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Quiz about An ISLA Expos The Beatle Conspiracy

An ISLA Exposé - The Beatle Conspiracy Quiz

THE QUIZ YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE! The Insipid Song Lovers Association unmasks the subtle, subversive, secret strategy that the Beatles used to banish banality and bring innovative and imaginative lyrics to Top 40 music.

A multiple-choice quiz by uglybird. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
uglybird

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
173,986

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
2642

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The Insipid Song Lovers Association had always believed the early Beatles to be a group of carefree lads with longish hair, happily playing in clubs. That was before "Deep Clean" approached us. Deep Clean believes that the Beatles, from the beginning, had a long-range plan to replace our beloved, albeit hackneyed, Top 40 music with invigorating, inventive songs. What line from the first single on which the Beatles were featured (Tony Sheridan with the Beatles playing as The Beat Brothers) could be construed as indicating that the Beatles were already looking overseas to America? Hint

Over the mountain, across the sea

Somewhere beyond the sea

My Bonnie lies over the ocean

Everybody's gone surfin', surfin' USA

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Question 2 of 10

2. The Beatles began recording their original songs with their second single. The Beatles didn't begin by talking about walruses, revolution, and suicidal women with names like "Eleanor Rigby". According to Deep Clean they were using what conspiracy theorists call "the foot-in-the-door technique" - worming their way into the affections of the masses with seemingly harmless songs. "Love Me Do", the Beatle's first single demonstrated Paul and John's complete mastery of insipid song writing. It was most notable for its economy of words. For example, ISLA applauded Neil Sedaka's lyrical economy in "Oh Carol", a song in which he used only 48 unique words. How many unique words are contained in "Love Me Do"? (Hint: Not very darned many!) Hint

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Question 3 of 10

3. Insipid song lovers admire simplicity and concision. The B-side of the Beatles' second single relates only three things about the songwriter: he loves his girl, he wants her to treasure his words, he's coming back. What is the name of the song on the B-side of the second single the Beatles released in England? Hint

P. S. I Love You

I Saw Her Standing There

I Want to Hold Your Hand

She Loves You

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Question 4 of 10

4. The Beatles' next single deserves a place in the ISLA top ten. One of the great ironies of musical history is that the man who wrote "Please Please Me" sailed off into seas of previously uncharted creativity in a yellow submarine. "Please Please Me" delivers an eloquent, yet simple plea on behalf of Everyman addressed to every woman. The two words of his entreaty are repeated a no less than sixteen times. What are the two words? Hint

Hold me

Let's go

Come on

Get close

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Question 5 of 10

5. Deep Clean believes that the Beatles were only biding their time as they produced their early music, waiting until their popularity was so immense that they could experiment and become creative. Deep Clean points out that the first 42 original songs the Beatles released as singles lacked something and cites this lack as evidence that the Beatles had no personal investment in their early songs. What was missing from all these songs? Hint

Concern for a girl or woman's appearance

A girl or woman's name

A reference to dancing

Mention of a kiss

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Question 6 of 10

6. Deep Clean believes that hidden in several early Beatles' singles is a feature that has no legitimate place in popular music. He cites three lines from three different songs that illustrate this feature:

"She was just seventeen, you know what I mean"
"And when you touch me I feel happy inside"
"Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on."

What feature, potentially inappropriate for popular music, is incorporated in each of these three lines? Hint

Ambiguity

Profundity

Originality

Creative imagery

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Question 7 of 10

7. Deep Clean claims that on Halloween in 1963, a meeting took place between the Beatles and prominent world leaders at Heathrow Airport. He implies that pressure was applied that led to the Beatles appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February of 1964. Which of the following prominent people was not at Heathrow on October 31, 1963? Hint

Ed Sullivan

The British Prime Minister

The Queen of England

Miss Universe

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Question 8 of 10

8. In 1965 the Beatles released a creative masterpiece. Even the title of this album was ingenious and enigmatic. What was the title of the album? Hint

Rubber Soul

Rubber Sole

The White Album

A Hard Days Night

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Question 9 of 10

9. "Rubber Soul" featured murderous rage. "You better run for your life if you can, little girl," John Lennon wrote. For "Rubber Soul", Lennon and McCartney wrote a song "Norwegian Wood" that featured a frustrated lover seeming to turn to arson. The lyrics of one song even included the words "opaque" and "rectify"! One might have expected such a radical change to have scared off many of the Beatles' fans. Deep Clean points out a strategic move the Beatles made to prevent this from happening. How many songs on the "Rubber Soul" (US) album were released as US singles? Hint

