London, New York, Paris, Munich
Feb. 19th, 2006 10:41 pmOK, answer, scores, etc to the lyrics quiz.
Thanks to all who played :)
First up, this quiz had a few problems. Notably, I got a couple of the lyrics wrong - I thought I'd double-checked everything but obviously not :( This is what happens when I post things unilaterally without getting ChrisC to fine-toothedly check them them first. Apologies to those who were thrown by the wrongness of the questions.
In some cases, I think there may have been alternative answers - there probably really is a song called 24 Hours from Tulse Hill. It's probably by Half Man Half Biscuit. However, unless there seems to have been genuine ambiguity, I've gone with the "obvious" one.
(The artist attribution is the artist whom I regard as most strongly associated with the song. This isn't necessarily the original. Your opinion may vary :)
Answers:
1. Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place.
Hotel California, The Eagles.
2. This could be Rotterdam, or anywhere, Liverpool or Rome.
Rotterdam, Beautiful South.
3. I never thought it would happen, with me and the girl from Clapham.
Up The Junction, Squeeze.
Please note, it wasn't the girl from Mars!
4. I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere in a field in Hampshire.
Sorted for E's and Whizz, Pulp.
5. We're back in the USSR, don't know how lucky we are.
USSR, Beatles.
This was the first of the major errors. I believe (or at least, Google believes) it should more correctly be:
I'm back in the u.s.s.r.
You don't know how lucky you are boy
Back in the u.s.s.r.
I fear that I might have checked these, corrected them, then reverted to an old copy of the file :(
6. I lost my bag in Newport Pagnell.
Is It Really So Strange?, The Smiths.
And I thought we had a few Smiths fans on here :)
7. If everybody had a notion, across the USA.
Surfin' USA, Beach Boys.
Second major error. It should be:
If everybody had an ocean
Across the u.s.a.
D'you know, I never knew that.
8. I wanna take you to China, I wanna kiss you in Rome.
Dragging Me Down, Inspiral Carpets.
9. I'm going to Wichita, far from this opera for ever more.
Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes.
10. Hello-hooray - there's a price to pay - to the Eton rifles.
Eton Rifles, The Jam.
11. London calling to the faraway towns.
London Calling, The Clash.
12. Walking in Memphis, I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale.
Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn.
I don't think I ever knew the latter half of that line til I looked it up (see, I did look some things up).
13. In the deserts of Sudan and the gardens of Japan.
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Ian Dury And The Blockheads.
14. I left my heart in San Francisco.
I Left My Heart In San Fransisco, Frank Sinatra
15. In Vietnam he was nineteen.
19, Paul Hardcastle.
(And yes, despite all the rules of grammar suggesting otherwise, it is "he" not "it" :)
16. I don't want to go to Chelsea.
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea, Elvis Costello & The Attractions.
17. Don't cry for me, Argentina, the truth is I never left you.
Don't Cry For Me Argentina (from Evita), Elaine Page.
18. Why did Constantinople get the works ? That's nobody's business but the Turks.
Instanbul Not Constantinople, They Might Be Giants.
19. Um Bongo, Um Bongo, they drink it in the Congo.
A TV advert, c198something.
(No,
j4, you needn't worry - I don't think anyone's released it as a single.)
20. I had an uncle who once played for Red Star Belgrade.
Sexuality, Billy Bragg.
21. A holiday in Cambodia, where the slums got so much soul.
Holiday In Cambodia, Dead Kennedys.
22. This means nothing to me. Oh, Vienna!
Vienna, Ultravox.
23. Blame Canada!
Blame Canada, from South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut.
24. Deep down in Louisiana across from New Orleans.
Johnny B Goode, Chuck Berry.
Yes, this has been recorded by a million people. Some sing "way down" instead of "deep down". Actually, it seems that Google thinks most sing "close to New Orleans", too, so this probably counts as another potential error.
25. You can take your year in Provence and shove it up your ass.
I Spy, Pulp.
And not Misshapes as so many people thought :)
26. Winding your way down to Baker St, light in your head and dead on your feet.
Baker Street, Gerry Rafferty.
Do-do-dodo-dododooooooooooooooo....
Every time I walk through Baker Street I sing that sodding sax solo. Badly.
27. Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking.
Girl From Ipanema, Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto.
28. I was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa.
24 Hours From Tulsa, Gene Pitney.
29. If you go to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.
San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair), Scott McKenzie.
I think this should be "If you're goin'...", though no one pointed it out.
