Whisper Words of Winter Trivia Quiz

Answer: Queen

"A Winter's Tale" was one of the last songs recorded by Freddie Mercury before his untimely death due to complications from AIDS. It was released on the fifteenth and final studio album of Queen. The album was a number one on twelve charts around the world but did not do well in the US reaching only 58. The song also charted around the world but not in the US. The song was written and composed by Mercury in various places in Montreux Switzerland and describes what he saw out his window during the winter time.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's tazman6619 who admires the genius that was Freddie and the band Queen.

Answer: Paris

"Our Last Summer" reminisces about the romance enjoyed by a couple one summer long ago in Paris. The lovers strolled down the Champs Elysée, by the Seine and past the Notre Dame. They ate croissants and drank coffee, and enjoyed a carefree existence.

The song was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus in 1980 and recorded at the Polar Studios in Stockholm. It was included on the "Super Trouper" album which became the biggest-selling album of 1980 in the UK. The song was loosely based on a summer memory of Bjorn Ulvaeus as a teenager. It was one of the ABBA songs incorporated into the pop musical, "Mamma Mia".

This question was scored by Phoenix Rising's VegemiteKid.

Answer: John Denver

The lyrics of "Fall" talk about the sadness of seeing summer departing and winter encroaching. Released in 1972 on the "Rocky Mountain High" album, the "Season Suite" reflects Denver's deep love of the natural world, in particular, the area around Aspen Colorado where he lived. Denver was named poet Laureate of the state in 1974 and garnered numerous other awards. Denver changed his surname from Deutschendorf on the advice of Randy Sparks.

The "Rocky Mountain High" album was Denver's first US Top Ten album. All of the songs in the "Season Suite" were written by John Denver in collaboration with Mike Taylor and Dick Kniss. The suite consists of four songs, "Fall", "Winter", "Late Winter, Early Spring (When Everybody Goes to Mexico)", and "Spring".

This question fell into the quiz with the help of Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid, who isn't ashamed to admit her first ever concert was a John Denver one.

Answer: State Fair

"It Might as Well Be Spring" was sung by the main character in "State Fair", Margy (portrayed by Jeanne Crain), who was getting ready to go to the state fair with her family but she wasn't excited about it at all, as if she had spring fever. It was the only song by Rodgers and Hammerstein that won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The song was later covered by many artists including Nina Simone (1959), Frank Sinatra (1961), Andy Williams (1962) and Peggy Lee (1967).

This question was set to tune by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Crowded House

"Woodface" (1991) was the third studio album to be released by Crowded House and "Four Seasons in One Day" (1992) would be the fifth single to arise from that collaboration.

"Four Seasons..." was written jointly by Neil and his elder brother Tim. The track was initially going to be used for the Finn Brothers project but got drawn into the Crowded House LP once the two initiatives converged. The brothers would share the vocals on eight tracks on the album though, with this track, Neil took the lead.

The track was written by the brothers while they were living in St Kilda (a suburb of Melbourne) and its title stems from a phrase that is commonly used to describe the fickle nature of that city's weather. Despite the meteorological reference, the track has nothing to do with the wind, sun or rain but the fickle relationship between the two men and the emotional roller-coaster they tended to put themselves through.

(Footnote) Neil Finn has been a member of all of the band's listed above, including Fleetwood Mac. He joined Mac in April 2018 and spent 12 months touring with them.

This question was composed by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who swears that when winter arrives... autumn leaves.

Answer: Felix Bernard and Richard Bernhard Smith

None of the lines of "Winter Wonderland" actually refer to Christmas ("Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?"; "In the meadow, we can build a snowman"; "Walking in a Winter Wonderland", etc.) but the images they describe evoke a definite sense of a traditional Christmas scene - in the northern hemisphere anyway! It was originally performed by Richard Himber, but famous versions of the song include a 1946 performance by Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers, a 1957 rendition by Dean Martin, one from 1971's "Elvis sings The Wonderful World of Christmas", and Michael Buble's 2011 release.

"Winter Wonderland" is the most famous song written by either Felix Bernard or Richard Bernhard Smith. The former was a pianist, conductor, music publisher and composer who wrote for early performers such as Al Jolson. The latter was a lyricist who died of tuberculosis just one year after writing "Winter Wonderland".

Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 conspired to write this question while dreaming by the fire.

Answer: Those were the best days of my life

Despite its title, "Summer of '69" was first released as a single in the summer of 1985 (which admittedly doesn't have quite the same ring to it), reaching a high of number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. While its singles chart performances around the world don't reflect the song's popularity and longevity over the following decades, it was one of the tracks on Bryan Adams' "Reckless" album, which did make it to number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The lyrics of the song, which was co-written by Adams and Jim Vallance, tell the dual story of buying a guitar ("Got my first real six-string; Bought it at the five-and-dime") and trying to find musical success in a band, versus spending time with a lover ("Standin' on your mama's porch; You told me that you'd wait forever"). It seemed though that both parts led to that time being "the best days of my life". The incorrect options were all lines from other Bryan Adams hits.

This question was composed by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81.

Answer: Autumn Almanac

Written by Ray Davies, "Autumn Almanac" was recorded on the Pye label and released as a single. The flip side was one of a number of songs depending on where it was released: "Mister Pleasant" in the UK and "David Watts" in the USA and Europe.

It is said that the song was inspired by a neighbour of Ray Davies who lived in Muswell Hill in North London. It enjoyed great success in the UK, reaching number three on the singles charts. The recording includes some interesting music manipulation, as its writer explained: "I was experimenting a lot with winding tapes backwards, like that 'This is my street' bit is the first part of the song reversed."

It has been suggested the lyrics are "a finely observed slice of English custom" (Terry Rawlings) as well being a reflection of English life in the tradition of Wordsworth.

This question was swept into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's VegemiteKid who loves her garden.

Answer: It's forty below

The full title of this hit for Horton reads "When it's Springtime in Alaska (it's Forty Below)" and, while it didn't do that well for him on the cross-over charts, it was the first of three consecutive number one songs on the country charts.

The song tells of the singer venturing to Fairbanks in Alaska where he falls for a red-headed saloon singer. What he doesn't realise is that she is already spoken for and is set to be wed to a man named Big Ed. The story does not end well for the singer who suffers a serious knife wound and winds out the song with "When it's springtime in Alaska, I'll be six feet below".

(Footnote) "Freezing Cold Blizzard Outside" is a 2019 song by Stardust Vibes, Joe Nichols recorded "Sunny and 75" in 2013 and "A Hundred and Ten in the Shade" appears on John Fogerty's 1997 album "Blue Moon Swamp".

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who began to shiver while putting this question together, so he moved into a corner where it was 90 degrees.

Answer: Seasons in the Sun

"Seasons in the Sun" was released by Terry Jacks in December of 1973 and went on to become a worldwide number one on 19 different charts in 1974. Billboard Hot 100 ranked it as the number two song on the year-end chart. In December 1999, Westlife released a cover that became a UK Christmas number one.

The song was originally written and recorded by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel in 1961 as "Le Moribond" ("The Dying Man"). This version was a much darker story which was recorded in English by The Kingston Trio. Jacks heard that version and rewrote it to tell the story of his friend who was dying from leukemia. In the original the man dies heartbroken but in Jacks' version it is just a man reflecting on his life and saying goodbye to those he loves.

This question was sung (badly) into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.