Places In Song: Part II Trivia Quiz

Answer: Paris

"There we met and there we parted
By the lovely river Seine
Two young lovers broken hearted
For we knew we'd loved in vain
And though years may go
Some day I know she'll come to Paris again
And I'll find her where I lost her
By the lovely river Seine."

This song was covered by a number of other artists, including the Kingston Trio.
Martin's version was a translation of the 1948 song "La Seine" by Flavien Monod and Guy Lafarge.

Answer: Memphis

"I'm going to Graceland
Memphis Tennessee
I'm going to Graceland
Poorboys and Pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland."

"Graceland" was the title track of a 1986 album by Paul Simon. It won a Grammy in 1968.
The lyrics were somewhat autobiographical. They were written by Simon while on his way to the home of Elvis Presley following the break-up of his marriage to actress Carrie Fisher. Despite getting a lot of radio airplay, the song was not a commercial hit.

Answer: Chicago

"Well the south side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware
Of a man name of Leroy Brown."

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was written and first sung by Croce. It was a Billboard Hot 100 Number One in 1973. Croce had a prolific career between 1966 and 1973 and "Time In A Bottle" was also a chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100. He died at the age of 30, just a few months after "Leroy Brown" topped the charts.

Answer: Bangor, Maine

"Trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road."

Third boxcar, midnight train, destination, Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes..."

Written by Miller, "King Of The Road" was a UK Number One pop hit and also topped the U.S. Billboard Hot Country charts. The song was covered by numerous artists, including Dean Martin, R.E.M and Randy Travis. It featured in a number of movies.

Answer: Philadelphia PA

"Calling out around the world,
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For dancing in the street.

They're dancing in Chicago,
Down in New Orleans,
In New York City..."

Philadelphia PA, Baltimore, Detroit and Washington DC are all also referenced.

"Dancing In The Street" was co-written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. Martha and the Vandellas took it to Number Two in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964.
Others to cover the song were the Mammas and the Papas, the Grateful Dead, and Van Halen. David Bowie and Mick Jagger duetted on the song to earn a UK Number One pop single in 1985.

Answer: Abilene

"Well, when you're down on your luck,
and you ain't got a buck,
in London you're a goner.
Even London Bridge has fallen down,
and moved to Arizona,
now I know why.
And I'll substantiate the rumor
that the English sense of humor
is drier than the Texas sand.
You can put up your dukes,
and you can bet your boots,
that I'm leavin' just as fast as I can.

Chorus;
I wanna go home with the armadillo.
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene.
The friendliest people and the prettiest women
you've ever seen."

"London Homesick Blues" was written by Nunn while he was in London backing Michael Murphy. In 1973, he joined up with Jerry Jeff Walker for the live album "iViva Terlingua!"on which LHB was first recorded. The song later became the theme for the music show "Austin City Limits", which was hosted by Jerry Jeff Walker.
Nunn had a lengthy career with the Lost Gonzo Band and also as a solo artist.

Answer: Havana

"Just out of the infantry this morning, I had to pay my dues across the sea.
No one back in boot camp ever warned me
what the readjustment blues would do to me.
'Welcome to Havana', said the pilot.
'We must have made a wrong turn on the way.
Let's buy some cigars and keep it quiet,
if they don't know we're here we'll get away.'"

Although most notably sung by John Denver, the song was written by Bill Danoff. It was the tale of a young GI returning to Washington D.C. from Vietnam to find that the war was less popular at home than he had possibly thought.
"Readjustment Blues" was included in Denver's 1971 album "Aerie."
Bill Danoff was a member of Starland Vocal Band, which had a Billboard Hot 100 Number One with "Afternoon Delight" in 1976. He co-wrote songs with his wife, Taffy Nivert, and also with Denver - "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was one of their collaborations. He co-wrote "Boulder to Birmingham" with Emmylou Harris.

Answer: Beijing

"There are nine million bicycles in Beijing
That's a fact,
It's a thing we can't deny
Like the fact that I will love you till I die."

Katie Melua was born in Georgia, then part of the USSR, in 1984, but her family moved to Northern Ireland and then to England when she was a child. Her professional singing career began in 2003 and she went on to become one of the UK and Europe's must successful female singers. "Nine Million Bicycles" was a UK Number Five in 2005. In 2007, her voice was blended with that of the late Eva Cassidy on a charity single "What A Wonderful World" that reached the top of the UK pop charts.

Answer: Alberta

Four strong winds that blow lonely,
Seven seas that run high,
All these things that don't change,
Come what may.
But our good times are all gone,
And I'm bound for moving on.
I'll look for you if I'm ever back this way.

Think I'll go out to Alberta,
Weather's good there in the fall..."

Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian couple who came to some prominence in the US folk revival of the 1960s. Like many of their songs, "Four Strong Winds" made much of Ian's strong baritone singing voice and Sylvia's haunting harmonies. They met in 1959 and performed together until 1975. (They married in 1964 and divorced in 1975.) "You Were On My Mind", "Someday Soon" and "Song For Canada" were others in their wide repertoire.

Answer: San Francisco

"It was raining hard in 'Frisco
I needed one more fare to make my night
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down
She got in at the light..."

This was one of Harry Chapin's best known songs and reached Number 23 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. It reached Number Five in Canada.
The song was based, at least loosely, on Chapin's relationship with one woman - he called her 'Sue' in the song.
The song was a bitter-sweet tale of a love that was lost. Chapin picked up the thread and the characters in a later song, appropriately called "Sequel"
A notable feature was that the song was promoted by an early example of what were to become known as 'music videos.'