1970s FM Radio Music, Part V Trivia Quiz

Answer: Big Yellow Taxi

Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi" became an FM radio classic in 1970. Mitchell, a Canadian, included this song in her "Ladies of the Canyon" album. In the final verse of this tune, Mitchell mentioned that a "big yellow taxi" had come to take away her "old man." Mitchell recorded "The Circle Game" and "Both Sides Now" in 1968. "Chelsea Morning" appeared in 1969.

Answer: Blitzkrieg

The Ramones' song "Blitkrieg Bop" has become an international anthem for punk fans and sports enthusiasts alike. Band members Joey, Tommy, and Dee Dee Ramone grew up in New York City. "Blitzkrieg Bop" was released on the band's first album in April 1976 and provided listeners with two minutes of high octane rock music. "Hey! Ho! Let's go!"

Answer: Desks

The 1972 song "School's Out" was a tremendous commercial hit for the band Alice Cooper in 1972. Cooper and his mates sang the familiar students' chant, "No more pencils / no more books / No more teacher's dirty looks." In addition, Cooper snarled these lyrics: "Well, we can't salute ya / Can't find a flag." The word "desk" was never mentioned in this tune's lyrics. "School's Out" remains a popular last-day-of-school anthem to this day.

This song was a popular single and album cut in both the USA and the UK.

Answer: L.A. Woman

"Riders on the Storm" appeared on the 1971 album "L.A. Woman" by The Doors. This track featured some nifty keyboard work by Ray Manzarek as well as sultry vocals by the incomparable Jim Morrison. "Riders on the Storm" began with the words: "Riders on the storm / Into this house we're born, into this world we're thrown..." The album "Strange Days" was released in 1967, "Waiting for the Sun" appeared in 1968, and "The Soft Parade" was released in 1969.

Answer: Pilot

The Scottish band Pilot received considerable FM radio airplay in 1974 with the song "Magic." The main musicians in Pilot were David Paton and Billy Lyall, former members of The Bay City Rollers group. The group sang these lyrics:

"Ho, ho, ho it's magic, you know
Never believe it's not so..."

Sweet and 10cc hailed from England, and The Dead Boys came from the USA.

Answer: Jeepster

In 1971, British singer Marc Bolan and his band T. Rex released a popular song called "Jeepster" from the successful album "Electric Warrior." One of the verses from "Jeepster" featured these lines:

"Just like a car, you're pleasing to behold
I'll call you Jaguar if I may be so bold
'Cause you're my baby, 'cause you're my love
Girl, I'm just a jeepster for your love..."

Answer: Gorillas

"Pretty women out walkin' with gorillas down my street." Thus began a popular FM radio song for Joe Jackson in the USA. The single was issued in September 1978, and this track was also included on the 1979 "Look Sharp!" album. Jackson, from England, sang these lyrics:

"Is she really going out with him?
Is she really going to take him home tonight?"

Answer: Styx

The band Styx was formed in Chicago and featured such talented musicians as Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung. The song "Blue Collar Man" was released on the group's "Pieces of Eight" album, issued in September 1978. Shaw and his mates sang these lyrics:

"Long nights, impossible odds
Keeping my back to the wall
If it takes all night to be just what I am
Well, I'm gonna be a blue collar man..."

Answer: David Byrne

David Byrne was the lead singer of the New York new wave band Talking Heads. In 1978, the group released the Al Green song "Take Me to the River" on the "More Songs About Buildings and Food" album. Byrne's offbeat singing style and unusual lyrics helped to catapult the band to cult stardom in the early years of the MTV Generation. Byrne sang these lyrics:

"Take me to the river, drop me in the water
Take me to the river, dip me in the water
Washing me down, washing me down..."

Answer: Phil Rizzuto

The singer Meatloaf (born Marvin Lee Aday) included the popular song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" on his 1977 "Bat Out of Hell" album. This tune featured vocals by Meatloaf and Ellen Foley. "Paradise" was an epic song, clocking in at over eight minutes in length. "Let me sleep on it" was one of the most popular phrases in this tune's lyrics. "Paradise" blended sexual urgency with baseball action and featured New York Yankees' legend Phil Rizzuto as the play-by-play announcer for a passionate love scene in the middle of the song. Rizzuto later claimed that he had no idea his commentary would be used in a love song; Meatloaf insisted that Rizzuto was well aware of the tune's suggestive content.