Songs Without Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sleep Walk

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, you couldn't turn on a radio (there were no ipods or mp3s) without hearing the twangy guitar stylings of Duane Eddy. Perhaps his two biggest hits were "Rebel Rouser" from the 1958 album "Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel" and "40 Miles of Bad Road" the following year on the album "Especially for You", which also included "Because They're Young". Santo and Johnny Farina, two brothers from Brooklyn, recorded "Sleep Walk" in 1959; it was a wonderful instrumental with a 'twang' all its own, and became one of the biggest hits of the "golden age of rock 'n' roll".

Answer: Tequila!

"Tequila!" is not only the one-word song in question, it is the only word spoken at the end of this song, which has a strong Latin beat. It was released on the 1958 album "Go, Champs, Go!" and won a Grammy for best R&B Performance. Danny Flores, the saxophonist of the group, wrote the song under the name of Chuck Rio because he was under a contract with another record label at the time. Flores was called the "Godfather of Latino Rock". Later band members of The Champs included Glen Campbell and Seals and Crofts. "Eruption" is from Van Halen, "Apache" from The Shadows and "Raunchy" by Bill Justis.

Answer: Peter Gunn

"Peter Gunn" was composed by Henry Mancini as the theme song for the TV show of the same name. Peter Gunn was a private eye played by Craig Stevens; the show ran from 1958-1961, but its jazzy theme lasted long after and became a prototype of the theme songs of the 1960s. "Hawaii 5-0" was covered by The Ventures, as was almost every other popular instrumental of the era. "I Love Lucy" was written by Eliot Daniel and was an instrumental until season three when Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) actually sang it to Lucy with words; "Telstar" was released by The Tornados in 1962 and became a number one hit.

Answer: The Surfaris

"Wipe Out" is a bluesy instrumental performed by the Surfaris as a single with the A-side called "Surfer Joe". The tune has been covered by The Ventures (see the previous question) and Jan and Dean, and has been featured in over 20 films and TV shows since 1964. If you don't think you know it, you have probably heard it somewhere.

As for the other choices: Jr. Walker and the All-Stars did "Way Back Home"; Booker T. and the MG's did the very popular "Green Onions", and Johnny and the Hurricanes presented "Red River Rock" (which was also covered by...The Ventures).

Answer: The Chantays

Another outstanding instrumental was "Pipeline" released in December 1962 and played by The Chantays. "Pipeline" was the B-side and it turned out to be The Chantays' only hit, but it was a milestone of the surf genre music. The song has been covered by The Eagles, Dick Dale, Stevie Ray Vaughan and, of course, The Ventures.

As for the incorrect choices: Mike Oldfield produced "Tubular Bells" which was the theme from "The Exorcist"; King Curtis played "Soul Twist" and the Ramsey Lewis Trio went to "Wade in the Water".

Answer: Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

"Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" was from the 1936 Rodgers and Hart musical "On Your Toes"; to me, the tune has a melancholy almost Gershwin-like sound. The ballet scene was choreographed by George Balanchine, runs about 25 minutes and appears at the end of the musical.

In the 1948 film "Words and Music", the dance was revisited by Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen, with an even more tragic storyline. Again here is 'the 411' on the other choices: "Walk, Don't Run" is by Johnny Smith from 1954; "Caravan" was performed by Duke Ellington in 1936; "Honky Tonk (Part 1 & 2)" was recorded by Bill Doggett in 1956.

Answer: TSOP

"TSOP" ("The Sound of Philadelphia") is by MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother) and it became the sound of Don Cornelius' "Soul Train" (1971-2006). MFSB was a group of more than thirty studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios; they backed up big-name artists like Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, The Stylistics, The Spinners, Wilson Pickett and Billy Paul.

The incorrect instrumentals are "The Entertainer" by Marvin Hamlisch, "Scorpio" performed by Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band, and "Frankenstein" from the Edgar Winter Group.

Answer: Chuck Mangione

In 1977 Chuck Mangione composed and released the jazz-pop single "Feels So Good" which made him an international star. Mangione is known for his smooth jazz and for playing several other instruments besides the trumpet, e.g., the flugelhorn, the piano and the french horn. Did you know that he wrote "Chase the Clouds Away" which was used at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal? He followed that with "Give It All You've Got" which became the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY; truly a 'man for all seasons'. Mason Williams had "Classical Gas"; Hugh Masekela was "Grazing in the Grass" and Herbie Mann gave us "Memphis Underground".

Answer: Jan Hammer

"The Miami Vice Theme" was created and performed by Jan Hammer for the very popular TV series "Miami Vice" in September 1984. Most of you may still remember Crockett and Tubbs (and 'Elvis') and the style they set for the mid-1980s. The song was released as a single the following year and hit number one on the 'Billboard Hot 100', in addition to winning Grammys for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

It was the most successful movie soundtrack of all time until 2006's "High School Musical".

Other instrumentals: Vaughn with "Scuttle Buttin'", Beck's "Freeway Jam", and Clapton with "Hideaway".

Answer: Metallica

From their third album in 1986, "Master of Puppets", comes Metallica's instrumental "Orion". Metallica is a California heavy metal band formed in 1981 when James Hetfield answered an ad posted by Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper. The band is considered one of the big four of "thrash metal" along with Anthrax, Megadeath and Slayer. Metallica was voted 61st on 'Rolling Stone's' list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. One last time, the incorrect choices include Black Sabbath ("Laguna Sunrise"), Death Angel ("The Ultra-Violence") and Dokken ("Mr. Scary"). My, how very far we've come!