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Paul Simon's Greatest Hits Trivia Quiz

Paul Simon's songs are notable for their intricate rhythms, as well as their poetic lyrics. This quiz includes songs from his solo career, as well as songs by Simon & Garfunkel. How many songs can you identify if I give you a few lines of the lyrics?

A multiple-choice quiz by buscheaux. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
buscheaux

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
356,031

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
523

Last 3 plays: jumpin1973 (8/15), Guest 174 (15/15), Guest 8 (3/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Which Paul Simon song contains the following lyrics?

"I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain." Hint

The Only Living Boy in New York

I Am a Rock

So Beautiful or So What

You Can Call Me Al

NEXT>

Question 2 of 15

2. What song contains these encouraging words?

"Your time has come to shine,
All your dreams are on their way,
See how they shine." Hint

Father and Daughter

Bridge over Troubled Water

Kodachrome

So Beautiful or So What

NEXT>

Question 3 of 15

3. Which of Paul Simon's hits contain these sublime syllables?

"He sees angels in the architecture,
Spinning in infinity,
He says, Amen! and Hallelujah!" Hint

The Boy in the Bubble

You Can Call Me Al

Graceland

Mother and Child Reunion

4. "My traveling companion is nine years old,
He is the child of my first marriage."

These lyrics are from a song Paul Simon wrote about a road trip he took after the break-up of his second marriage (to actress Carrie Fisher). What's the name of the song? Hint

Homeward Bound

Under African Skies

Mother and Child Reunion

Graceland

NEXT>

Question 5 of 15

5. What song contains the following pronouncement?

"I'm just a raindrop in a bucket,
A coin dropped in a slot.
I am an empty house on Weed Street
Across the road from the vacant lot." Hint

The Boy in the Bubble

So Beautiful or So What

Keep the Customer Satisfied

The Only Living Boy in New York

NEXT>

Question 6 of 15

6. Which song are these lyrics from?

"Now I sit by my window and I watch the cars,
I fear I'll do some damage one fine day.
But I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers."
Hint

My Little Town

The Boxer

Still Crazy After All These Years

Late In The Evening

NEXT>

Question 7 of 15

7. "I remember there's a radio
Comin' from the room next door,
And my mother laughed
The way some ladies do."

Which song contains this reminiscence? Hint

Cecilia

My Little Town

Mother and Child Reunion

Late In The Evening

NEXT>

Question 8 of 15

8. The following declaration is from which song?

"I have squandered my resistance
For a pocketful of mumbles,
Such are promises, All lies and jest.
Still, a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest." Hint

The Boxer

Keep the Customer Satisfied

The Dangling Conversation

Mrs. Robinson

NEXT>

Question 9 of 15

9. "Deputy Sheriff said to me
'Tell me what you come here for, boy?
You better get your bags and flee,
You're in trouble, boy,
And now you're heading into more.' "

This warning is from the lyrics of what song? Hint

Keep the Customer Satisfied

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

The Boxer

My Little Town

NEXT>

Question 10 of 15

10. What song contains the following communication?

"And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming,
And the sign said, 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.' " Hint

The Dangling Conversation

The Sound of Silence

My Little Town

The Only Living Boy in New York

NEXT>

Question 11 of 15

11. "And you read your Emily Dickinson,
And I my Robert Frost,
And we note our place with bookmarkers
That measure what we've lost."

What's the name of the song containing these lyrics? Hint

Still Crazy After All These Years

Late in the Evening

The Dangling Conversation

Slip Slidin' Away

NEXT>

Question 12 of 15

12. Which song contains this bleak statement?

"And after it rains there's a rainbow,
And all of the colors are black.
It's not that the colors aren't there,
It's just imagination they lack." Hint

I Am A Rock

My Little Town

Kodachrome

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

NEXT>

Question 13 of 15

13. What song is the following invocation from?

"Take this child, Lord,
From Tucson Arizona,
Give her the wings to fly through harmony
And she won't bother you no more." Hint

All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints

Under African Skies

Homeward Bound

Mother and Child Reunion

NEXT>

Question 14 of 15

14. "We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files.
We'd like to help you learn to help yourself.
Look around you all you see are sympathetic eyes,
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home."

These not-so-reassuring platitudes are from which song? Hint

The Only Living Boy in New York

Mrs. Robinson

Slip Slidin' Away

Still Crazy After All These Years

NEXT>

Question 15 of 15

15. What song contains these lyrics?

"The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky,
These are the days of miracle and wonder,
And don't cry baby, don't cry, don't cry." Hint

Slip Slidin' Away

Father and Daughter

The Boy in the Bubble

Mother and Child Reunion

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 14 2024 : jumpin1973: 8/15
Apr 14 2024 : Guest 174: 15/15
Apr 13 2024 : Guest 8: 3/15
Apr 06 2024 : Guest 217: 15/15
Mar 30 2024 : Guest 172: 4/15
Mar 23 2024 : Guest 78: 7/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which Paul Simon song contains the following lyrics? "I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain."

Answer: I Am a Rock

"I Am a Rock" was originally released in the UK on Paul Simon's 1965 solo album "The Paul Simon Songbook". It was re-recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966 for their "Sounds of Silence" album.

2. What song contains these encouraging words? "Your time has come to shine, All your dreams are on their way, See how they shine."

