Songs From My (Eclectic) Childhood Quiz

Answer: Son Of A Preacher Man

Dusty Springfield sang this song, which most recently appeared on the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack. It tells the story of a young girl's relationship with Billy Ray, the local clergyman's son. "For Your Love," by the Yardbirds, mainly lists the objects the singer will give his beloved to demonstrate the depth of his devotion. "Life's Been Good" by Joe Walsh is about the life of a rock star. "Spirit In The Sky," by Norman Greenbaum, had a catchy tune but was NOT about resisting temptation.

Answer: Brother Louie (The Stories)

"Brother Louie" was originally released by the group Hot Chocolate (probably best remembered for "You Sexy Thing"), but The Stories were a one-hit wonder in the US with their version, which hit the top 40 in 1973. The song tells the story of an interracial love affair -- "She was black as the night, Louie was whiter than white."

Answer: Do You Believe In Magic

John Sebastian, one of the 2 founding members of the group, went on to write the theme song from the hit 70's TV show "Welcome Back, Kotter" after the group broke up. Their record label, Kama Sutra, had red-and-yellow, flame-style labels on the 45's, which were cool to watch on the turntable.

Answer: Elusive Butterfly

"Elusive Butterfly" by Bob Lind, hit #5 in 1966. I like its bouncy tempo and optimistic outlook. I heard this song on the local oldies radio station about 12 years ago, remembered it from somewhere in my youth, and made it a mission to add this song to my collection (the internet wasn't much of an option then - we were still using 386 processors in '91!). I was finally able to track down an album that contains it - the EMI Legends of Rock N' Roll Series, "Rock Is Dead, But It Won't Lie Down" (1992), which contains 24 great songs.

Answer: And When I Die (Blood, Sweat and Tears)

The jazz-blues influences of Blood, Sweat and Tears made their sound unique among the rock groups of the late 60's, utilizing brass instruments (2 trumpets, 2 trombones) in their ranks, rather than limiting themselves to the standard 2 guitarists, a keyboard player and a drummer.

Their hits from their self-titled 1969 album include "Spinning Wheel" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy," in addition to "And When I Die," and earned the group the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Answer: Heartbeat - It's A Lovebeat

This song hit #3 on the charts in 1973, and was recorded by Tony DeFranco and the DeFranco Family, a group out of Canada. Family groups (The Jackson 5, The Osmonds, The Carpenters, and the pseudo-family group, The Partridge Family) were all making/topping the charts at this time in our popular music history, but this one is a true bubble-gum classic in my book.

Answer: Solitary Man

Although he's probably most well-known today for the writing the Monkee's Hit "I'm A Believer" (recently re-recorded by Smashmouth for the movie "Shrek"), or the patriotic "America, " Neil Diamond had a string of folk-rock hits from the mid 60's through the late 1970's. He was inducted into the Songwriting Hall of Fame in 1984.

Answer: Rose Garden

"When The Levee Breaks" was the final cut on the famous Led Zeppelin IV (ZOSO) album. "Yellow River," written and sung by Jeff Christie, is about returning home. "Bridge Over Troubled Water," by Simon and Garfunkel, was a 1970 hit from the same-titled album. "Rose Garden" was a crossover country/pop hit for Lynn Anderson.

Answer: Love Child (The Supremes)

This song was introduced on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and was #1 on the Billboard chart for 2 weeks in 1968, according to Irwin Stambler's "Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock, and Soul." In the era of free love, I thought it stood as an interesting social commentary.

Answer: Little Sister

"That's When Your Heartaches Begin" and "Treat Me Nice" were both released (and went gold) in 1957; "Devil in Disguise" in 1963. I love the bluesy feel of the guitar riffs in this song.