30. Are you going to Scarborough Fair, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Scarborough Fair, trad. Though Simon & Garfunkel probably win on numbers.
31. Waterloo. How does it feel since you won the war ?
Waterloo, ABBA.
32. Sleep for a while and speak no words in Australia.
Australia, Manic Street Preachers.
Yup, that's what they're singing.
33. I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien, I'm an Englishman in New York.
Englishman in New York, Sting.
34. Carry the man who's born to be king over the sea to Skye.
Skye Boat Song, trad.
Yes, some people sing "lad" not "man". It's a folk song, not an exact science.
35. As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise.
Waterloo Sunset, The Kinks.
36. I'm just the devil with love to spare, so viva Las Vegas.
Viva Las Vegas, Elvis Presley.
Score one to
olethros, who gets the
jiggery_pokery prize for repeatedly answering the same answer until it's right. Score none to
cardinalsin for trying the same tactic with a different placename. Viva Philadelphia, indeed.
37. I was born in the USA.
Born In The USA, Bruce Springsteen.
For the record, I think that was a bad question. Pity I didn't notice that earlier.
38. One day we'll return here, when the Belfast child sings again.
Belfast Child, Simple Minds.
39. Sweet home Alabama, lord, I'm coming home to you.
Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
40. You take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye.
Loch Lomond, trad.
41. Down town the young ones are growing, we're the kids in America.
Kids In America, Kim Wilde.
42. I'll be your long-haired lover from Liverpool.
Long Haired Lover From Liverpool, Little Jimmy Osmond.
Would you believe I don't actually know this song ?
43. I don't want to change the world, I'm not looking for a new England.
New England, Billy Bragg.
44. No sleep til ________.
OK, this was meant to be No Sleep Til Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys. Neither ChrisC nor I know No Sleep Til Hammersmith by Motorhead. Both Brooklyn and Hammersmith were considered correct.
45. From the shores of Spain to the coast of southern France
The Chicken Song, Spitting Image.
I can't believe anyone born before about 1978 could possibly have escaped having this lodged permanently in their brain. Hooooolld aaaaa chicken in the air...
46. And if the world does turn, and if London burns, I'll be standing on the beach with my guitar.
Anyone Can Play Guitar, Radiohead.
47. There won't be snow in Africa this Christmas.
Do They Know It's Christmas?, Band Aid.
48. One fine day we'll fly away, don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day.
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, Morcheeba.
Most people got this, though judging from the comments everyone guessed :) Mind you, most people guessed Rome for #46, too.
49. And the boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay.
Fairy Tale of New York, The Pogues with Kirsty McColl.
50. New York, New York.
New York, New York, Frank Sinatra.
That question was only really meant as a joke, but most people seemed to get the hang of it :)
Scores:
A surprise non-LJ winner!
The judges' decision is final, and in some cases arbitrary :)
These were marked by ChrisC's perl script. However, the script relied on me providing data in the correct format, and having correctly collated by hand some answers which were sent in by email. So any mistakes are almost certainly my fault - two and a bit hours of cut'n'pasting can make anyone go cross eyed.
Meaningless extra data:
How many people answered each question correctly?
Thanks to all who played :)
First up, this quiz had a few problems. Notably, I got a couple of the lyrics wrong - I thought I'd double-checked everything but obviously not :( This is what happens when I post things unilaterally without getting ChrisC to fine-toothedly check them them first. Apologies to those who were thrown by the wrongness of the questions.
In some cases, I think there may have been alternative answers - there probably really is a song called 24 Hours from Tulse Hill. It's probably by Half Man Half Biscuit. However, unless there seems to have been genuine ambiguity, I've gone with the "obvious" one.
(The artist attribution is the artist whom I regard as most strongly associated with the song. This isn't necessarily the original. Your opinion may vary :)
Answers:
1. Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place.
Hotel California, The Eagles.
2. This could be Rotterdam, or anywhere, Liverpool or Rome.
Rotterdam, Beautiful South.
3. I never thought it would happen, with me and the girl from Clapham.
Up The Junction, Squeeze.
Please note, it wasn't the girl from Mars!
4. I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere in a field in Hampshire.
Sorted for E's and Whizz, Pulp.
5. We're back in the USSR, don't know how lucky we are.
USSR, Beatles.
This was the first of the major errors. I believe (or at least, Google believes) it should more correctly be:
I'm back in the u.s.s.r.
You don't know how lucky you are boy
Back in the u.s.s.r.
