Songs Referencing Air and Space Travel Quiz

Answer: Ray and Bob

Los Angeles singers Ray Swayze and Bob Appleberry had their only minor hit with "Air Travel". They recorded the song on the Ledo label. Their singing style was similar to Sam Cooke and featured close harmonies. British singer Chris Farlowe also recorded a version of "Air Travel" for Decca Records in 1962 with "Why Did You Break My Heart?" as the B-side.
Travis and Bob released "Tell him No" in 1959. Jan and Dean had their first charted single with "Baby Talk" (1959) and Sonny and Cher had a Top Forty hit in 1964 with "Baby Don't Go".

Answer: The Byrds

"Space Odyssey" was a cut from The Byrd's fifth album, "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" (1968). "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" Was a Woodie Guthrie/Martin Hoffman collaboration released on the Byrds' 1969 "Ballad of Easy Rider" LP. "Eight Miles High" went to Number 14 in the US and "Mr. Spaceman" was a Top Forty single for the band in 1966.
The Byrds formed in 1964 with front man Roger McGuinn surviving the many personnel changes the band underwent before breaking up in 1973. Their first hits were covers of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger songs but they also had success with original songs including "Eight Miles High", "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better".
In 1966 "California Dreamin'" was a hit for The Mamas and The Papas. "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" was a 1966 Top Forty from The Yardbirds and Eric Burdon and The Animals put "See See Rider" in the US Top Ten the same year.

Answer: Sky Pilot

"Sky Pilot (Parts 1 and 2)" reached Number 14 for Eric Burdon and the Animals in 1968. The songs is about an Air Force chaplain blessing the fliers before a mission. Eric recorded the song with a different group of musicians than the original Animals and all the members of the backing group are credited as writers.

The song features a bagpipe performance by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards recorded during an earlier engagement by Burdon. "Get Off of My Cloud" was a 1965 release from The Rolling Stones.

The rolling Stones recorded "Flight 505" on their 1966 "Aftermath" LP. "Live In The Sky" was recorded by The Dave Clark Five in 1968.

Answer: It is credited to all four members as songwriters.

"Flying" listed all four members of The Beatles on the songwriter credits. The band recorded an Instrumental titled "12-Bar Original" in 1965. Other Instrumentals recorded by the group include "Cayenne" and "Cry for a Shadow". "Flying" was initially titled "Aerial Tour Instrumental" before being included as "Flying" on their 1967 "Magical Mystery Tour" album. John Lennon played the Mellotron while Paul and George played guitars. Paul later overdubbed the bass guitar.

When "Flying" was originally recorded it lasted over nine minutes because of looping.

The final edited version was two minutes and 17 seconds.

Answer: False

"Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" reached Number Six in the US and almost topped the UK charts, peaking at Number Two. Ironically producer Gus Dudgeon also produced David Bowie's "Space Oddity" three years earlier. The song is a track from Elton's 1972 "Honky Chateau" album.
"Rocket Man" also featured the combination of musicians Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray who would form the core of his touring band.
The lyrics were by Elton's long-time co-writer Bernie Taupin. In 1998 Elton performed the song during the launching of Space Shuttle Discovery.

Answer: 707

Part of the second verse of "Jet Airliner was "But my heart keeps calling me backwards as I get on the 707". Paul Pena composed the hit tune. Pena released a solo album and performed on the "Fly Walker Airlines" album by the T-Bone Walker Blues Band. Because the original lyrics were not considered appropriate for airplay Miller changed a line to "funky kicks goin' down in the city".

The song is a staple of Classic Rock radio stations with both lyrics. "Jet Airliner" was recorded for Miller's "Book of Dreams" album in 1977. Pena recorded it for his "New Train" album four years earlier but the album wasn't released until 2000.

Answer: John Denver

"Fly Away" was written and recorded by John Denver in 1975. Olivia Newton-John sang backup vocals. "Fly Away" was a single release from John's ninth album, "Windsong". John was enjoying enormous popularity in the mid seventies and released a double sided single containing the Number One "I'm Sorry" and The Number Two "Calypso" from "Windsong".
"Eighteen with a Bullet" was a 1975 single by Pete Wingfield. B.J. Thomas took "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" to Number One in 1975. "I Get Lifted" was a 1975 Top Forty single from George McCrae.

Answer: Into the Great Wide Open

"Into the Great Wide Open" was the group's eighth studio album and their final with MCA Records. After Petty had success with co-producer Jeff Lynn with the "Full Moon Fever" LP (1989) the two collaborated on the successful "Into the Great Wide Open". "Learning To Fly" was the first single release from the album and stayed on the Billboard charts for six weeks. Johnny Depp was one of the actors in the music video for the song. "Into the Great Wide Open" was also released as a single but only made it to 92 on the US Billboard charts. "Long After Dark" came out in 1982. "The Last DJ" was a 2002 release and "Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)" came out in 1987.

Answer: Stephen Stills

Stephen Stills recorded the "Stills Alone" album in 1991. The LP was essentially a solo project featuring Stills on acoustic as well as electric guitar. The project was Stills' seventh solo effort since he released "Stephen Stills" in 1970. In 1997 Stephen Stills was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice for being a member of Crosby, Stills and Nash as well as Buffalo Springfield. In June, 1996, Jimmy Buffett recorded "Tree Top Flyer" for his "Banana Wind" album that featured "Jamaica Mistaica", a song recounting his plane being shot at in a case of mistaken identity by authorities. James Taylor and Ben Taylor provided backing vocals for the album, Buffett's 21st studio release.

Answer: Balloon

"Up, Up and Away" referenced flying in a balloon in the successful song written by Jimmy Webb. The following year the song fared well at the Grammy Awards, getting awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. "Up, Up and Away" was the first Top Ten single for The 5th Dimension.

The following year they reached Number Three with "Stoned Soul Picnic" and topped the charts in 1969 with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and again with "Wedding Bell Blues". Diana Ross and The Supremes, Andy Williams, Dionne Warwick and the Impressions are among the many artists who also have recorded versions of the song.

In 1970 TWA used the song in their commercials "Up, Up and Away TWA".