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This Song is About Vietnam? Trivia Quiz

Yeah, us '60s relics remember Country Joe and the Fish and his "1,2,3 what are we fightin' for..." But who knew that a certain Monkees song was also about Vietnam? Read on....

A multiple-choice quiz by Daft. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
Daft

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
104,062

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
5

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
3 / 5

Plays
1686

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 5

1. Peter, Paul and Mary had a big hit with a song written by John Denver, who later released it himself. What song was it? Hint

Puff the Magic Dragon

Blowin' in the Wind

Leaving on a Jet Plane

500 Miles

NEXT>

Question 2 of 5

2. The Monkees wanted to join the fray and record a protest song. Which hit of theirs was their attempt? Hint

Daily Nightly

Last Train to Clarksville

I Wanna Be Free

Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)

NEXT>

Question 3 of 5

3. Elton John wrote a fictional account of a Vietnam veteran whom everyone wanted to perform as a hero but who only wanted to be left alone. What was the name of the song? Hint

Funeral for a Friend

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Daniel

Border Song

NEXT>

Question 4 of 5

4. This was often taken as being about Vietnam, but John Fogerty says it was about fighting in America. Which song is this? Hint

Bad Moon Rising

Lookin' Out My Back Door

Run Through the Jungle

Down on the Corner

NEXT>

Question 5 of 5

5. Bruce Springsteen: this at first glance sounds like an anthemic, patriotic chant, but if you listen to the lyrics, you realize it's not. What song? Hint

Glory Days

Born to Run

Born in the USA

Racing in the Streets

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Peter, Paul and Mary had a big hit with a song written by John Denver, who later released it himself. What song was it?

Answer: Leaving on a Jet Plane

Admittedly, I was but a child when the war was in full swing, so I missed a lot of what was going on. I guess that's why I always thought this John Denver song was about him touring, not Vietnam. As I was even younger when Peter, Paul and Mary released, I was even more clueless.

2. The Monkees wanted to join the fray and record a protest song. Which hit of theirs was their attempt?

Answer: Last Train to Clarksville

They didn't write the song, but according to Micky Dolenz, they wouldn't have been allowed to say a whole lot if they had, either. So there's really not much of a protest at all, just a reluctance to go. (Note from the editor: the only line that Boyce & Hart put in as an oblique reference to Vietnam was 'And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.)

3. Elton John wrote a fictional account of a Vietnam veteran whom everyone wanted to perform as a hero but who only wanted to be left alone. What was the name of the song?

Answer: Daniel

Again, I had no idea this had anything to do with the war. But it's supposed to be about a vet who gets blinded in Vietnam, comes home to a crowd who wants him to be a hero when all he wants is to be left alone. So he escapes to Spain. His younger brother misses him and wishes he would come back.

4. This was often taken as being about Vietnam, but John Fogerty says it was about fighting in America. Which song is this?

Answer: Run Through the Jungle

According to John, it was his remark about American society, using the jungle as a metaphor. The lyrics "two hundred million guns are loaded" is referring to the ease with which guns are purchased in America, and how it is a jungle over here. By the way, Bad Moon Rising IS about Vietnam, so I've heard, but the lyrics seem pretty general to me.

5. Bruce Springsteen: this at first glance sounds like an anthemic, patriotic chant, but if you listen to the lyrics, you realize it's not. What song?

Answer: Born in the USA

"Sent me off to a foreign land/To go and kill the yellow man"
"I had a brother at Khe Sahn/Fighting off the Viet Cong/
They're still there, he's all gone"

Source: Author Daft

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Dalgleish before going online.
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