50 Million Elvis Presley Fans Can't be All Wrong Quiz

Answer: Tennessee Plates

In the song the singer was obsessed with "lookin' for a Cadillac with Tennessee plates." He picked up the woman referenced in the question in Nevada and they decided to head for Graceland. Upon arriving, the singer decided to help himself to one of Elvis's Cadillacs because "he gave 'em to his friends". Elvis and the police apparently disagreed with his reasoning because the singer revealed he was writing from the Tennessee state prison in Brushy Mountain, where he was serving a five-to-eight year sentence "stamping out [his] time, making Tennessee plates."

Answer: Jimmy Buffett

Written by Steve Goodman about the many people who dressed up and sang like Elvis, the 1981 song caught the rising tide of Elvis imitators, who seemed to be everywhere for a while. Buffett's imitation of Elvis's voice was so-so but his Coral Reefer Band's imitation of the house band at Sun Records (where Elvis got his start in the 1950s) was just about perfect.

Answer: Bill Parsons

Parsons was a co-writer of the song but it was sung by Bobby Bare, about a rock and roll singer who was very successful and then got his draft notice from the U.S. Army; the most famous at the time was Elvis Presley. Bare was due to report to the army himself so he quickly recorded the song before he left. Parsons played bass on the record.

In their desire to get the song pressed and distributed, executives at Fraternity Records got the personnel confused.

Answer: Drive-By Truckers

While mostly about Perkins the song mentioned some of the other big guns in Sun's arsenal: Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis. The end of the song posthumously chides Elvis for making as much money dead as when he was alive.

Answer: Paul Simon

Simon went to Graceland for reasons he couldn't readily explain but the song sounds a bit like an American "Canterbury Tales": pilgrims on their way to a holy place. Simon expected everyone would be well-received there.

Answer: Tupelo Mississippi Flash

Reed was rarely noted for writing serious songs. In this one he imagined himself as a fledgling talent scout who had a chance to hire a new singer nicknamed the Flash (a thinly-disguised Elvis) but didn't think he'd amount to much and refused him. After being fired the talent scout ended up driving the Flash's tour bus.

Answer: Mojo Nixon

According to Nixon, everything in the world can be attributed to Elvis, from the pyramids (Elvis built them) to the Bermuda Triangle ("Elvis needs boats"). The listeners were exhorted to "Sing like the King", get their leg moving, and their lip too - "and not no fool Billy Idol lip, either!"

Answer: John Hiatt

John Hiatt scores twice in this quiz, this time with his 1983 album and song. It was based on a dream that music composer and producer Scott Matthews had (although he isn't credited as a co-writer of the song), about growing up listening to and watching Elvis. Hiatt reworked the lyrics a bit when Clapton and King wanted to record it.

Answer: Merle Haggard

Haggard wrote the song shortly after Elvis died, referencing Elvis' religious faith and the effect he had on people. The song reached the country and pop music charts in the U.S. and Canada.

Answer: Walking in Memphis

Cohn has described the song as "100 percent autobiographical" about a visit he made to Memphis in 1985. He considered it as much of a spiritual journey as a tourist visit, considering the blues and roots music that originated there. Cohn noted that such was Elvis' sustaining power, that just one verse about Elvis made people think of it as an Elvis tribute song, though to Cohn it was much more.