How well do you know your music? Let’s find out with a quiz that accompanies this week playlist.
The subjects du jour are : Chris De Burgh, Snowy White, Queen, The Damned, Bobby McFerrin, The Flying Pickets, The Jeff Healey Band, Gillan, Gloria Gaynor, The Party Boys, Pepsi & Shirlie, Gary Numan
They are the performers of twelve “live” music videos that were ranked in various charts, this week (50/52) BUT … in the EIghties 80s.
1. What celestial event is reimagined in Chris de Burgh’s song from *Spanish Train and Other Stories*?
- A The Northern Lights
- B The Star of Bethlehem
- C A solar eclipse
2. Which chart position did Snowy White’s debut single “Bird of Paradise” achieve in the UK?
- A Number 3
- B Number 6
- C Number 11
3. What is unique about Queen’s “Thank God It’s Christmas” release?
- A It was never released as a single
- B It did not have an official music video until 2019
- C It features a live choir
4. Which historical figure’s speech is featured in The Damned’s “In Dulce Decorum”?
- A Franklin D. Roosevelt
- B Winston Churchill
- C Joseph Stalin
5. Which technique is most distinctive in Bobby McFerrin’s “Thinkin’ About Your Body”?
- A Guitar harmonics
- B Extended vocal methods
- C Drum machines
6. The Flying Pickets covered “Who’s That Girl?” originally by which band?
- A Fleetwood Mac
- B The Cure
- C Eurythmics
7. Which film featured The Jeff Healey Band’s version of “When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky”?
- A Dirty Dancing
- B Pretty Woman
- C Road House
8. Whose musical talents are solely responsible for Gillan’s “Nightmare”?
- A Ian Gillan
- B Colin Towns
- C Janick Gers
9. Which aspect of Gloria Gaynor’s song “I Am What I Am” resonates as a global anthem?
- A Its dance beat
- B Its lyrics of self-identity
- C Its key change
10. What success did The Party Boys achieve with their cover of “He’s Gonna Step On You Again”?
- A Reached number one in Australia
- B Gained Grammy nomination
- C Was a hit at Eurovision
11. Which Gary Numan song contains samples from the film *Blade Runner*?
- A “Cars”
- B “Call Out the Dogs”
- C “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”
Tracklist
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1 . Chris De Burgh – A Spaceman Came TravellingFeatured on the 1971 album “Spanish Train and Other Stories”.
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2 . Snowy White – Bird Of ParadiseFeatured on the 1975 album “White Flames”.
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3 . Queen – Thank God It’s Christmas
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4 . The Damned – In Dulce DecorumFeatured on the 1984 album “Anything”.
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5 . Bobby McFerrin – Thinkin’ About Your BodyFeatured on the 1986 album “Spontaneous Inventions”.
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6 . The Flying Pickets – Who’s That GirlFeatured on the 1986 album “Lost Boys”.
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7 . The Jeff Healey Band – When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky
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8 . Gillan – NightmareFeatured on the 1988 album “Double Trouble”.
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9 . Gloria Gaynor – I Am What I AmFeatured on the 1981 album “I Am Gloria Gaynor”.
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10 . The Party Boys – He’s Gonna Step On You AgainFeatured on the 1983 album “The Party Boys”.
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11 . Pepsi & Shirlie – All Right NowFeatured on the 1987 album “All Right Now”. |
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12 . Gary Numan – Call Out The DogsFeatured on the 1987 album “The Fury”.
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And the correct answers (in case you missed one or two) are:
1. The Star of Bethlehem takes on a sci-fi twist, imagined as a spaceship. This narrative aligns with ideas about ancient aliens and cyclical cataclysms.
2. Achieving number 6 on the UK Singles Chart, “Bird of Paradise” marked Snowy White’s chart success and featured his unique guitar work.
3. There was no official video for “Thank God It’s Christmas” until 2019, marking a long-awaited visual accompaniment to Queen’s festive contribution.
4. Winston Churchill’s speech adds gravity, with its wartime context, to The Damned’s “In Dulce Decorum”, marked by historical references.
5. McFerrin’s innovative extended vocal methods define “Thinkin’ About Your Body”, featuring scat and rhythmic effects sans instruments.
6. Eurythmics originally performed “Who’s That Girl?”, later covered a cappella by The Flying Pickets with a lesser commercial impact.
7. “Road House” featured The Jeff Healey Band’s rendition of Dylan’s track, placing the song in a cinematic context with a new audience.
8. Colin Towns alone crafted “Nightmare”, combining melodic and AOR elements, helping define the album’s sound.
9. Self-identity and independence in “I Am What I Am” made it an anthem, celebrating personal authenticity and resilience.
10. The Party Boys topped Australia’s chart with their cover of Kongos’ track, showcasing their interpretation of the 1971 hit.
11. “Call Out the Dogs” sampled *Blade Runner*, enhancing its futuristic and industrial feel fitting Numan’s style.
For THE FULL ‘ARE WE LIVE?’ COLLECTION click here