Musical References in Lyrics Trivia Quiz

Answer: Monterey - Eric Burdon & The Animals

The song "Monterey" was released in 1967 by Eric Burton & The Animals following their performance in June of the same year, during what was called The Summer of Love, at the Monterey Pop Festival in Monterey, California. It is included on their second album, "The Twain Shall Meet" and peaked at number 15 on U.S. pop charts. This three day festival arguably set the standard for all music festivals to follow.

"Monterey" includes references to The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shankar, The Who, Hugh Masakela, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and Prince Jones (Brian Jones, an MC for the event). The festival also featured Janis Joplin (Big Brother and the Holding Company), Otis Reading, Simon & Garfunkel, Steve Miller Band, Buffalo Springfield, and others.

Answer: Glass Onion - The Beatles

"Glass Onion" was included on The Beatles 1968 self-titled album, also commonly referred to as "The White Album". Credited to Lennon-McCartney, although primarily written by John Lennon, this song it is intended as a parody of fans searching Beatles song lyrics for hidden meanings and messages.

In addition to "Strawberry Fields Forever", it includes references to the songs "Lady Madonna", "Fixing a Hole", "I Am The Walrus", and "The Fool on the Hill".

Answer: Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple

The song "Smoke on the Water" was released by Deep Purple in 1972 on their album titled "Machine Head". It peaked at number 4 on the U.S. charts, and was listed at number 434 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time in 2011. It tells a story around a trip the band took to Montreux, Switzerland in December, 1971, to record for a new album. Frank Zappa and the Mothers were playing there when an audience member fired a flare gun and burned down the entire Montreux Casino. Deep Purple had to find another location for recording, but they did get a hit song from the experience.

Today on the shore of Lake Geneva, in Montreux, there is a statue honoring the song, next to a statue of Queen front man Freddie Mercury.

Answer: Spider Web - Joan Osborne

The song "Spider Web" suggests through the lyrics that all things are interconnected and "when you gain, you just might lose". In the case of this story, Ray Charles regains his vision but then he can no longer sing. Joan Osborne sings "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he sees. Just like him best the other way".

This song was included on Osborne's debut album, "Relish", released in 1995. The album reached number 9 in the U.S., and was nominated for a Grammy award as album of the year. Another track from the same album, "One of Us", was nominated for song of the year.

Answer: Creeque Alley - The Mamas & The Papas

"Creeque Alley" was included on the 1967 album "Deliver" by The Mamas and The Papas and tells a story of the groups' beginnings. The song reached number 5 on the U.S. charts. The title is a reference to a club in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The lyrics also include mention of The Byrds (Roger McGuinn), The Lovin' Spoonful (John Sebastian), and others in addition to the individual members of the Mamas and The Papas.

Answer: Gator Country - Molly Hatchett

"Gator Country" comes from the 1978 self-titled album by Molly Hatchett. It includes references to southern rock stars Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, Richard Betts, Elin Bishop, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Outlaws, and numerous songs from the same group such as "Searching for a Rainbow" and "Take the Highway" by The Marshall Tucker Band, and "Green Grass and High Tides" by The Outlaws.

Interestingly, five musicians who were at one time members of Molly Hatchett also worked as part of another southern rock band named Gator Country. Those five are original member Steve Holland, plus Duane Roland, Bruce Crump, Jimmy Farrar, and Ralph "Riff" West. So, in a way, the song title itself is also a musical reference.

Answer: More of That Jazz - Queen

The song "More of That Jazz" is included on the 1978 album "Jazz", by the band Queen. It is the last track on the album and recaps many of the prior songs, including "Fat Bottomed Girls", Bicycle Race", "If You Can't Beat Them", "Dead on Time", "Mustapha", and "Fun It". The song was written by drummer Roger Taylor, who plays all the instruments and sings all the vocals in this track.

"Jazz" was the seventh album by Queen and peaked at number six on U.S. charts. Promotion for the album included an all-female nude bicycle race. A poster with a photo from the race was included with the album, but not available in the U.S. except by special order.

Answer: You Never Even Call Me By My Name - David Allen Coe

David Allen Coe released "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" in 1975 on his album titled "Once Upon a Rhyme". It was originally written and released in 1971 by Steve Goodman, but did not gain any significant popularity. Uncredited by his own request, John Prine worked with Goodman on that original version.

The song is actually intended to be critical of the Nashville music industry. Since 1975 it has become a country dancehall standard, largely based on the last verse which Coe claimed made this the "perfect country and western song". That last verse is shown below.

"I was drunk the day Mama got out of prison
And I went to pick 'er up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got runned over by a damned ol' train"

"I was drunk the day Mama got out of prison
And I went to pick 'er up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got runned over by a damned ol' train"

Answer: Garden Party - Rick Nelson

"Garden Party" was included on the 1972 album of the same name, released by Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band. The last of the 35 top 40 singles released by Nelson, "Garden Party" reached number six on U.S. charts. The song tells a story, from Nelson's perspective, of booing at Madison Square Garden when he played a version of the Rolling Stones song "Honky Tonk Women", called "Country Honk".

The song includes numerous musical references, some straightforward, and some more subtle. "Yoko" is obviously Yoko Ono, while "her walrus" is Beatles star John Lennon. "Mr. Hughes" is a reference to Beatle George Harrison, using an alias he frequently employed. The song "Johnny B. Goode" is referenced both by title and lyrics. There is a clear reference to the song "Country Honk" in the lyric "I sang about a hony-tonk", and he mentions his own song "Hello Mary Lou".

Sadly Rick Nelson passed away on New Years Eve, 1985, in plane crash. He was only 45 years old.

Answer: Hey Nineteen - Steely Dan

"Hey Nineteen" was the biggest hit from the 1980 album "Gaucho" by the band Steely Dan. It reached number 10 on U.S. charts, and remained on the charts for, ironically, nineteen weeks in early 1981.

There is also a reference to the band Soul Survivors who were popular "way back when in sixty-seven", as mentioned at the beginning of the song.

The album "Gaucho", the seventh from Steely Dan, reached number nine on U.S. charts, and won a Grammy in 1981 for Best Non-Classical Engineered Recording.