Tragedy in Songs Trivia

1. "Cities in Dust" by Siouxsee and the Banshees is a song about the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. What album does it come from, appropriately named for also being something that contributes to a fiery eruption?

From Quiz Songs About Natural Disasters & Accidents (Pt 2)

Answer: Tinderbox

A tinderbox is a metal box containing tinder, flint, and steel for striking a spark to create a flame, and is also the name of the Siouxsee and the Banshees album. The dance-pop-rock song describes the volcano as well as the victims, and the discovery and excavation years later of the city. The song made an appearance on the soundtrack of the movie "Grosse Pointe Blank." "Drinkin' TNT and Smokin' Dynamite" is an album by Buddy Guy, "My Flame Burns Blue" is by Elvis Costello, and "Lighting Matches" is by Tom Brennan.

From Quiz Songs Inspired by Accidents or Natural Disasters

Answer: Pliny the Younger

The album was released in 1991, and among its tracks are "Admiral of the Sea: 79 A.D. Version" (the year Vesuvius erupted), "The Last Days of Pompeii/Benediction", and "Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain?". It's quite a nutty storyline. German rocket scientist Werner von Braun escapes World War II as the Nazi regime falls, and he time travels back to Pompeii in that fateful year 79 A.D. How does Werner time travel? In a V2 rocket summoned up by the Norse God of War, Wotan. He meets Pliny the Younger, who has been narrating most of the album, and Pliny escorts him to Pompeii.

From Quiz All Roads Lead to Nowhere - Splatter Platters

Answer: killed in a fiery stock car race

Tommy was the youngest driver in the race for a $1000 prize. Alas, the poor boy rolled his car; the mandatory explosion was followed by his titular dying words: "Tell Laura I Love Her." The early draft of Ray Peterson's 1960 tune was set in a rodeo, but was rewritten to resemble (and possibly ride on the successful coattails of?) "Teen Angel." Peterson's rendition of Tommy & Laura's sad song hit the Number Seven spot on Billboard's Top 100. Because it was deemed "...tasteless and vulgar," Decca Records decided to not release it in England; some 20,000 pre-pressed platters were destroyed. Ironically, Welsh singer Ricky Valence's (don't confuse him with Ritchie Valens of "La Bamba" fame) cover later that same year reached the Number One UK singles spot. Ray Peterson met with some success with "Goodnight My Love" and "The Wonder of You." He succumbed to cancer in 2005, in Smyrna, Tennessee. For those of you who read the II after each question, here's a hint - the biggest single cause of death for American teens (20-30% of ALL fatalities) are motor vehicle accidents. When in doubt...

From Quiz Darkest Dungeon

Answer: The Narrator

In Bobbie Gentrie's huge hit from 1967 everyone seems more interested in other things than the death of a young local. The narrator has been touched by the event and this is evident in her loss of appetite and she is admonished by her Mama, because "I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite". Father on the other hand comments that Billie Joe "never had a lick o' sense" and then promptly asked for the biscuits. Her brother does put forward a recollection of how he and Billie Joe put a frog down the dress of the narrator but then his mind strays back to his meal as well and he develops a strong interest in a piece of pie.

From Quiz Until Death Do Us Part

Answer: And When I Die

"And When I Die" was Blood, Sweat and Tears' third consecutive single to reach number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969, following "You've Made Me So Very Happy" and "Spinning Wheel". Nyro, who was only 17 when she wrote the tune, composed a number of songs which were successfully recorded by other artists in the late '60s and early '70s, including "Wedding Bell Blues" by The 5th Dimension and "Eli's Coming" by Three Dog Night.

From Quiz I'm Dying To Be Heard

Answer: Bohemian Rhapsody

"Bohemian Rhapsody" made the English group Queen famous all over the world. The song consists of several separate but interlocking parts, and was written by Queen's lead singer, Freddie Mercury. It was rather unique in terms of being an unlikely hit single, as it is nearly six minutes in length. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was included on the album "A Night at the Opera".

From Quiz Tragedy in Songs Part 8: Random Tragedy

Answer: fat

In this 1988 parody of Michael Jackson's hit 'Bad', Weird Al sings of the hardships of the overweight in his usual, over-the-top fashion: 'The pavement cracks when I fall down/I've got more chins than Chinatown.' As 'Bad' is considered a follow-up to the song 'Beat It', Al considers his version a follow up to the original parody, 'Eat It'.

From Quiz Dead? It's OK It's Only A Song

Answer: Drowned in a river

"Running Bear" was a number one hit for three weeks on the US pop chart in 1960. It was number one for two weeks on the UK chart the same year. The song was written by J. P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) who died along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in 1959. Indian sounds were made by Country star George Jones and The Big Bopper who also sang backing vocals. Johnny Preston died of heart failure aged 71 in 2011 after bypass surgery in 2010.

