Songs of the City Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ultravox

The British new wave band Ultravox released "Vienna" in 1981. Despite being voted "Single of the Year" at the 1981 Brit Awards, it only peaked at number two in the UK singles chart. Talking about the single in a "Guardian" interview, Midge Ure (Ultravox singer) said that Vienna was chosen because "there was a decaying elegance about it.

In such a crumbling environment, you could easily fall in love. Then you go back to your cold, grey, miserable life in Chiswick."

Answer: The Clash

Joe Strummer and Mick Jones wrote "London Calling" for The Clash's third album, which also had the same title. The single was released in 1979. The lyrics addressed a range of social and political issues of the era, like drug abuse and the River Thames flooding. The phrase "London calling" was a reference to the BBC World Service station identification used during World War II.

Answer: Kiss

"Detroit Rock City" was a single on Kiss' 1976 album, "Destroyer". The song has featured multiple times in other media like films and video games and has been covered by other artists. The title "Detroit Rock City" was also the name of a film about a Kiss tribute band attempting to meet their musical heroes.

Answer: Neil Young

Neil Young contributed "Philadelphia" to the soundtrack of the Jonathan Demme film of the same name. The movie was about a lawyer suffering from AIDS and starred Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. The soundtrack featuring Neil Young's track was released in 1994.

Answer: Vera Lynn

One of the most well-known songs of the World War II era, "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" was written by Nat Burton and Walter Kent. It was made popular in 1942 when it was performed by Vera Lynn. The song referred to the Battle of Britain in which Nazi Germany fought with the British RAF in the skies above southern England.

Answer: The Pogues

"Fairytale of New York" was a popular Christmas song with a difference. Instead of leaving the listener with warm, festive fuzzies, it brought up issues of drug abuse and a relationship breakdown. The single was written by The Pogues and featured vocals from Kirsty MacColl, telling the story of a couple who had moved to New York with hopes for the future. Life hadn't turned out the way they had dreamed it would.

It was released in November 1987 and was included on The Pogues' 1988 album, "If I Should Fall from Grace with God".

Answer: ABBA

The most famous Waterloo was probably the town in Belgium near where the Battle of Waterloo took place, and where Napoleon was defeated. There are also towns and cities called Waterloo in Canada, Australia, and the USA, as well as in a few other countries.

"Waterloo" was written specifically for ABBA's 1974 Eurovision entry. The Swedish band came first with 24 points.

Answer: Elvis Presley

"Viva Las Vegas" was a song from the movie of the same name. It starred Elvis Presley, who also performed some of the songs on the soundtrack. The film was released in 1963, but the single "Viva Las Vegas" wasn't released until the following year.

Answer: A Day to Remember

"All Signs Point to Lauderdale" was released in 2011 by American pop punk band, A Day to Remember. According to the band, the song's title was inspired by a road sign for Fort Lauderdale, a city in Florida. The band originated in Florida and their second album "What Separates Me From You" was recorded there. "All Signs Point to Lauderdale" was included in the track list.

Answer: The Wombats

The Wombats' second album, "This Modern Glitch", featured a track called "Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)". The album was released in 2010 and contained elements of dance and synthpop. Despite being a wolf's head, the cover for the single resembles a map of Tokyo's districts. At least, it seems like that was the idea!