Phoenix on My Mind Trivia Quiz

Answer: Universal Soldier

'Universal Soldier' is more closely associated with both of the previous performers, but it was Glen Campbell's first successful single as a solo performer when he released his version in 1965. Each verse of the song describes a soldier of a different era, thinking he is fighting for peace, a peace which (the song contends) can never be established through war.

Answer: Gentle on My Mind

John Hartford wrote 'Gentle on My Mind', and had a hit for himself in the folk genre. Glen Campbell modified this pensive love song into a more country and western feel, and had a bigger hit. Both performances won Grammy awards, and the song has been covered many times.

It's a strange kind of love song when you think closely about the lyrics, as it proclaims the value of a love that leaves the individual free to go where he wills, and form other relationships as he does so, knowing that he will always be able to return: "That you're waiting from the backroads / By the rivers of my memories / Ever smilin' ever gentle on my mind." But it sure sounds and feels like a love song!

Answer: By the Time I Get to Phoenix

"By the time I get to Phoenix, she'll be rising", and her actions at other times during the day are hypothesized, until she finally realises that the relationship is over. Jimmy Webb stated that the song was inspired by an actual event in his life, although the journey to place distance between himself and the broken relationship was metaphorical, not physical. Glen Campbell's version, only one of many covers, was included on his 1967 album of the same name, which won a Grammy for Best Album of the Year, the first time that award had ever gone to a country album.

The single won two more Grammy awards: Best Vocal Performance, Male and Best Contemporary Male Solo Vocal Performance.

Answer: Wichita Lineman

'Wichita Lineman' was written by Jimmy Webb after receiving a request from Glen Campbell for another song with a place in the title. He was driving along a long stretch of country road with nothing except an endless string of telephone poles in sight when he saw a worker high up on one of the poles.

The song tries to capture the possible thoughts of someone engaged in that kind of lonely occupation. Each verse starts with consideration of the job at hand, then drifts (with a change of key) to thoughts of a loved one, as captured in the clue.

The song was a massive international hit, charting in multiple countries and in multiple chart genres.

Answer: Dreams of the Everyday Housewife

'Dreams of the Everyday Housewife' was written by Chris Gantry, and Glen Campbell was just the first of many to record the song, in which a man considers the thoughts that might pass through the mind of 'an everyday housewife who gave up the good life for me'. (Equal rights for women were not on the agenda here - she abandoned romance and fun to be a good little housewife, and he wonders how much she regrets it.) It was the first single released from the 1968 album 'Wichita Lineman', and sold moderately well - making the top ten in several charts.

Answer: Galveston

Jimmy Webb wrote 'Galveston' as an anti-Vietnam War protest song, but Glen Campbell changed some of the lyrics to give it a more universal application. Don Ho, who suggested that Glen Campbell might have more success with the song than he had, sang:
"Wonder if she could forget me
I'd go home if they would let me
Put down this gun
And go to Galveston."

Glen Campbell, however, sang:
"I still hear your sea waves crashing
While I watch the cannons flashing
I clean my gun
And dream of Galveston."

The Campbell version got to or near the charts in a number of countries, and the album of the same name that featured it reached Number 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, and Number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Answer: True Grit

Glen Campbell had a co-starring role in the 1969 movie 'True Grit', accompanying Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) in pursuit of a murderer on the run. (Spoiler alert: his character is killed by the villain, who then gets shot by John Wayne.) The song was written specifically for the movie, and earned nominations for Best Song both at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.

It was the first single released from Glen Campbell's album of the same name.

Answer: Rhinestone Cowboy

Written by Larry Weiss, 'Rhinestone Cowboy' was released as a single in 1975, and reached the top spot in both the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100, which ranked it at 2 for the year. The image of the glitzy showbiz exterior masking an inner struggle to persevere through the struggles involved in pursuing a dream seemed to strike a chord with many different listeners. Glen Campbell, who is said to have identified strongly with the content of this song, recorded a new version on his final studio album, 'See You There', in 2013.

Answer: Southern Nights

Allen Toussaint wrote 'Southern Nights' about childhood memories of visiting relatives in Louisiana, and Glen Campbell had no problem instilling his own memories of an Arkansas farm childhood into his performance of the song. It was the first single released from the album of which it was the title track in 1977, and proceeded to hit the top of three American Billboard Charts - Hot Country Singles, Hot 100, and Hot Adult Contemporary.

Answer: Sun Do Shine

This 1991 Irish/British/American collaboration was poorly received by critics, but the soundtrack has a number of interesting songs. The central character is an anthropomorphic rooster, whose persona is based loosely on Elvis. When he leaves to be a rock star in the big city and is not there to make the sun rise with his crow, the area he has left is in peril from the dark and rain.

The first song is 'Sun Do shine', and it is reprised at the end when he returns to save the day. It is one of several tracks for which the backing vocals are provided by The Jordanaires, who often worked with Elvis.