I fear that I might have checked these, corrected them, then reverted to an old copy of the file :(
6. I lost my bag in Newport Pagnell.
Is It Really So Strange?, The Smiths.
And I thought we had a few Smiths fans on here :)
7. If everybody had a notion, across the USA.
Surfin' USA, Beach Boys.
Second major error. It should be:
If everybody had an ocean
Across the u.s.a.
D'you know, I never knew that.
8. I wanna take you to China, I wanna kiss you in Rome.
Dragging Me Down, Inspiral Carpets.
9. I'm going to Wichita, far from this opera for ever more.
Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes.
10. Hello-hooray - there's a price to pay - to the Eton rifles.
Eton Rifles, The Jam.
11. London calling to the faraway towns.
London Calling, The Clash.
12. Walking in Memphis, I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale.
Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn.
I don't think I ever knew the latter half of that line til I looked it up (see, I did look some things up).
13. In the deserts of Sudan and the gardens of Japan.
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Ian Dury And The Blockheads.
14. I left my heart in San Francisco.
I Left My Heart In San Fransisco, Frank Sinatra
15. In Vietnam he was nineteen.
19, Paul Hardcastle.
(And yes, despite all the rules of grammar suggesting otherwise, it is "he" not "it" :)
16. I don't want to go to Chelsea.
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea, Elvis Costello & The Attractions.
17. Don't cry for me, Argentina, the truth is I never left you.
Don't Cry For Me Argentina (from Evita), Elaine Page.
18. Why did Constantinople get the works ? That's nobody's business but the Turks.
Instanbul Not Constantinople, They Might Be Giants.
19. Um Bongo, Um Bongo, they drink it in the Congo.
A TV advert, c198something.
(No,
20. I had an uncle who once played for Red Star Belgrade.
Sexuality, Billy Bragg.
21. A holiday in Cambodia, where the slums got so much soul.
Holiday In Cambodia, Dead Kennedys.
22. This means nothing to me. Oh, Vienna!
Vienna, Ultravox.
23. Blame Canada!
Blame Canada, from South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut.
24. Deep down in Louisiana across from New Orleans.
Johnny B Goode, Chuck Berry.
Yes, this has been recorded by a million people. Some sing "way down" instead of "deep down". Actually, it seems that Google thinks most sing "close to New Orleans", too, so this probably counts as another potential error.
25. You can take your year in Provence and shove it up your ass.
I Spy, Pulp.
And not Misshapes as so many people thought :)
26. Winding your way down to Baker St, light in your head and dead on your feet.
Baker Street, Gerry Rafferty.
Do-do-dodo-dododooooooooooooooo....
Every time I walk through Baker Street I sing that sodding sax solo. Badly.
27. Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking.
Girl From Ipanema, Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto.
28. I was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa.
24 Hours From Tulsa, Gene Pitney.
29. If you go to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.
San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair), Scott McKenzie.
I think this should be "If you're goin'...", though no one pointed it out.
30. Are you going to Scarborough Fair, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Scarborough Fair, trad. Though Simon & Garfunkel probably win on numbers.
31. Waterloo. How does it feel since you won the war ?
Waterloo, ABBA.
32. Sleep for a while and speak no words in Australia.
Australia, Manic Street Preachers.
Yup, that's what they're singing.
33. I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien, I'm an Englishman in New York.
Englishman in New York, Sting.
34. Carry the man who's born to be king over the sea to Skye.
Skye Boat Song, trad.
Yes, some people sing "lad" not "man". It's a folk song, not an exact science.
35. As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise.
Waterloo Sunset, The Kinks.
36. I'm just the devil with love to spare, so viva Las Vegas.
Viva Las Vegas, Elvis Presley.
Score one to
37. I was born in the USA.
Born In The USA, Bruce Springsteen.
For the record, I think that was a bad question. Pity I didn't notice that earlier.
38. One day we'll return here, when the Belfast child sings again.
Belfast Child, Simple Minds.
39. Sweet home Alabama, lord, I'm coming home to you.
Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
40. You take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye.
Loch Lomond, trad.
41. Down town the young ones are growing, we're the kids in America.
Kids In America, Kim Wilde.
42. I'll be your long-haired lover from Liverpool.
Long Haired Lover From Liverpool, Little Jimmy Osmond.
Would you believe I don't actually know this song ?
43. I don't want to change the world, I'm not looking for a new England.
New England, Billy Bragg.
