacemakers.

As Martin had predicted, the song went to number one on the charts.

Answer: We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded by the Animals in 1965, the song's lyrics paint a picture of disillusionment and desperation. A young man is trying to convince his girlfriend to leave this "dirty old part of the city" so they can find a better life for themselves.

The song was to take on a different meaning in the years to come--according to legendary armed services DJ Adrian Cronauer, American soldiers stationed in Vietnam requested 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place' more than any other single song. Just another example of just how important rock and roll was to the 60s generation.