An Urban Planning Playlist Trivia Quiz

'Highway to Hell' is a 1979 hard rock hit by the Australian band, AC/DC; the song itself is said to reflect on the hellishness of life on the road and the not-so-glamorous side of the constant touring required of any successful band, rock or otherwise. Befitting our urban planning theme, the stretch of road that inspired 'Highway to Hell' is Canning Highway, an Australian road linking the settlements of Perth and Fremantle.

The band's original frontman, Bon Scott, often frequented a number of drinking establishments along Canning Highway including the Raffles Hotel.

Justin Timberlake was not the first musical act to be associated with a song carrying the title of 'Cry Me a River'. Long before the former NSYNC singer released 'Cry Me a River' in 2002 as part of his first solo album, 'Justified', a song by that name - albeit with different lyrics - had been written by Arthur Hamilton in the early 1950s.

The Arthur Hamilton song was popularised later on in the 50s by way of a version showcasing the vocal talents of American singer, Julie London; a few decades later, a cover of the song was released by Joe Cocker (1970).

I was a teenager when Green Day released 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' back in 2004 and I have to admit I didn't like the song at the time; this "emo" ballad with somewhat depressing lyrics has however grown on me since (make of that what you will)! The song's lyrics - penned by the band's lead vocalist, Billie Joe Armstrong - capture the curious urban phenomenon of being amongst so many people yet, at the same time, being completely isolated and alone. Crikey, can we listen to 'Macarena' on repeat instead please...

'Parklife' is one of those songs where you can get by with knowing just one word; in this case, a lot of the lyrics of this 1994 Britpop single by Blur (featuring Phil Daniels) sort of merge into one another only to be frequently punctuated by an enthusiastic blurting out of the word "Parklife"! What exactly does that word mean though? Well, according to a member of the band, Graham Coxon, it is a word that encapsulates everything that goes on in a park; it is not "about the working class", rather it is "about the park class: dustbin men, pigeons, joggers...".

Okay, perhaps what I have said is mostly applicable to the verses of the song rather than the chorus; the opening lines of the chorus, "All the people // So many people", are pretty catchy and distinctively Blur.

In 1967, The Beatles released a double A-side and both songs - 'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' - could have been included on our fictional urban planning map. The song title 'Penny Lane' refers to a thoroughfare in the fantastic British city of Liverpool and the lyrics help us paint a mental picture of some of Penny Lane's establishments and the everyday events going on within and outside of them.

One such example is, "Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout // A pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray", which hints at the song describing scenes taking place around Remembrance Day (November 11) yet other lyrics refer to summertime scenes. Analysis of the song suggests a surrealist interpretation of time with nostalgic memories all swirling into one.

'Baker Street' by Gerry Rafferty is a superb single released in 1978 that features a memorable saxophone riff (performed by British musician Raphael Ravenscroft) that has no doubt contributed to the song's enduring popularity. The lyrics are rich with meaning, covering themes that include intoxicating hope and bitter disillusionment.

These two concepts come together hauntingly in the second verse, "The city desert makes you feel so cold // It's got so many people, but it's got no soul // And it's taken you so long to find out you were wrong // When you thought it held everything".

'Electric Avenue' is a bit of an earworm, in particular the catchy line, "We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue". This 1983 release is one of the three most successful songs (at least so far as the charts are concerned) by Guyanese-British artist, Eddy Grant.

The success of two of his other singles, 'I Don't Wanna Dance' (1982) and 'Gimme Hope Jo'anna' (1988) helped ensure that Eddy Grant did not join the list of one-hit wonders!

'Everyday is a Winding Road' (1996) is an engaging single by American artist, Sheryl Crow, created in collaboration with Crowded House singer, Neil Finn of New Zealand. The subtext of the song's lyrics relate to Paul Hester (Neil Finn's bandmate), his struggle with depression and - as is the case with AC/DC and 'Highway to Hell' - the difficulties and stresses of being on tour.

The words "everyday is a winding road" are documented as being said by Hester to Finn when the former left Crowded House during an ongoing tour.

'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' (1973) is one of many very well known songs from the combined minds of creative duo, Elton John and Bernie Taupin. There are unfortunately no prizes for detecting that the title of the track relates to 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by L. Frank Baum; the song's lyrics use the land of Oz - and Dorothy's desire to return to Kansas - as a means to express Bernie Taupin's yearning to return to his rural beginnings.

The song is littered with references exploring urban-rural tension including, "You can't plant me in your penthouse // I'm going back to my plough".

The rather quirkily named 'Itchycoo Park' is a 1967 hit single by the British rock band, Small Faces. Quite what the song title refers to has been the focus of a lot of speculation but perhaps the clearest indication comes from the band's bassist, Ronnie Lane, who said that Itchycoo Park "...is a place we used to go to in Ilford [London] years ago... it's full of nettles and you keep scratching actually".

In 1995, a cover of 'Itchycoo Park' was released by M People (vocals by Heather Small); the single reached number eleven in the UK.