44. No sleep til ________.
OK, this was meant to be No Sleep Til Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys. Neither ChrisC nor I know No Sleep Til Hammersmith by Motorhead. Both Brooklyn and Hammersmith were considered correct.
45. From the shores of Spain to the coast of southern France
The Chicken Song, Spitting Image.
I can't believe anyone born before about 1978 could possibly have escaped having this lodged permanently in their brain. Hooooolld aaaaa chicken in the air...
46. And if the world does turn, and if London burns, I'll be standing on the beach with my guitar.
Anyone Can Play Guitar, Radiohead.
47. There won't be snow in Africa this Christmas.
Do They Know It's Christmas?, Band Aid.
48. One fine day we'll fly away, don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day.
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, Morcheeba.
Most people got this, though judging from the comments everyone guessed :) Mind you, most people guessed Rome for #46, too.
49. And the boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay.
Fairy Tale of New York, The Pogues with Kirsty McColl.
50. New York, New York.
New York, New York, Frank Sinatra.
That question was only really meant as a joke, but most people seemed to get the hang of it :)
Scores:
A surprise non-LJ winner!
The judges' decision is final, and in some cases arbitrary :)
These were marked by ChrisC's perl script. However, the script relied on me providing data in the correct format, and having correctly collated by hand some answers which were sent in by email. So any mistakes are almost certainly my fault - two and a bit hours of cut'n'pasting can make anyone go cross eyed.
| 47 | Ranko |
| 43 | |
| 40 | |
| 39 | |
| JdB | |
| 38 | |
| 37 | |
| 36 | |
| 35 | |
| 34 | |
| 33 | |
| 32 | |
| 31 | Davek |
| 30 | |
| 29 | |
| 28 | |
| 27 | |
| 26 | Alan |
| 25 | |
| 24 | |
| 23 | |
| 22 | |
| 21 | |
| 19 | |
| 16 | |
| 13 | |
| 11 | |
| 9 |
Meaningless extra data:
How many people answered each question correctly?
| Q33 | I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien, I'm an Englishman in New York | 55 people |
| Q1 | Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place. | 55 people |
| Q19 | Um Bongo, Um Bongo, they drink it in the Congo. | 55 people |
| Q17 | Don't cry for me, Argentina, the truth is I never left you. | 54 people |
| Q40 | You take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye. | 51 people |
| Q48 | One fine day we'll fly away, don't you know that Rome wasn't built in a day. | 51 people |
| Q30 | Are you going to Scarborogh fair, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. | 50 people |
| Q39 | Sweet home Alabama, lord, I'm coming home to you. | 49 people |
| Q2 | This could be Rotterdam, or anywhere, Liverpool or Rome. | 46 people |
| Q22 | This means nothing to me. Oh, Vienna! | 46 people |
| Q42 | I'll be your long-haired lover from Liverpool. | 45 people |
| Q41 | Down town the young ones are growing, we're the kids in America. | 45 people |
| Q29 | If you go to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. | 43 people |
| Q47 | There won't be snow in Africa this Christmas. | 43 people |
| Q36 | I'm just the devil with love to spare, so viva Las Vegas. | 42 people |
| Q12 | Walking in Memphis, I was walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale. | 42 people |
| Q14 | I left my heart in San Francisco. | 41 people |
| Q11 | London calling to the faraway towns. | 41 people |
| Q50 | New York, New York. | 40 people |
| Q5 | We're back in the USSR, don't know how lucky we are. | 40 people |
| Q34 | Carry the man who's born to be king over the sea to Skye. | 39 people |
| Q35 | As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise. | 37 people |
| Q43 | I don't want to change the world, I'm not looking for a new England. | 35 people |
| Q18 | Why did Constantinople get the works ? That's nobody's business but the Turks. | 34 people |
| Q10 | Hello-hooray - there's a price to pay - to the Eton rifles | 32 people |
| Q23 | Blame Canada! | 31 people |
| Q4 | I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere in a field in Hampshire | 30 people |
| Q44 | No sleep til Brooklyn | 29 people |
| Q37 | I was born in the USA. | 29 people |
| Q26 | Winding your way down to Baker St, light in your head and dead on your feet. | 28 people |
| Q28 | I was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa. | 28 people |
| Q49 | And the boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay. | 28 people |
| Q25 | You can take your year in Provence and shove it up your ass. | 25 people |
| Q13 | In the deserts of Sudan and the gardens of Japan. | 25 people |
| Q15 | In Vietnam he was nineteen. | 25 people |
| Q3 | I never thought it would happen, with me and the girl from Clapham | 24 people |
| Q38 | One day we'll return here, when the Belfast child sings again. | 24 people |
| Q27 | Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking. | 22 people |
| Q24 | Deep down in Louisiana across from New Orleans | 22 people |
| Q16 | I don't want to go to Chelsea. | 21 people |
| Q21 | A holiday in Cambodia, where the slums got so much soul. | 20 people |
