Anatomy of a Song: "Sequel" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Eight

"I got into town a little early,
Had eight hours to kill before the show"

It seems, reading the lyrics, that this is Harry's own show. Eight hours to kill? Has the man never heard of soundchecks? And when will he get to eat the tub of green M&M's that his contract insists on?

Answer: Automobile

Three of the descriptions appear in consecutive lines:

"I thought about taking a limousine
Or at least a fancy car
But I ended up taking a taxi
'Cause that's how I got this far"

This is, of course, a reference to why the song is titled "Sequel", being the follow up to his earlier hit "Taxi".

Answer: 16 Parkside Lane

"You see, ten years ago it was the front seat
Drivin' stoned and feelin' no pain
Now here I am straight and sittin' in the back
Hitting Sixteen Parkside Lane"

Answer: Sue

In "Taxi", Harry reflects on things that may have been with his former love, "Sue".

Answer: A Butler

"The driveway was the same as I remembered
And a butler came and answered the door"

A Butler, no less. In "Taxi", the house at Parkside Line is described as (in part):

"So I turned my cab into the driveway
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns"

Answer: She doesn't live here anymore

"He just shook his head when I asked for her
And said 'She doesn't live here anymore'"

One cannot help wondering what went on behind the closed doors of 16 Parkside Lane, to make Sue want to leave. Or had the property simply changed hands?

Answer: The Butler gives it to him willingly

"But he offered to give me the address
That they were forwarding her letters to"

He offered! Presumably, the Butler has no concept of privacy principles! For all he knew, Harry could have been an axe murderer, or worse yet, an obnoxious travelling vacuum cleaner salesman.

Answer: He rang the bell

"I rang the bell that had her name on the mailbox
The buzzer said somebody's home"

Presumably, the mailbox label said more than "Sue".

Answer: Brownstone

"And so we rolled back into the city
Up to a five-story old brownstone"

The use of unusual detail like brownstone is a good example of Chapin's ability to evoke the scene in the listener's head.

Answer: How are you

Cliche time!

"And she said, "How are you Harry?
Haven't we played this scene before?"
I said "It's so good to see you, Sue
Had to play it out just once more"

The second and fourth lines are references to Sue's earlier desire to find fame as an actress. Personally, I think it's a tad cringe-worthy. I find it hard to envisage two people talking to each other in this manner.

Answer: I like myself

"And then I asked her why she looked so happy now
She said "I finally like myself, at last I like myself"

That's nice.

Answer: She works at night

"So I asked her to come to the concert
She said "No, I work at night"

Hmmm, sounds like a hastily-concocted excuse! Perhaps Harry's next lines should have been:

"But to get here, I made all this effort
I gotta tell ya, Sue, this bites"!

Answer: Ending and starting to begin

"So we talked all through that afternoon
Talking about where we'd been
We talked of the tiny difference
Between ending and starting to begin"

I still think they should have done it over that tub of M&M's!

Answer: Unknown

"Don't ask me if I made love to her
Or which one of us started to cry"

Ah! Harry is a gentleman right to the end.

Answer: Only time will tell

"I guess it's a sequel to our story
From the journey 'tween heaven and hell
With half the time thinking of what might have been
and half thinkin' just as well
I guess only time will tell"

Time did indeed tell. Harry Chapin died in a traffic accident on the Long Island Expressway in New York, on 16 June 1981. He left a memorable musical legacy and is arguably best known for "Cat's In The Cradle".