All yesterday's songs were about famous artists. Let me paint you a picture of the answers...
Special mention must go to the amazing Jonathan Richman who has written more songs about famous artists than anyone else. But he's featured here recently, and I'm running out of clues that link back to him...
If you got All Shook Up by yesterday's quiz, don't go Crying In The Chapel this Sunday morning. Here's a little Peace In The Valley instead... the answers!
Rain led to a low turn-out yesterday morning, but Lynchie nabbed the early, easy ones. Maybe this quiz is getting too difficult. Maybe it's run its course. Not far from 100... perhaps I'll retire it with the century.
In the meantime... a quick trot through the answers this week with A Little Less Conversation than usual as I'm too tired to write loads.
10. Played by Dexys' error... so good they named him twice.
When Dexys appeared on Top of the Pops singing Jackie Wilson Said, they had a huge picture of Jocky Wilson behind them. Various stories about how this happened - a mistake on the part of the production team or (more likely) Kevin Rowland's wicked sense of humour.
Anyway, Jocky Wilson was a darts player.
New York, New York was so good they named it twice, according to Gerard Kenny.
One I discovered via The Vinyl Villain... though you have to know your comics characters to get the clues. (They changed their name to Eugenius after this release to avoid getting sued by Marvel.)
Steve Rogers is Captain America.
Johnny Storm is the Human Torch. His catch phrase is "Flame On!"
7. Tin Tin's useless investigators give away their identity.
C correctly identified that the gent in the centre of this pic wasn't actually Joe Leeway from The Thompson Twins, but Eddie Grant. My bad, with apologies to all concerned.
The Thompson Twins were named after bumbling detectives in the Tin Tin comics.
2. Sound like they're Riders on the Storm... on the best mixtape you ever made.
As I've written about previously, Dawes are a pretty good band... with a very silly name, considering that they sound exactly the far more famous group from the 60s led by Jim Morrison.
Here's one I originally ran on the old blog, ten years (or so) ago. As very few people remember the old blog, I don't mind re-using posts from it every now and then... although whenever I do, I inevitably end up wondering what I would add to the list if I were to compile it again today. Hence 'Volume 1' above, giving me the option of doing a Volume 2 soon.
From Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe to Morse, Addison & Hayes, Monk and Sherlock, I've always loved detective stories. Here are ten tributes in song...
Armchair detective, what you surmising? A fountain of knowledge in times of crisis Opinions like arseholes on days like today; everyone's got one You'd best say it quick while it's fresh in your mind, say it before it's forgotten Just 'cos you shout loudest don't mean that you're right
I'd been hired to track down a lead on why Robert Palmer was still considered uncool when he left us so many great songs like this one. File that one under 'Unsolved'.
Been a Private Detective for Seventeen Months Don't do it for money, just do it for love Like last night when my client got over excited When his wife had an orgy and he wasn't invited We sat in the car taking pictures and smoking My client just sat there eating mini cheddars and hoping His wife was thinking of him every time she kisses someone else's lips She's thinking of him, and in her mind's eye those groping eyes are his And in her mind's eye those peeping hands are his And in her mind's eye every ounce of flesh, that gets inside her dress, is his...
Superman Revenge Squad win points for writing the only song I can think of that namechecks Mini Cheddars.
And what have you got at the end of the day? What have you got to take away? A bottle of whiskey and a new set of lies Blinds on the window and a pain behind the eyes
You could argue, of course, that pop stars already live like kings and queens, so the fact that they're always whinging about what they'd do if they had even more power and wealth is somewhat ironic. But what do we know? Peasants and commoners like us will never understand the woes of the rich and famous. (My humblest apologies if you are either rich or famous and still reading this. Please don't have me beheaded for my disrespect.)
Anyway, here's ten of the buggers to tell us about their kingly dreams...
Well, if I was king I'd sign a proclamation And if I was president I'd pass a law And I'd call for a full-blown Senate investigation Of everyone who wasn't having fun
Joe Walsh did actually run for president in 1980, promising to make Life's Been Good the American national anthem and that he'd give free gas to everyone. Reagan still won by a landslide.
And when I am king, surely I would need a queen And a palace and everything, yeah And now I am king, And my queen will come at dawn She'll be waiting in Kingston Town
And, though not actually from the 80s, really sounding like they should be: Steel Panther - If I Was The King... I think you might call that one NSFW, though I'm reliably informed it's a parody, they don't really think like that...
Great Big Sea are described by the interweb as a "Canadian folk-rock band" which makes me think of The Levellers with a maple leaf. So imagine my surprise when I discover they sound like Smash Mouth and The Offspring. Still, nice sentiment...
Well, the war's been won All the fights are fought You find yourself in just the spot It's a place where everybody's got a song to sing Just like the final movie scene The prince will find his perfect queen The hero always saves the world The villains get what they deserve The boy will always get the girl When I am king
Leave it to Colin ('cos he wrote this one: I did check, just for JC) and Andy to bring us back down to earth...
I have a feeling that when these guys are kings, there won't be any kings anymore.
Well the way that we're living, Is all take and no giving, There's nothing to believe in, The loudest mouth will hail the new found way, To be king for a day
If Rivers Cuomo was king of the world, we'd all be able to ride a greyhound all the way to the Galapagos and stay for the rest of our lives. Which would be nice.
We are the small fish We swim together No Prozac or Valium We’ll face tsunamis together
Another one from Stephin Merritt's mighty 50 Song Memoir, which I'm still enjoying the hell out of even though I'm only on disc 2. I'll have to feature some more songs from this disc soon as it's a cracker. Anyhoo...
When I am monarch of the world Weighed down by matters weighty I'll live in London once more And decree it's 1980 That all may dress as Pierrots And pirates, like their king And all will have jetpacks From club to club we'll go zooming
At the club with no name We'll dance again Vivienne Westwood Will be my queen
Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of being a king... and then became one?
Turns out that frog was Neil. And what did he do with his kingly success?
Go into therapy... and write one of his very best songs while he was there.
1. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Radiohead's Bohemian Rhapsody. When Thom Yorke is king, we'll all be first against the wall...
As you may have noticed, I couldn't find any songs about what Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush or Annie Lennox would do if they were queen for the day*. Hmm... I wonder what that tells us...
(*I am, however, happy for you to suggest them.)
What would you do if you were king / queen for a day?
