Another week and another new installment of The Nickel Quiz. This week we’re giving you lyrics to songs with titles that begin with the word “No.” It may be repeated again in the title, but the first word of each title is “No.”
As usual, scoring is on the honor system (no Googling):
Correct Artist: 1 point
Correct Song Title: 1 point
Maximum Score: 10 points
You’ve only got my heart on a string / And everything a-flutter
Say I remember when we used to sit / In a government yard in Trenchtown / Observing the hypocrites
Seasons change and so did I / You need not wonder why
We make love, and it’s all the same / Your eyes show nothing, no lover’s flame
Nothing to see, nothing to say, nothing to do
[Difficulty: ♫ ♫ / No scrubs]
Answers to The Nickel Quiz #8: By the Numbers:
“Two of Us” (originally by The Beatles)
“At Seventeen” (originally by Janis Ian)
“Hey Nineteen” (originally by Steely Dan)
“Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad” (originally by Meat Loaf)
Another week and a new installment of The Nickel Quiz. This week we’re giving you lyrics to songs that feature a number in the title. Hint: If you add up the numbers contained in the titles of the five songs, the total will be 44.
As usual, scoring is on the honor system (no Googling):
Correct Artist: 1 point
Correct Song Title: 1 point
Maximum Score: 10 points
You and I have memories / Longer than the road / That stretches out ahead
The valentines I never knew / The Friday night charades of youth / Were spent on one more beautiful
Sweet things from Boston, so young and willing / Moved down to Scarsdale, where the hell am I?
I poured it on and I poured it out / I tried to show you just how much I care
It’s just no good anymore since you went away / Now I spend my time just making rhymes of yesterday
[Difficulty: ♫ ♫ / Four out of five dentists agree]
Answers to The Nickel Quiz #7: Mystery Quiz I (Theme: Apology):
“Purple Rain” (originally by Prince)
“So. Central Rain” (originally by R.E.M.)
“Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” (originally by Elton John)
This week, we’re keeping the theme of the The Nickel Quiz a secret. If you can determine even a couple of the song titles and original artists for the five lyrics below, you may still be able to determine the motif that ties the three songs together.
As usual, scoring is on the honor system (no Googling):
Correct Artist: 1 point
Correct Song Title: 1 point
Mystery Theme: 5 points
Maximum Score: 15 points
I never wanted to be your weekend lover / I only wanted to be some kind of friend
Eastern to Mountain, third party call, the lines are down
What do I got to do to make you love me? / What do I got to do to make you care?
All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado / Trying to keep up a smile that hides a tear
I was trying to catch your eyes / Thought that you was trying to hide / I was swallowing my pain
[Difficulty: ♫ / Wouldn’t you like to know?]
Answers to The Nickel Quiz #6: Superheroes:
“You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” (originally by Jim Croce)
“Iron Man” (originally by Black Sabbath)
“One Week” (originally by Barenaked Ladies)
“The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” (originally by The Beatles)
Another week and another installment of The Nickel Quiz. This week were looking up to the sky and trying to figure out if that brightly-colored streak is an exotic bird or a scheduled Jet Blue flight. You’ll find the name of a superhero in each song’s lyrics or title.
As usual, scoring is on the honor system (no Googling):
Correct Artist: 1 point
Correct Song Title: 1 point
Maximum Score: 10 points
You don’t tug on Superman‘s cape / You don’t spit into the wind
Heavy boots of lead / Fills his victims full of dread
Hold it now and watch the hoodwink / As I make you stop, think / You’ll think you’re looking at Aquaman
Bill and his elephants were taken by surprise / So Captain Marvel zapped him right between the eyes
Captain America‘s been torn apart / Now he’s a court jester with a broken heart
[Difficulty: ♫ ♫ / Lyrics of steel]
Answers to The Nickel Quiz #5: Ka-ching!:
“Penny Lane” (originally by The Beatles)
“Down on the Corner” (originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival)
“Jukebox (Don’t Put Another Dime)” (originally by The Flirts)
“Harden My Heart” (originally by Quarterflash)
“If I Had a Million Dollars” (originally by Barenaked Ladies)
This is the fifth installment of The Nickel Quiz. To celebrate this milestone, this week you’ll find some form of U.S. currency in each song’s lyrics, title, or in the artist’s name.