From Quiz They Died in the Lyrics

Answer: Father McKenzie

The song is from the 1966 "Revolver" album and reached Number 1 in the UK charts and Number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. McCartney claimed that the name was derived from the actress Eleanor Bron and a shop called "Rigby & Evens Ltd". (Source : Wikipedia) It is also true that an Eleanor Rigby is buried in the Churchyard of St. Peter's Church in Liverpool. It was at a St. Peter's Church fete that a young John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met (Source : UK "Daily Mail" 22 November 2008).

From Quiz Sad Songs Say So Much

Answer: "American Pie" by- Don McLean

The song refers to the plane crash which killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper in 1959. McLean dedicated the album "American Pie" to Buddy Holly. There have been many interpretations of this abstract song, but McLean himself has never explained the full meaning behind the lyrics. He was quoted as saying; "songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence. They're beyond analysis, they're poetry". "American Pie" was a number one hit in the U.S. for four straight weeks in 1972. At 8:33, it is the longest running number one song ever on the Billboard Hot 100.

From Quiz Depressing Lyrics

Answer: Eleanor Rigby

"Eleanor Rigby" was one song that truly bummed me out. It was the saga of an elderly spinster who was subjected to scandal. She was rumored to have an affair with a priest named Father Mackenzie. Nobody attended her funeral when she died. This was released on The Beatles' 1966 album "Revolver".

From Quiz War in Music

Answer: Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong

"War! Huh! Yeah! What is it good for? Absolutely, Nothing." If you're not a private contractor of the Bush administration. According to Halliburtonwatch.org, "Audits conducted by the Pentagon's Defense Contract Audit Agency determined that Kellog Brown & Root(a division of Halliburton) had $1 billion in "questioned" expenses (i.e. expenses which military auditors consider "unreasonable") and $442 million in "unsupported" expenses (i.e. expenses which military auditors have determined contain no receipt or any explanation on how the expenses were disbursed)", so what is it good for? 1.5 billion in 2007 alone.

From Quiz Sad Songs

Answer: "It Doesn't Matter," Depeche Mode

A slow piano number from the album "Some Great Reward." A sequel appeared on "Black Celebration." Interestingly enough, it was Part Two that became a staple of Depeche Mode's live show.

From Quiz Depressing Songs Trivia

Answer: Canada

Terry Jacks originally suggested to the Beach Boys that they perform the song. The Beach Boys found the song too depressing and refused to release it. Terry Jacks later recorded his version and the song became a number one hit in the UK and US.

From Quiz Tragedy In Songs 6: The Futility of War

Answer: And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda

"And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay/ I looked at the place where me legs used to be/ and thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me/ to grieve and to mourn and to pity." By Eric Bogle, a Karaoke classic!

From Quiz Tragedy in Songs, Part 2: Hangings

Answer: The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia

A 1992 song, Reba tells how she shot her brother's cheating wife and lover, but her brother ends up taking the fall (a ten foot fall, as it were). This song was originally recorded by Vicki Lawrence in 1973.

From Quiz Tragedy in Songs, Part 1: Fatal Car Wrecks

Answer: Last Kiss

No, the title is actually 'Last Kiss,' by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, 1962. Later recorded by Pearl Jam.

From Quiz Disastrous Music

Answer: Volcano

Indonesia is the site of the deadliest volcano on record. Tambora erupted in 1815, leading to an estimated 92,000 deaths, most of which resulted from starvation. Indonesian eruptions have accounted for over 67 percent of all deaths resulting from volcanic eruptions since 1600.

From Quiz Substance Abuse in Popular Music

Answer: "Say It Ain't So"

Note that the singer refers that he is "like father, (like) step father" implying that this is heriditary as well as enviornmental.

From Quiz Songs About Natural Disasters & Accidents (Pt 3)

Answer: No one knows

Both Nanci Griffith and Tom Rush recorded covers of the song: Nanci on her 1998 album "Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful)", and Tom Rush in the 1960s. The song was about the 1900 hurricane that laid waste to Galveston, Texas, killing between 6,000 and 12,000 people. "Wasn't that a mighty storm That blew all the people all away. You know, the year of 1900, children, Many years ago Death came howling on the ocean Death calls, you got to go." The song originally was a traditional hymn, sung in African-American churches in the early 1900s after the hurricane occurred. No person(s) has been attributed as the writer of that original song.

From Quiz Songs About Natural Disasters & Accidents (Pt 2)

Answer: Mississippi

On April 30, 1900, Jones pulled train #1 out of the Memphis station at 12:50 am, driving his train for 155 miles, sometimes at 80mph. As his train pulled into the Durant, Mississippi depot, Jones was informed that a passenger train outside of Vaughan, Mississippi would be sitting on a siding and Jones's train would have the right of way. Along the way, his fireman Sim Webb yelled to Jones that there was something on the tracks ahead. Jones yelled at Sim to jump, which he did. Casey Jones pulled the train's whistle to alert everyone around the stalled freight cars. He pulled back the throttle and activated the emergency brakes, slowing the train, but not enough to avoid a collision. He was found dead under the cab, the only casualty. By staying on the train and slowing it significantly, he was credited with saving the lives of the passengers and train workers.

