Lyrics to Even More Jazz Standards Quiz

Answer: A

"Take the A Train" (1941) is probably the most famous of the songs that came out of the collaboration of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. They first joined up in 1939, and Strayhorn lived for a time at Ellington's house in the Sugar Hill district in Harlem.

Answer: this big city

The song "Oh, Lady be Good" was written by George and Ira Gershwin, and premiered in the 1924 show, "Lady be Good". The movie came out in 1941, with Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton, and Lionel Barrymore.

Answer: and cover me

Ann Ronell, the writer of "Willow Weep for Me" (1932) also gave us another familiar song, in a slightly different vein. She co-wrote (with Frank Churchill) "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf", Disney's first hit song.

Answer: autumn leaves start to fall

"Autumn Leaves" (1947) by Joseph Kosma and Johnny Mercer (we'll be hearing more from him throughout this quiz!) has been covered by absolutely everybody. You're probably most familiar with the Nat "King" Cole version, from the 1956 movie of the same name starring Joan Crawford.

Answer: New Orleans

"Do You Know What It Means, To Miss New Orleans" by Louis Alter and Eddie DeLange was written for the 1947 movie "New Orleans". From all accounts a rather lackluster, more than slightly racist movie, it had some amazing musical talent, especially Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, in her only singing part in a major Hollywood film. Woody Herman and Shelley Winters also appeared.

Answer: you're marvelous

"Too Marvelous For Words" (1937) by Richard Whiting and Johnny Mercer. Mercer was a marvelous lyricist (yes, we'll be hearing more about him) who started his songwriting career with "Lazybones" (1933) written with Hoagy Carmichael.

Answer: rain or shine

"Come Rain or Come Shine" (1946) is from the show "St Louis Woman". This song is written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer (yep, another Johnny Mercer song!). Harold Arlen is one of the greatest 'unknown' composers in American music - everybody knows his songs ("Over the Rainbow", "Stormy Weather", "Paper Moon"...) yet his name is nowhere near as well-known as that of Cole Porter or Irving Berlin.

Answer: the man that got away

"The Man That Got Away" by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin (how's that for a songwriting team?). This song is from the 1954 version of "A Star is Born", with Judy Garland and James Mason. This is a heckuva good movie anyway, but the scene where Judy sings this song is worth the price of admission all by itself. Eat your heart out, Barbra Streisand!

Answer: lonely

"Lover, Come Back to Me" (1928) from the show "The New Moon". Oscar Hammerstein wrote the lyrics to this show following his 1927 triumph, "Show Boat", with Jerome Kern.

Answer: ham and eggs

"You leave the Pennsylvania Station
'bout a quarter to four
Read a magazine
and then you're in Baltimore..."
"Chattanooga Choo Choo" (1941) by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. Of course, the version we all know best is by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra.

Answer: waterfront

"I cover the waterfront
In search of my love
And I'm covered by a starless sky above"

"I Cover the Waterfront" (1933). To my mind, Billie Holiday sings the definitive version of this song.

Answer: true to you

"But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way"

"True to You (in My Fashion)" is by Cole Porter, from the 1948 show "Kiss Me, Kate", based, loosely of course, on Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew".

Answer: over my head

"Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me" by Duke Ellington. This song was originally "Concerto for Cootie", written for trumpeter Cootie Williams. Years later Al Hibbler wrote words for it, and it became "Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me". A big hit for Ellington's orchestra both times.

Answer: overcoat

"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" by Irving Berlin, from the 1937 movie "On The Avenue". This film starred Madeline Carroll, Dick Powell, and Alice Faye.

Answer: Lullaby of Broadway

"Lullaby of Broadway" is from the Busby Berkeley film "Gold Diggers of 1935". The song won Harry Warren and Al Dubin an Oscar, and was later revived in the 1951 Doris Day movie "Lullaby of Broadway".

Answer: a green and yellow basket

"A-tisket, A-tasket" was written by Ella Fitzgerald, with Van Alexander, in 1938. It was one of her first big hits, and became her trademark song. At the time she was singing with Chick Webb's band; when Webb died the next year, she took on the band, and led it for three years. She was 22 years old.

Answer: Molly

"My Blue Heaven" was written in 1923 by Walter Donaldson, with lyrics by George Whiting. At this time Donaldson was writing for Irving Berlin, at his music publishing firm. Other Donaldson songs you may know are "You're Driving Me Crazy" and "Love Me or Leave Me".

Answer: please adore me

"Blue Moon" (1934), by Rodgers and Hart. This standard has been covered, of course, by almost everybody, with a couple of nice versions in the 1981 film "An American Werewolf in London", one by Sam Cooke, and one by the Marcels. My own personal favorite, though, is an instrumental version by Coleman Hawkins.

Answer: it might as well be spring

"It Might As Well Be Spring" is from the 1945 movie, "State Fair". This is a remake of the 1933 Will Rogers movie, this time with music by Rodgers and Hammerstein. "It Might As Well Be Spring" won the Oscar for Best Song that year.

Answer: caravan

"Caravan" was written in 1937 by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, the Orchestra's trombonist. Irving Mills, Ellington's publisher, wrote the lyrics, as he did for many Ellington songs. This song is usually performed as an instrumental - don't feel bad if you didn't recognize the lyrics!

Answer: stardust

"Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain"

"Stardust" was written in 1929 by Mitchell Parish and Hoagy Carmichael.

Answer: That Old Black Magic

"That Old Black Magic" was, once again, written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. The Glenn Miller Orchestra made it a hit in 1943.
All the other answer choices were also songs, but none could by the wildest stretch of the imagination be regarded as Jazz Standards.

Answer: one more for the road

"One For My Baby", written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. Mercer was not only a wonderful lyricist, he was also instrumental in starting or guiding the careers of many other American musicians. In 1942, he co-founded Capitol Records, and, as president and chief talent scout, he signed artists like Stan Kenton, Nat "King" Cole, and Jo Stafford.
"One For My Baby" was written for the 1943 movie "The Sky's The Limit" and was introduced by Fred Astaire. Of course, Frank Sinatra has since made it his own.

Answer: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

"You say either and I say either,
You say neither and I say neither
Either, either, neither, neither,
Let's call the whole thing off"

It's a little difficult to portray in print the charm of this song of different pronunciations, and different customs, but, what the heck, you know how it goes, anyway.
This song was written by the Gershwins, and introduced by Fred and Ginger in the 1937 movie "Shall We Dance". Ella and Louis do a nice job with it, too.

Answer: for sentimental reasons

"(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" was written in 1945 by William (Pat) Best. Deek Watson, the flamboyant former member of the Ink Spots who was in the Brown Dots with Best, is credited as co-author of the song, but Best is on record as saying he had nothing to do with it. Nat "King" Cole's version is probably the best known, he took it to number one in 1946/47.

Thanks for playing my quiz, I hope you enjoyed it.