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Quiz about Great American Songbook Plus GASP

Great American Songbook Plus (GASP) Quiz

It's all about songs and songwriters in the "Great American Songbook" (GAS). It consists of songs from 1920s to the beginning of Rock. "Plus" refers to stretching the envelope of the classical GAS, with bias, to include other songs.

A multiple-choice quiz by gfitz47. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
gfitz47

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
381,844

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
374

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which Arlen and Mercer tune was featured in the 1944 classic film "Here Comes the Waves" starring Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton? Yeah, I know it's not much of a clue but you shouldn't need it. Name the song.

"You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do just when everything looked so dark?"
Hint

Joy to the World

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive

My Own True Love

Happy Days Are Here Again

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. This is the seldom used introduction to the song in question. It is arguably the most famous hockey song, at least in Philadelphia. The song is...

"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer"
Hint

God Bless America

The Star Spangled Banner

America the Beautiful

This Land Is Your Land

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. This was written by Brown and Freed for the movie "Sadie McKee", another film classic. A shortened version was also in a much more successful musical; in fact, it has been ranked as the American Film Institute's number one musical. Hint: It's not "Grease 2". So what is the song?

"You're every thought, you're every thing
You're every song I ever sing
Summer, winter, autumn and spring

And were there more than twenty-four hours a day
They'd be spent in sweet content just dreamin' away

When skies are gray, when skies are blue
Morning, noon and nighttime, too" Hint

All I Do Is Dream of You

I Can't Get You Out of My Mind

Sunny Afternoon

Dream Along with Me

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. From the excerpts from this Arodin and Carmichael song, can you name that tune?

"Linger in the shade of a kind old tree
Throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me
...
Awakes a bright new morning
Where we can move along
Blue skies up above, everyone's in love"
Hint

In The Summertime

I Just Fall In Love Again

(Up a) Lazy River

Till Then

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Coots and Gillespie, the same team that brought you "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" wrote this classic song. Provided are two excerpts to help you find the answer. If you don't get it, you better not pout. Can you name it?

"And you linger like a haunting refrain
And I find you spinning round in my brain
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
...
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
Tho' I'm certain that this heart of mine
Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance"
Hint

The Very Thought Of You

Tiny Bubbles

I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind

You Go to My Head

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Here is an oldie, one song on the lower limit of the GAS, the early 1920s. There's only three lines given as a hint but that should be sufficient. They do teach early American songs in ancient history, don't they? And the winner is?

"Yes, ma'am, we've decided
No ma'am, we ain't gonna hide it
Yes, ma'am, you're invited now"
Hint

Ain't We Got Fun

The Wedding Song

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

My Baby Just Cares For Me

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. This song is on the other end of the GAS timeline, the 1950s. The question is who had a number one hit with it. Who sang it?

"April love is for the very young
Every star's a wishing star that shines for you
April love is all the seven wonders
One little kiss can tell you this is true

Sometimes an April day will suddenly bring showers
Rain to grow the flowers for her first bouquet
But April love can slip right through your fingers
So if she's the one don't let her run away"
Hint

Johnny Ray

Perry Como

Mel Torme

Pat Boone

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. It's 1930. The Best Picture Academy Award went to,"All Quiet on the Western Front". "The Little Engine that Could" was published. The Emmys were not held this year. The Philadelphia Athletics won the World Series and the song with this lyric was published. Can you get it? I think you can.

"I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
The Rover crossed over
If I never have a cent
I'll be as rich as Rockefeller"
Hint

Pick Yourself Up

Forty Second Street

What A Wonderful World

On the Sunny Side of the Street

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. I looked on the web to see who wrote this classic but all the sites kept on repeating this one guy, Gershwin's, name. Pretty pathetic. Can you name this tune whose intro goes:

"There's a saying old
Says that love is blind
Still we're often told
"Seek and ye shall find"
So I'm going to seek
A certain lad
I've had in mind
Looking everywhere
Haven't found him yet
He's the big affair
I cannot forget
Only man I ever think
Of with regret
I'd like
To add his initials
To my monogram
Tell me
Where is the shepherd
For this lost lamb?"
Hint