| Q7 | If everybody had a notion, across the USA. | 18 people |
| Q20 | I had an uncle who once played for Red Star Belgrade. | 18 people |
| Q45 | From the shores of Spain to the coast of southern France | 18 people |
| Q46 | And if the world does turn, and if London burns, I'll be standing on the beach with my guitar. | 17 people |
| Q31 | Waterloo. How does it feel since you won the war ? | 13 people |
| Q8 | I wanna take you to China, I wanna kiss you in Rome. | 11 people |
| Q9 | I'm going to Wichita, far from this opera for ever more. | 6 people |
| Q6 | I lost my bag in Newport Pagnell. | 5 people |
| Q32 | Sleep for a while and speak no words in Australia. | 4 people |
no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 10:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 10:50 pm (UTC)I claim it's not a "genuine ambiguity", even if it is a genuine song, since Carter were taking the piss out of the original. Once you start allowing parodies in lyrics quizzes all hell breaks loose (though admittedly this one did seem to lend itself to it).
no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 11:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 11:04 pm (UTC)Can anyone confirm/deny this ?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 11:15 pm (UTC)The Beastie Boys who knew such things may have been parodying this, hence invalidating your rejection of Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine.
I left My Heart in Papworth general was probably HMHB tho...
no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 11:17 pm (UTC)I might well have left this question out, though, if only I'd realised the Hammersmith confusion existed.
I left My Heart in Papworth general was probably HMHB tho...
:)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 11:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 11:09 pm (UTC)Put me down for 13 retrospectively. Good company!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 01:16 am (UTC)Got the CD, been to the gig, don't have the T-shirt.
I think the only one I guessed was Red Star Belgrade - I'm slightly surprised that only 18 people got it given that surely some of your friends have at least heard of football?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 01:56 am (UTC)The whole song makes a lot more sense once you know the geography:
Beale (St.) - generally touted as the place where Blues was invented by W.C Handy ("Memphis Blues", 1912), although the details are a little more complicated.
Union Avenue - the address of Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley made his first recording. Generally touted as the place where Rock 'n' Roll was invented by Ike Turner ("Rocket 88", 1951), although the details are a little more complicated.
Graceland - Elvis' mansion. Following the ghost of Elvis from Union Avenue to Graceland would be the best part of an afternoon's walk or about a 20 dollar cab ride. I believe the jungle room is in Graceland, although I didn't go.
Reverend Green - Al Green, soul singer and preacher.
The Hollywood - cheapass-looking club on about Second or Third, a few blocks south of Beale. If you go, I'd recommend taking a cab home from within sight of the door.
no subject
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 09:21 am (UTC)This one didn't throw me at all, as I'd always been quite sure that's what they were singing myself. The things you learn!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 09:35 am (UTC)Thank God! I thought it was just me who did that!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 10:52 am (UTC)>
> Would you believe I don't actually know this song ?
I strongly suggest you keep it that way. It's not just a bad song, it's one of those Really Really Annoying ones.
Fantastic quiz, btw. I nominate you for DHW!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 11:15 am (UTC)Who is this mysterious Ranko, and how did they accumulate so much obscure musical trivia?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-21 11:51 pm (UTC)A rapper-dancing type and (I believe) a crystallographer. As to the accumulation, I have no idea - he might be slightly older than you, so maybe we can chalk it up to just having an extra few years' ear-waggling time.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 01:59 pm (UTC)8. I wanna take you to China, I wanna kiss you in Rome.
Dragging Me Down, Inspiral Carpets.
Although I got this one right, I was thinking of "I wanna kiss you in Paris / I wanna hold your hand in Rome" from Madonna's 'Justify My Love'. The Inspiral Carpets were significantly fewer sexy.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-21 11:52 pm (UTC)(Though I agree 100% with his griping. They did go downhill after Pablo Honey.)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 02:47 pm (UTC)Waterloo, ABBA.
Er, is this some alternate version of lyrics to usual? (The usual lyrics being "I was defeated, you won the war")
Fun quiz, thanks for putting it together.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-21 11:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-22 12:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-20 11:43 pm (UTC)