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Roy Orbison Songs Trivia Quiz

Here's a fun little quiz about some of the popular recordings of the man Elvis Presley called "the greatest singer in the world"!

A multiple-choice quiz by Fauxnotfaux. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Fauxnotfaux

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
325,202

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
424

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Question 1 of 10

1. In the song "In Dreams", the sandman whispers what? Hint

Nighty-night. Don't let the bedbugs bite.

Sweet dreams, Baby.

Go to sleep. Everything is all right.

Pleasant dreams until the morning light.

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. "Mean Woman Blues" finds Roy singing about a woman with ruby lips and shapely hips. He sings, "Boy she makes old ___". What's the missing phrase? Hint

Roy's heart flip

Roy half flip

Roy's parts slip

Boys' hearts blip

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. "When I see her tonight, I'm gonna squeeze her to death."

For what unlucky girl might Roy's ardor prove fatal? Hint

Nanette

Claudette

Gigolette

Paulette

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. In "Working for the Man", Roy sings of a flirtation with the boss man's daughter. What does she bring him, "every time her daddy's down the line"? Hint

Hugs and kisses

Water

Love letters

The key to her room

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which of these pleasant things happen on "Blue Bayou"? Hint

You sleep all day and the catfish play.

You can work all day and make love all night.

You drink rum all night in the pale moonlight.

You may romance a girl and dive for pearls.

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. While nearly every song Roy Orbison recorded had hauntingly tender vocals, not every one became a classic. Here is a selection of some song titles and one fake. Can you spot the phony? Hint

Lovers Leap

Warm Spot Hot

Southbound Jericho Parkway

Zabriskie Point

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. As the singer walks 'round and 'round the "Penny Arcade", the chorus tells us that each machine seems to say something to him. What is it? Hint

Hop, swing and sway

It's a great day

Step up and play

She's gone away

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. In the up tempo "Uptown", Roy has a girlfriend he describes as "a doll just made for me". Where does she live? Hint

An oasis where he can flee

In the shade of an old oak tree

In penthouse number three

Above the club where they go for a spree

9. Among the tracks included on the 1989 album "Mystery Girl" was a song called "The Only One". It begins, "Everyone you knows been through it. You bite the bullet, then you chew it." It's a classic Roy theme of desperation and lost love. It was also very special to Roy because of one of its writers. Who? Hint

Johnny Cash

His first wife, Claudette

Elvis Presley

His oldest son, Wesley Orbison

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Okay, it isn't an Orbison quiz without "Oh, Pretty Woman". This song features his trademark growl, and you know what it sounds like even if we can't spell it. Amazingly, even though the sound is so associated with Roy Orbison, he admitted that he had been impressed with it and "borrowed" it from someone else. Who did it the first time Roy heard it? Hint

Bob Hope

Louie Prima

Tony the Tiger

Eartha Kitt

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the song "In Dreams", the sandman whispers what?

Answer: Go to sleep. Everything is all right.

David Lynch chose this song for the soundtrack of his 1985 film "Blue Velvet". In an eerie scene, Dean Stockwell lip-syncs the song in the glow of a shop light with which he mimics a microphone.

2. "Mean Woman Blues" finds Roy singing about a woman with ruby lips and shapely hips. He sings, "Boy she makes old ___". What's the missing phrase?

Answer: Roy half flip

Orbison's version of the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It came out in 1963.

3. "When I see her tonight, I'm gonna squeeze her to death." For what unlucky girl might Roy's ardor prove fatal?

Answer: Claudette

The inspiration for the song was Roy's first wife, the former Claudette Frady. Though Roy later recorded it, the first hit record with the song was released by the Everly Brothers in March of 1958.

4. In "Working for the Man", Roy sings of a flirtation with the boss man's daughter. What does she bring him, "every time her daddy's down the line"?

Answer: Water

This is one of the songs in which Roy actually gets the girl. Even better, both the daughter and the company end up becoming his. The song charted at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

5. Which of these pleasant things happen on "Blue Bayou"?

Answer: You sleep all day and the catfish play.

As big a hit as "Blue Bayou" was for Orbison in 1963, he made a great deal more money as its songwriter when Linda Ronstadt covered it in 1977. Her version climbed to number three on the charts.

6. While nearly every song Roy Orbison recorded had hauntingly tender vocals, not every one became a classic. Here is a selection of some song titles and one fake. Can you spot the phony?

Answer: Lovers Leap

Broken hearts, stolen girlfriends and even suicide have appeared in The Big O's records, but the image of leaping lovers, alone or in pairs, has not been presented by Roy.

7. As the singer walks 'round and 'round the "Penny Arcade", the chorus tells us that each machine seems to say something to him. What is it?

Answer: Step up and play

This 1969 release did very well on the charts in the UK and Australia, however a US version was almost universally ignored. "Penny Arcade" was composed by Sammy King.

8. In the up tempo "Uptown", Roy has a girlfriend he describes as "a doll just made for me". Where does she live?

Answer: In penthouse number three

"Uptown", co-written with Joe Melson, managed to get to number 72 on the Top 100 chart from Billboard. It was more important, however, because it marked the first time strings had been added to an Orbison session and that was a huge success.

Answer: His oldest son, Wesley Orbison

"Mystery Girl" was released weeks after Roy Orbison's sudden death in December of 1988. It rapidly became his most successful album, going platinum in late March 1989.

Answer: Bob Hope

As a young man growing up in Wink, Texas, Roy spent many Saturday afternoons watching movies at the local theatre, The Rig. If you remember the classic Western comedy "The Paleface", you'll remember Bob Hope making that growl when Jane Russell walked by.

The film was released in 1948 and Roy, then twelve years old, thought it was very cool, so he trained himself to perform it. The Orbison growl also shows up in his recording of "Mean Woman Blues".

Source: Author Fauxnotfaux

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
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