Someone to Watch over Me

All Of Me

A Foggy Day

Falling In Love

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. This is on the "Plus" side i.e., songs that I think would make great additions to the GAS. All you have to do is stretch the envelope a little. I would add this for its evocative lyric, to wit:

"Well I woke up Sunday mornin', with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one more, for dessert
Then I fumbled through my closet, for my clothes and found my cleanest dirty shirt
And I shaved my face and combed my hair and, stumbled down the stairs to meet the day

I'd smoked my brain the night before on, cigarettes and songs that I'd been pickin'
But I lit my first and watched a small kid cussin' at a can, that he was kickin'
Then I crossed the empty street and caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken
And it took me back to somethin', that I'd lost somehow somewhere along the way"
Hint

The Days of Wine and Roses

The Happy Enchilada Song

Sunday Morning Comin' Down

Whiskey River

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which Arlen and Mercer tune was featured in the 1944 classic film "Here Comes the Waves" starring Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton? Yeah, I know it's not much of a clue but you shouldn't need it. Name the song. "You've got to spread joy up to the maximum Bring gloom down to the minimum Have faith or pandemonium's Liable to walk upon the scene To illustrate my last remark Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark What did they do just when everything looked so dark?"

Answer: Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive

Johnny Mercer recorded it in 1944 but the version I remember was by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters. Johnny Mercer had a good voice, try listening to his version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside", with Margaret Whiting. So he could sing and write. Surprisingly, Bing wrote lyrics to quite a few songs, including "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)", his signature song.

2. This is the seldom used introduction to the song in question. It is arguably the most famous hockey song, at least in Philadelphia. The song is... "While the storm clouds gather far across the sea Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer"

Answer: God Bless America

Kate Smith sang this Irving Berlin tune in the movie musical "This is the Army" which starred not only a future US Senator but a future Governor who became President to boot. (The Senator was George Murphy and the President Ronald Reagan.) The ex Senator was a better singer and dancer than the ex President. The movie also included "O How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning" sung by Irving Berlin, a better singer...

Per the American Treasures of the Library of Congress' website it is America's unofficial national anthem. It was written as a "peace" song, "Imagine" that.

3. This was written by Brown and Freed for the movie "Sadie McKee", another film classic. A shortened version was also in a much more successful musical; in fact, it has been ranked as the American Film Institute's number one musical. Hint: It's not "Grease 2". So what is the song? "You're every thought, you're every thing You're every song I ever sing Summer, winter, autumn and spring And were there more than twenty-four hours a day They'd be spent in sweet content just dreamin' away When skies are gray, when skies are blue Morning, noon and nighttime, too"

Answer: All I Do Is Dream of You

The musical was "Singing in the Rain" starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. The latter sang it as part of a chorus line number after she came out of the cake. The song's performance by the chorus would have brought tears to Betty Boop's eyes.

4. From the excerpts from this Arodin and Carmichael song, can you name that tune? "Linger in the shade of a kind old tree Throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me ... Awakes a bright new morning Where we can move along Blue skies up above, everyone's in love"

Answer: (Up a) Lazy River

Hoagy (What a great first name) wrote the lyric. Arodin, (no relation to Borodin), composed the melody. This song was notably recorded by the Mills Brothers, the Four Tops of their era. BTW, the second line of the second excerpt is from the Mills Brother's version. There were other choices when I searched and I went with the one most familiar to me.

5. Coots and Gillespie, the same team that brought you "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" wrote this classic song. Provided are two excerpts to help you find the answer. If you don't get it, you better not pout. Can you name it? "And you linger like a haunting refrain And I find you spinning round in my brain Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne ... You intoxicate my soul with your eyes Tho' I'm certain that this heart of mine Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance"

Answer: You Go to My Head

This is a great song, music and lyric. An instrumental version of the song was included in the film "Laura". It was also in "The Big Sleep" but I do not know if this was instrumental or vocal arrangement. A vocal one would have served both movies better. My favorite version was by Frank Sinatra with Billie Holiday's as a close second.

