The Singer Not The Song (part 4) Quiz

Answer: Madonna

The song is "Hey Soul Sister" and it's by the group Train. But the singer you had to name was Madonna:

"Just in time, I'm so glad you have a one-track mind like me
You gave my life direction, a game show love connection we can't deny
I'm so obsessed, my heart is bound to beat right out of my untrimmed chest
I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna
And I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind."

The song was written by Train's frontman Pat Monahan. It was the first single released from the band's fifth album, "Save Me San Francisco" (2009).

Answer: Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra was the singer and fellow New Jerseyite that Bon Jovi referred to in their 2000 song "It's My Life":

"Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
It's my life"

It came from their album "Crush." This song "It's My Life" was the song Bon Jovi played at the "Concert For New York" to benefit victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. They also performed it at 2002 Winter Olympics closing ceremonies at Salt Lake City.

Answer: The Everly Brothers

Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly comprise The Everly Brothers; they were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

"Someone's knockin' at the door
Somebody's ringin' the bell
Someone's knockin' at the door
Somebody's ringin' the bell
Do me a favor
Open the door and let 'em in, yeah, let 'em in
Sister Suzie, brother John
Martin Luther, Phil and Don
Brother Michael, auntie Gin
Open the door and let 'em in, yeah"

Sister Suzie was a reference to Linda McCartney; Paul told The Mail on Sunday's Event magazine that when they took a vacation to Jamaica, the locals would call Linda 'Susie' and Paul and Linda liked that.
"Brother John" referred to Linda McCartney's brother, John Eastman, who tended to Paul's business interests. So that was not a reference to John Lennon--but Lennon did not go unmentioned. The person "Martin Luther" is actually a tip of the hat to John since he was jokingly nicknamed "John Martin Luther Lennon" by his Beatles bandmates. "Brother Michael" is Mike McCartney, Paul's younger brother, and "Auntie Gin" is Paul's aunt who reportedly was responsible for getting Paul's parents to meet each other.

And in a later verse "Uncle Ernie" is mentioned which is a reference to Keith Moon, drummer for the group The Who. Mr. Moon played Uncle Ernie in the movie version of the rock opera "Tommy".

Answer: Elvis

The song is "That Don't Impress Me Much".

"You think you're cool but have you got the touch
Don't get me wrong, yeah I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm on the long, cold, lonely night
That don't impress me much
Okay, so what do you think you're Elvis or something
Whatever
That don't impress me."

The song is from her 1997 album "Come On Over." It turned out to be her third-biggest single on the Hot 100, right after two others that came from the same album. That's a big album! The other two big hits were "You're Still the One" and "From This Moment On". "That Don't Impress Me Much" is her biggest hit in England though, selling 763,000 copies.

Answer: Courtney Love, Marilyn Manson, Beck and Hanson

The singer Gregg Alexander wrote this about people fixated on fame, and his cynical view about today's celebrity culture.

"Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson
Courtney Love, and Marilyn Manson
You're all fakes
Run to your mansions
Come around
We'll kick your ass in."

It's the best known song from his terrific and energetic album from 1998, "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed, Too." A lot of movies, TV shows, and commercials have used the music of this song. How good is this record? Let's put it this way: World famous guitarist The Edge of the world famous group U2, told Time magazine in 2006 that it is the song he is most jealous of.

Answer: Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald

Duke Ellington had passed away in 1974, and Stevie wrote this song for his album "Songs in the Key of Life" just two years later.

"Music knows it is and always will
Be one of the things that life just won't quit
But here are some of music's pioneers
That time will not allow us to forget
For there's Basie, Miller, Satchmo
And the king of all Sir Duke
And with a voice like Ella's ringing out
There's no way the band can lose."

"Sir Duke" debuted on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at number 74 on March 27th 1977; almost two months later on, May 15th, it hit number one staying there for three weeks. It lived in the Top 100 for 17 weeks.

Answer: Bob Dylan

Yes, "Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody loves you, son, that's just about as funky as you can be" and that someone is apparently Bob Dylan.

The song is from the group's 1993 album, "August And Everything After." This song was the first single released by Counting Crows and turned out to be their biggest hit (though I prefer "A Long December"!). There was an interesting marketing ploy involving this song--something I didn't suspect was done by record companies, but what they did was not release the song as a single in the U.S. effectively keeping the song off the Billboard 100 Chart and forcing listeners to buy the album in order to hear the song. It worked as sales of the album hit seven million. Other big songs that were not released as singles a la this strategy are "Don't Speak" by No Doubt and "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia.

Answer: Edwin Starr, Bob Seger

"There was Frankie Lyman, Bobby Fuller, Mitch Ryder
They were Rockin'
Jackie Wilson, Shangri-las, Young Rascals
They were Rockin'
Spotlight on Martha Reeves
Let's don't forget James Brown
Rockin' in the U.S.A.
Rockin' in the U.S.A.
Hey!"

The song is from Mellencamp's 1985 album "Scarecrow", which peaked at number two on the U.S. album chart. This tribute song is clearly meant to be understood as that since it is subtitled "A Salute to 60's Rock". Before recording this record, Mellencamp and his band learned and played their way through dozens of '60s rocker songs in order to get a feel for the genre.

Answer: Brenda Lee

Brenda Lee was the singer who was coming on strong, and really of the four choices, the only realistic choice since the song came out in 1973, appearing on Golden Earring's album "Moontan". Gloria Estefan's Miami Sound Machine didn't start recording albums until 1977, Laura Branigan didn't sign with a record label until 1979, and Ellie Goulding wasn't even born until 1986, 13 years after "Radar Love" came out.

The song has been covered by more than 250 notable recording artists including U2 and REM. That particular Brenda Lee lyric is a bit of wordplay as she had a hit song in 1966 called "Coming On Strong."

Answer: Mick Jagger, Elton John

Billy Joel rather famously is the first person to issue lukewarm statements about this own song with this one. He told Billboard magazine that "It's terrible musically. It's like a mosquito buzzing around your head." This lack of melody is possibly attributable to his having written the lyrics before the melody which is something he rarely does.

Despite his own tepid opinion of the song ("Essentially a novelty song" he told Rolling Stone magazine), the song became his third number one in the United States.