Monthly Archives: June 2016

The Nickel Quiz

The Nickel Quiz #2: America, the Beautiful

The Nickel QuizThe 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
  1. Take a look at my girlfriend / She’s the only one I got
  2. She spent her twenties between the sheets / And life limped along at subsonic speeds
  3. 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
  4. You were the apple of the public’s eye as you cut the ribbon at the local mall
  5. 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.

 

Lyric of the Week

Lyric of the Week: Pleasant Valley Sunday (The Monkees)

Lyric of the WeekIn an effort to make Suitcase Full of Dimes as much about discovery as it is about jogging the memory of the familiar, every Sunday I’ll be posting lyrics to a song that I find has a nice turn of phrase, an entertaining story line, or is just plain fun to sing along to in the shower or on the morning commute.

Since it’s a Sunday, this week’s song is one of those great songs to sing along to on the radio. I especially love the “ta ta ta ta’s” near the end.

Enjoy Pleasant Valley Sunday by The Monkees.

The local rock group down the street
Is trying hard to learn their song
They serenade the weekend squire
Who just came out to mow his lawn

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Charcoal burning everywhere
Rows of houses that are all the same
And no one seems to care

See Mrs. Gray, she’s proud today
Because her roses are in bloom
And Mr. Green, he’s so serene
He’s got a TV in every room

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Here in status symbol land
Mothers complain about how hard life is
And the kids just don’t understand

Creature comfort goals
They only numb my soul
And make it hard for me to see
My thoughts all seem to stray
To places far away
I need a change of scenery

If you have a favorite song that features entertaining lyrics which you’d like to see featured as a Lyric of the Week, drop me a line in the comments (or email me at ed@suitcasefullofdimes.com) and tell me what you find special about the song. Maybe we’ll feature it in a future installment.

The Nickel Quiz

The Nickel Quiz #1: Beginnings

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
  1. Home in the valley / Home in the city / Home isn’t pretty / Ain’t no home for me
  2. I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day
  3. I never thought it would happen / With me and the girl from Clapham
  4. I was searchin’ on a one-way street / I was hopin’ for a chance to meet
  5. Here come Johnny singing oldies, goldies

[Difficulty: ♫  /  Easy like a Sunday morning]

 

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