6. Here is an oldie, one song on the lower limit of the GAS, the early 1920s. There's only three lines given as a hint but that should be sufficient. They do teach early American songs in ancient history, don't they? And the winner is? "Yes, ma'am, we've decided No ma'am, we ain't gonna hide it Yes, ma'am, you're invited now"

Answer: Yes Sir, That's My Baby

The song was written in the 1925. Probably the most recognized performance of the song is by Eddie Cantor.

Donaldson and Kahn teamed on "Carolina in the Morning", "Making Whoopee", "My Baby Just Cares for Me" and others. Donaldson also wrote, "Daughter of Rosie O'Grady" most memorably performed by Bugs Bunny in "A Hare Grows in Manhattan". It sounded more like Brooklyn.

7. This song is on the other end of the GAS timeline, the 1950s. The question is who had a number one hit with it. Who sang it? "April love is for the very young Every star's a wishing star that shines for you April love is all the seven wonders One little kiss can tell you this is true Sometimes an April day will suddenly bring showers Rain to grow the flowers for her first bouquet But April love can slip right through your fingers So if she's the one don't let her run away"

Answer: Pat Boone

Pat Boone had a number one hit in 1957 with "April Love".

Sammy Fain started his career in the 1920s and had many hits including "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me", a hit for Maurice Chevalier which was parodied by the Marx brothers in "Monkey Business". As far as I know, they did not do the same for Pat Boone's "April Love".

8. It's 1930. The Best Picture Academy Award went to,"All Quiet on the Western Front". "The Little Engine that Could" was published. The Emmys were not held this year. The Philadelphia Athletics won the World Series and the song with this lyric was published. Can you get it? I think you can. "I used to walk in the shade With those blues on parade But I'm not afraid The Rover crossed over If I never have a cent I'll be as rich as Rockefeller"

Answer: On the Sunny Side of the Street

The winner is, "On the Sunny Side of the Street".

But this song has questionable origins. The composer of record is Jimmy McHugh but others say that Fats Waller wrote the music and sold his rights to it for cash; definitely did not turn out to be "Cash for Your Trash".

Dorothy Fields seems to be in the clear.

It makes you wonder, who actually wrote the "The Hardy Boy" or "Nancy Drew" books though, doesn't it?

9. I looked on the web to see who wrote this classic but all the sites kept on repeating this one guy, Gershwin's, name. Pretty pathetic. Can you name this tune whose intro goes: "There's a saying old Says that love is blind Still we're often told "Seek and ye shall find" So I'm going to seek A certain lad I've had in mind Looking everywhere Haven't found him yet He's the big affair I cannot forget Only man I ever think Of with regret I'd like To add his initials To my monogram Tell me Where is the shepherd For this lost lamb?"

Answer: Someone to Watch over Me

We're back in the 1920s. This Gershwins' song was written for the musical, "O Kay!" It is a song with a wonderful, long introduction. Great lyric. As to lyrics vs. music, for this song, advantage Ira.

10. This is on the "Plus" side i.e., songs that I think would make great additions to the GAS. All you have to do is stretch the envelope a little. I would add this for its evocative lyric, to wit: "Well I woke up Sunday mornin', with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad, so I had one more, for dessert Then I fumbled through my closet, for my clothes and found my cleanest dirty shirt And I shaved my face and combed my hair and, stumbled down the stairs to meet the day I'd smoked my brain the night before on, cigarettes and songs that I'd been pickin' But I lit my first and watched a small kid cussin' at a can, that he was kickin' Then I crossed the empty street and caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken And it took me back to somethin', that I'd lost somehow somewhere along the way"

Answer: Sunday Morning Comin' Down

Johnny Cash recorded it and it hit number one on the country charts. Personally, I like Kristofferson's recording better. It missed the GAS deadline by about ten years. Well, that's the way that the world goes round.

Source: Author gfitz47

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