Teed Off Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tommy

"Tommy Gun" appears on The Clash's 1978 album "Give 'Em Enough Rope" and it would prove to be the first single for the band to break into the Top Forty of the UK Singles chart. The track deals with international terrorism and, at the same time, opened up lead singer, Joe Strummer, to further criticism about his "apparent" support for certain organizations.

This had been fueled by his wearing of a H-Block tee shirt, at a concert, in a show of solidarity with IRA prisoners. Instead of running from the criticism Strummer used it to make a point to NME magazine about the need to be careful not to sensationalize the deeds of terrorists. Stating that terrorists were just like rock stars, they're poseurs and they like to read about their own deeds. (Note) Tommy gun is an abbreviation for the Thompson submachine gun.

Answer: Ty

Original titled "Hot Rod Death Toll" the song does not feature Ty Cobb anywhere but in the title. In writing the lyrics Chris Cornell (of Soundgarden) advised that he was not thinking of Cobb at all. Instead, he was attempting to channel an angry idiot. Ben Shepherd, who wrote the music for the song, indicated that the anger and the profanity that litters the track reminded him of Ty Cobb (hence the title) but, the image of Cobb that he had, was one that was influenced by a now-discredited book by Al Stump.

Answer: Teddy

Released in 1957 this track was written as part of the soundtrack to Elvis Presley's second feature film "Loving You". The filmmakers must have been over the moon with the song's performance because it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart the day before the film premiered.

As an aside, a rumor was leaked that Elvis was a huge fan of the teddy bear and, the inevitable happened, he was inundated with a flood of the stuffed ursine. On Boxing Day, of 1957, he donated thousands of bears to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.

Answer: Trace

"Grave Digger's Union" is the sixth studio album for Minneapolis band (and local legends) Soul Asylum. This proved to be their breakout album, the one that brought them international success and a double platinum level of sales. Not that it looked that way at the launch, as it appeared to be just another Soul Asylum recording, one that simply coasted along, raised a couple of eyebrows and didn't do much else. And that is the way it stood until the band lifted "Runaway Train" from the set as their third single release and, in a similar vein to the single's title, the album gained impetus and skyrocketed.

It also earned the band a Grammy for Best Rock Song in 1999. "Without a Trace" had the task of following "Runaway Train" and it did a strong job in maintaining the album's momentum.

Answer: Terrence

"Terrence Loves You" appears on Lana Del Ray's 2015 album "Honeymoon". Co-written with Rick Newels this song, which deals with a relationship where the two protagonists are slowly drifting apart, has been infused with some strong jazz influences and the saxophone has a key role in it. Toward the end of the track Lana cleverly uses lines from David Bowie's "Space Oddity".

This juxtaposes the slow drift into space of Major Tom as he is separated from his spacecraft and the separation between the subjects in the song.

Answer: Turner

The Dresden Dolls describe their music as "Brechtian Punk Cabaret". It's a term that they created to avoid journalists using the term "gothic" as a label for their sound. So, what is their sound? Certainly, it contains aspects of theatre, so the cabaret link is apt but then you hear traces of Nick Cave's (The Bad Seeds) darker moments melding with Robert Smith's (The Cure) quirky pop sensibilities. "Lonesome Organist..." is the B-side to their 2006 single "Backstabber" that was lifted from the "Yes, Virginia..." album.

Interestingly, the song doesn't appear on that album but has become such a fan favourite that it scored a slot on the band's first compilation album "No, Virginia..." (2008).

Answer: Tailor

Apart from being the B-side to The Yardbirds' 1967 single "Ha, Ha Said the Clown", this song is also notable for Jimmy Page's experiment of scraping a violin bow across his guitar strings, a technique that is evident on Led Zeppelin's 1969 track "Dazed and Confused".

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine he indicated that the idea was proffered to him by David McCallum's father, a noted violin player who was in the same studio at the time. Page initially had doubts because of the shape of the strings but, after further prompting from McCallum, he worked with it and enjoyed the possibilities it opened up. David McCallum is a Scottish actor best known for his roles as "Ducky" Mallard in television's "NCIS" and Illya Kuryakin in "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."

Answer: Tim

"Tim McGraw" holds a special space in Taylor Swift's heart as it was her debut single and the track that would open her first album. In interviews since, Swift has often acknowledged this and adding that it was also an important song. Firstly, because it was about a relationship.

It was a relationship that ended because the boy moved away but in one where they still remained friends. The other aspect is that the memories here are positive and delivered in that light, unlike "Pictures to Burn", which also appears on the disc.

Answer: Tyson

Brandon Flowers, lead singer of the Killers, had three boys under the age of ten when he wrote this song. He was aware that he was a hero in the eyes of these boys. He was also aware of his own frailties and his imperfections and was worried that these may, one day, lead to him letting his family down.

This became the inspiration to "Tyson vs Douglas". Iron Mike Tyson was a hero to many. He was also the raging hot favourite when he stepped into the ring against Buster Douglas on February 11, 1990 and was promptly knocked out by the challenger in one of boxing's most stunning upsets. "Tyson vs Douglas" appears on the Killers' fifth studio album "Wonderful, Wonderful", which was released in 2017.

Answer: Tom

Bruce Springsteen's original intention for this track was for it to be a full-blown rock song that would appear as a bonus track on his 1995 "Greatest Hits" album but, in his words, he couldn't pull it off. He put the track aside and it emerged later that year as the title track to an acoustic album that would be a sombre reflection on American life in the 1990s. On this, his second acoustic album, it allowed Springsteen to use a minimalist backdrop, which allowed his remarkable storytelling to become the highlight/ Rage Against the Machine covered this track and released it as a single in 1997 and it charted well for the band.

Their guitarist, Tom Morello, a huge Springsteen fan, would later join forces with Bruce and they would produce a stunning "electrified" version of the song, which appears on Springsteen's 2014 album "High Hopes".