From Quiz Songs Inspired by Accidents or Natural Disasters

Answer: The Ballad of Casey Jones

All those names belong to engineers of trains that crashed in the first five years of the 20th century history of locomotive accidents. There have been several accounts of what exactly or how exactly Casey Jones' passenger train, "Cannonball" crashed into a stalled freight train in Vaughan, Mississippi. When he and his fireman Slim Webb saw the stalled train as they rounded a bend, they were going 75 mph. Jones slammed the air on, told Webb to jump from the train which he did while Casey stayed on blowing the train's whistle to alert everyone. He managed to slow the train to 40 mph, which was why no one else died when the train crashed. No one except for Casey Jones, of whom Wallace Saunders, the lyricist, was a friend.

From Quiz All Roads Lead to Nowhere - Splatter Platters

Answer: shot from his horse when returning to El Paso

"El Paso" shows our cowboy protagonist instantly falling in love with Feleena - a young Mexican dancer in a West Texas bar. He shoots another cowpoke in a perfectly fair (albeit stupid) gunfight over the "maiden." So why does he run? If he HAS to run, why doesn't he RIDE - on his own mount? His BIG mistake is stealing a horse to make an escape. Yes, horse thieves in the "Wild West" were certainly hung by mobs or vigilante groups, but there is NO RECORD of such hangings as the result of a duly constituted US/state court of law. In any case, it's all moot, since he ends up being shot by mounted riders upon his return. Marty Robbins' "El Paso" was cut in 1959 and hit Number One on both Pop and Country charts in early 1960. The Grateful Dead performed "El Paso" some 389 times during their long run. The song is generally recognized as Robbins' top hit and was followed by two sequel tunes: "Feleena (From El Paso)" and "El Paso City." The final episode of the hit TV series "Breaking Bad" was titled "Felina." The altered spelling of "Feleena" is an anagram for "Finale." You can read more about the deep symbolism of Fe-Li-Na on line. Marty Robbins was 57 when he died in Nashville Tennessee in 1982. Oh... horse theft remains a problem today; some 40,000 steeds are stolen annually!

From Quiz Darkest Dungeon

Answer: The Smiths

Introduced on their 1987 album "Strangeways, Here We Come" the Smiths' song "Girlfriend in a Coma" (you'll find this remarkable) tells of a man whose girlfriend is in a coma. There's not much more to it than that. Famously, Morrissey, who co-wrote with Johnny Marr, said, "You're not really supposed to like those songs. They're very depressing and not supposed to be played on radio".

From Quiz Until Death Do Us Part

Answer: Tears in Heaven

"Tears in Heaven" was co-written by Clapton and Will Jennings shortly after the death of his son Conor. Conor accidently fell out of a window on the 53rd floor of a New York City apartment building where he was staying with his mother. On the morning he died, the windows were temporarily left open by a janitor for cleaning puposes, and sadly Conor ran straight out of one while playing hide-and-seek with his nanny. The song, which initially appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1991 film "Rush", was also included on Clapton's extremely popular "Unplugged" album, which was recorded during his appearance on the MTV series of the same name. "Unplugged" featured acoustical versions of some of Clapton's prior material, including "Layla" and "Before You Accuse Me". It went on to become his biggest selling LP to date, with sales of over 26 million copies worldwide.

From Quiz Partner Abuse (Music's Hidden Dirty Little Secret)

Answer: Suzanne Vega

Ok... so my prediction that right about this time you would have young coworkers named Luka never came true. But still... for a while this song by Suzanne Vega about a kid who is being beaten by his parents certainly seemed popular enough that this could have been a distinct possibility. This song was released as a single in 1987 and it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

From Quiz Sing Me To Death

Answer: Banks of the Ohio

It is unknown who wrote "Banks of the Ohio" some time in the 19th Century. The song was first recorded in 1927 by "Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers". Since that time, the song has been recorded many times, often with slight changes to the lyrics, by artists such as The Carter Family, Blue Sky Boys, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Olivia Newton-John. The version recorded by Olivia Newton-John reached number one in Australia and six in the UK but only made it to 94 in the US.

From Quiz Tragedy in Songs Part 8: Random Tragedy

Answer: 'The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun'

Long before the Columbine shootings, Julie Brown recorded a ridiculous song about Debbie, the most popular girl in school, who suddenly loses it and machine guns everyone at the homecoming parade. Told in Julie Brown's trademark 'valley girl' style, the song is comedic rather than tragic: 'God, my best friend's on a shooting spree/stop it, Debbie, you're embarrassing me! Stop, Debbie, you're making a mess/powder burns all over your dress.' This song was released in 1984.

From Quiz Dead? It's OK It's Only A Song

Answer: To retrieve her boyfriend's high school ring

Mark Dinning had a number one hit for two weeks on the US pop chart with "Teen Angel" in 1960. It reached number 37 on the UK chart the same year. The song was written by Mark Dinning's sister Jeannie. It was his only US Top 40 entry. It was also his only entry on the UK chart. He died from a heart attack aged 52 in 1986.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:47 AM

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