Answer: Bridge over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" won five Grammys in 1971, including Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and Best Contemporary Song. The "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album also won Album Of The Year!

3. Which of Paul Simon's hits contain these sublime syllables? "He sees angels in the architecture, Spinning in infinity, He says, Amen! and Hallelujah!"

Answer: You Can Call Me Al

The music video for "You Can Call Me Al" featured Chevy Chase sitting in a chair lip-synching the words, with Paul Simon in the chair next to him pretending to play various musical instruments, but mostly looking bored. (Paul and Chevy actually look quite a bit alike if you disregard the height difference of more than twelve inches!)

4. "My traveling companion is nine years old, He is the child of my first marriage." These lyrics are from a song Paul Simon wrote about a road trip he took after the break-up of his second marriage (to actress Carrie Fisher). What's the name of the song?

Answer: Graceland

The title song from Paul Simon's "Graceland" album, this song features back-up harmonies by The Everly Brothers.

5. What song contains the following pronouncement? "I'm just a raindrop in a bucket, A coin dropped in a slot. I am an empty house on Weed Street Across the road from the vacant lot."

Answer: So Beautiful or So What

This is the title track from Paul Simon's 12th solo studio album. Paul Simon reflected during an interview, " 'So beautiful or so what' is a valid question when you're facing the enormity of the infinite. Or pure Love."

6. Which song are these lyrics from? "Now I sit by my window and I watch the cars, I fear I'll do some damage one fine day. But I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers."

Answer: Still Crazy After All These Years

Paul Simon won a 1975 Grammy award (Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male) for this title song from his "Still Crazy After All These Years" album. The album won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

7. "I remember there's a radio Comin' from the room next door, And my mother laughed The way some ladies do." Which song contains this reminiscence?

Answer: Late In The Evening

From Paul Simon's "One-Trick Pony" album, the salsa flavored "Late In The Evening" was nominated for a Grammy (Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male) in 1981.

8. The following declaration is from which song? "I have squandered my resistance For a pocketful of mumbles, Such are promises, All lies and jest. Still, a man hears what he wants to hear And disregards the rest."

Answer: The Boxer

"The Boxer" was originally released as a single before being included on Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album. The vocal chorus (lie-la-lie) for "The Boxer" was recorded at Columbia University in New York, in St. Paul's Chapel. The church's tiled dome provided exceptional acoustics!

9. "Deputy Sheriff said to me 'Tell me what you come here for, boy? You better get your bags and flee, You're in trouble, boy, And now you're heading into more.' " This warning is from the lyrics of what song?

Answer: Keep the Customer Satisfied

From the "Bridge over Troubled Water" album, "Keep the Customer Satisfied" was thought by some to be a song about a drug dealer. Most people agree however, that the lyrics simply expressed the frustration Paul Simon felt dealing with criticism from his record company, the press, and most of all his fans.

10. What song contains the following communication? "And the sign flashed out its warning In the words that it was forming, And the sign said, 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls And tenement halls.' "

Answer: The Sound of Silence

Paul Simon wrote "The Sound of Silence" shortly after the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. After an unsuccessful release of the original acoustic version by Simon & Garfunkel in 1964, producer Tom Wilson added electric guitars and re-released the song, which became the duo's first major hit.

11. "And you read your Emily Dickinson, And I my Robert Frost, And we note our place with bookmarkers That measure what we've lost." What's the name of the song containing these lyrics?

Answer: The Dangling Conversation

"The Dangling Conversation" (backed with "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine") was first released in 1966 as a single by Simon & Garfunkel, then later on their "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" album.

Joan Baez recorded a cover version of "The Dangling Conversation" on her 1967 album "Joan", in which she changed a line of the lyrics to "Is the church really dead?" A notation in the album's liner notes stated "Paul Simon asks Joan to note that the original line is, 'Is the theater really dead?' "

12. Which song contains this bleak statement? "And after it rains there's a rainbow, And all of the colors are black. It's not that the colors aren't there, It's just imagination they lack."

Answer: My Little Town

Recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1975, "My Little Town" was originally released on Paul Simon's solo album "Still Crazy After All These Years", and on Art Garfunkel's solo album "Breakaway".

13. What song is the following invocation from? "Take this child, Lord, From Tucson Arizona, Give her the wings to fly through harmony And she won't bother you no more."

Answer: Under African Skies

The child from Tucson Arizona is, of course, Linda Ronstadt, who sang harmony on "Under African Skies". (The 'Joseph' referred to in the song is Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who also collaborated on the "Graceland" album.)

14. "We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files. We'd like to help you learn to help yourself. Look around you all you see are sympathetic eyes, Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home." These not-so-reassuring platitudes are from which song?

Answer: Mrs. Robinson

Featured in the film "The Graduate" starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, "Mrs. Robinson" won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1969.

15. What song contains these lyrics? "The way we look to a distant constellation That's dying in a corner of the sky, These are the days of miracle and wonder, And don't cry baby, don't cry, don't cry."

Answer: The Boy in the Bubble

From the "Graceland" album, Paul Simon once described the lyrics to "The Boy in the Bubble" as, "Hope and dread, that's the way I see the world. A balance between the two, but coming down on the side of hope."

Source: Author buscheaux

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