As usual, scoring is on the honor system (no Googling):
Correct Artist: 1 point
Correct Song Title: 1 point
Maximum Score: 10 points
Four of fish and finger pies in summer
If you’ve got a nickel, won’t you lay your money down
Little things remind me of you / Cheap cologne and that damn song too
All of my life, I’ve been waitin’ in the rain / I’ve been waitin’ for a feeling that never, ever came
I’d buy you a fur coat (But not a real fur coat, that’s cruel)
[Difficulty: ♫ ♫ / A little bit louder now]
Answers to The Nickel Quiz #4: Lit Rock:
“The Ghost of Tom Joad” (originally by Bruce Springsteen) is about The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
“House at Pooh Corner” (originally by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and covered by Loggins and Messina) is about The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne
“Moon Over Bourbon Street” (originally by Sting) was inspired by Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire
“Popular” (originally by Nada Surf) is based on Penny’s Guide to Teen-Age Charm and Popularity by Gloria Winters
“Wuthering Heights” (originally by Kate Bush, notably covered by Pat Benatar) is about Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights
This week’s installment of The Nickel Quiz features lyrics from songs that written about or based on books. Additional points are available for naming the book’s title and author.
As usual, scoring is on the honor system (no Googling):
Correct Artist: 1 point
Correct Song Title: 1 point
Correct Author: 1 point
Correct Book Title: 1 point
Maximum Score: 20 points
Well, the highway is alive tonight / But nobody’s kiddin’ nobody about where it goes / I’m sittin’ down here in the campfire light
Count all the bees in the hive / Chase all the clouds from the sky
Now I can never show my face at noon / And you’ll only see me walking by the light of the moon
Make sure to keep your hair spotless and clean / Wash it at least every two weeks / Once every two weeks
Bad dreams in the night / They told me I was going to lose the fight
[Difficulty: ♫ ♫ ♫ / Hard Times]
Answers to The Nickel Quiz #3: This and That:
“Fire and Rain” (originally by James Taylor)
“Round and Round” (originally by Ratt)
“Ebony and Ivory” (originally by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder)
“Pork and Beans” (originally by Weezer)
“Heart and Soul” (originally by Huey Lewis and the News)
The Independence Day holiday is fast approaching. Fireworks, flags, and fun for all. This week’s installment of The Nickel Quiz features lyrics for songs that include “America” in the song’s title or the band’s name.
As usual, scoring is on the honor system (no Googling):
Correct Artist: 1 point
Correct Song Title: 1 point
Maximum Score: 10 points
Take a look at my girlfriend / She’s the only one I got
She spent her twenties between the sheets / And life limped along at subsonic speeds
I’ve been one poor correspondent / And I’ve been too, too hard to find / But it doesn’t mean you ain’t been on my mind
You were the apple of the public’s eye as you cut the ribbon at the local mall
Hot-shot, give me no problems / Much later, baby, you’ll be saying never mind / You know life is cruel, life is never kind
[Difficulty: ♫ ♫ / Medium Rare]
Starting this week, answers will be posted at the end of the following week’s quiz.
Some of you may recall my music podcast, Suitcase Full of Dimes, but I haven’t put a new episode out in a very long time. Initially, the intention of this blog was to continue the podcast. However, plans changed, time continued to move in a forward direction, and suddenly it was five years later.
Instead I’ll be using this blog to periodically post a music quiz of some sort. Periodically, because, besides my day job, I’m also working as the editor-in-chief of National Pasquinade (e)magazine, which can be very time-consuming. I need more sleep.
This first installment features five sets of lyrics that begin each song in question.
Scoring is on the honor system (no Googling):
Correct Artist: 1 point
Correct Song Title: 1 point
Maximum Score: 10 points
Home in the valley / Home in the city / Home isn’t pretty / Ain’t no home for me
I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day
I never thought it would happen / With me and the girl from Clapham
I was searchin’ on a one-way street / I was hopin’ for a chance to meet
Another week and another new installment of The Nickel Quiz. This week we’re giving you lyrics to songs with titles that begin with the word “No.” It may be repeated again in the title, but the first word of each title is “No.”