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Question 10 of 10

10. The song "American Pie" speaks of "the day the music died". Deep Clean would have us believe that this date would coincide with the release of the innovative and imaginative song "Paperback Writer". If he is correct, on what day did the music die? Hint

June 1, 1966

May 1, 1968

July 1, 1967

October 1, 1969

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: My Bonnie lies over the ocean

The Beatles released their first single in 1962 with "My Bonnie" on the A-side and "The Saints" on the B-side. Some might speculate that the freedom to perform these traditional ballads without the burden of royalties may have influenced the decision to record them.

However, use of such tiresome retreads could also be interpreted as a woeful lack of creativity. If Deep Clean is correct, this may be an impression the early Beatles were eager to foster.

Answer: 18

"Love Me Do" also contained only six words of more than one syllable out of 108 words total, yielding a syllable to word ratio of 1.06. ISLA has thus far been able to discover only two songs with lower SWR's.

Answer: P. S. I Love You

Paul McCartney also maintained a high degree of syllabic simplicity in "P.S. I Love You", managing to hold the syllable to word ratio down to 1.12. Moreover, he accomplished this despite using the three-syllable word "remember" twice.

Answer: Come on

"Please Please Me" is one of only two songs ISLA has found with a syllable to word ratio of 1.04. Although John Lennon was a bit verbose by ISLA standards, using 52 words in this song, those words included the following:

"I don't wanna sound complainin',

But you know there's always rain in my heart (in my heart).

I do all the pleasin' with you, it's so hard to reason
With you..."

I don't know that any man has done a better job of phrasing that age old question: "How come you always have a headache?" If only the Beatles had maintained a sincere devotion to the bland expression of the obvious, they might even all still be alive and together today, playing their old songs in Las Vegas like a respectable middle aged 60s rock band.

Answer: A girl or woman's name

ISLA can give an alternative explanation for the absence of names. Think about it: Peggy Sue, Little Suzy, Kathy, Denise, even Venus. What do all these names have in common? They all have more than one syllable. Names have been the ruin of the syllable to word ratio of many a song!

6. Deep Clean believes that hidden in several early Beatles' singles is a feature that has no legitimate place in popular music. He cites three lines from three different songs that illustrate this feature: "She was just seventeen, you know what I mean" "And when you touch me I feel happy inside" "Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on." What feature, potentially inappropriate for popular music, is incorporated in each of these three lines?

Answer: Ambiguity

Do you see the ambiguity? This degree of subtly and stealth often goes unnoticed except by the most committed and enthusiastic conspiracy theorists. "She was just seventeen, you know what I mean." Do we know what he meant? I don't think we do. "And when you touch me I feel happy inside." And just what WAS she touching, I'd like to know? "Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on." Just what was he urging her to do, anyway?

Answer: The Queen of England

The size and enthusiasm of the crowds a Heathrow convinced Sullivan to sign the Beatles for an appearance without Sullivan having heard the band. The Beatles were an overwhelming hit in America. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was already a Billboard #1 before they appeared on the Sullivan show.

More people requested audience seats for the Beatle broadcast than had requested them for Elvis. By April 4, 1964 the top five Billboard hits were all Beatles' songs.

8. In 1965 the Beatles released a creative masterpiece. Even the title of this album was ingenious and enigmatic. What was the title of the album?

Answer: Rubber Soul

"Rubber Soul" was a watershed album for the Beatles. With it, they left the bland and banal world of traditional Top 40 music. Amazingly, they managed to bring the rest of us along with them.

Answer: 0

The Beatles had become so popular they could release an album that would sell without a hit single; and so they were able to introduce their most loyal fans to their creative side, preparing them for the more original and inventive material to follow. (Rubber Soul (UK) did include "Nowhere Man" which was released both as a UK and US single.)

Answer: June 1, 1966

And so, it was all but over - the world of Chevys and levies, whiskey and rye. No more doo-wop. No more chewing gum stuck on bedposts. No more Venuses, whether in blue jeans or not. "The players tried to take the field. The marching band refused to yield." And now "you know what was revealed - the day the music died."

Source: Author uglybird

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ltc717 before going online.
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