MetaQuiz: Songs on the Radio About The Radio -14

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The group that recorded this song, "American Beauty Radio Spot" is heavily hinted at or referred to within this section of the lyrics: "But you're no fool, you'd complain, we'd get in trouble, Jerry Garcia probably would get busted again. So if you don't have the dead's American Beauty album we can't say you're missing 42 minutes of pleasure in a world that is owned by thousands of little Tricias."

Answer: The Grateful Dead

The recording was done for the 2001 Rhino records reissue of their 1970 album "American Beauty." That album features the popular song "Sugar Magnolia" written by Bob Weir who wasn't usually a songwriting contributor. Those duties belonged mainly to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter.

2. "Radio Spot #1" and "Radio Spot #2" are two tracks from this blues singer's 1972 album "Everything Stops For Tea."

Answer: Long John Baldry

Long John Baldry is the British/Canadian blues artist who recorded this. He was also known for his voice work on TV shows. Long John Nebel was a talk radio host in New York City, and Long John Silver was a fictional pirate character from Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island". "Long John Dean" was a song by the folk singer Willie Watson.

3. "This girl in her bedroom doing her homework She's foolin' with the logarithms, she's going berserk One hand has a cigarette resting on the window The other one's twiddling with the radio." This song, "Who Listens to the Radio?" is a 1978 single by this Australian rock band.

Answer: The Sports

The Sports are the Australian rock band that recorded this record; the other recording artists listed are popular Austrian rock bands. The song is from their album, "Don't Throw Stones" which was listed as the 51st best Australian album in "The 100 Best Australian Albums" by Lee Brandle, published by The Music Network, November 4, 2010.

4. "Hello honey, it's me What did you think when you heard me back on the radio? What did the kids say when they knew it was their long lost daddy-o? Remember how we listened to the radio And I said 'That's the place for me'" These are the opening lyrics to "W.O.L.D." by which American singer/songwriter?

Answer: Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin was great at spinning short stories in the lyrics of his songs--is there a better story/song then his renowned song "Taxi"? But W.O.L.D. is also a great example, and fittingly is from his album called "Short Stories." It tells the story of a radio disc jockey:
"We were two kids and I was was into AM rock
But I just had to run around
It's been eight years since I left you babe"
...
"The drinking I did on my last big gig made my voice go low
They said that they liked the younger sound when they let me go
So I drifted on down to Tulsa, Oklahoma to do me a late night talk show"
...
"I've been making extra money playing high school sock hops
I'm a big time guest MC"
...
"Maybe I could settle down if you'ld take me back once more
Okay honey, I see
I guess he's better than me
Sure, old girl, I understand
You don't have to worry, I'm such a happy man"
...
"Playing all the hits for you playing them night and day
The bright good morning voice who's heard but never seen
Feeling all of forty-five, going on fifteen
I am the morning DJ on WOLD"

5. Speaking of disc jockeys, Boyd Bennett recorded "Cool Disc Jockey" with his band The Rockets. It was on their 1955 album "Tennessee Rock 'n' Roll." Boyd Bennett has been inducted into which of these Halls of Fame?

Answer: Rockabilly Hall of Fame

The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was opened in March of 1997. Among its inductees is Boy Bennett and His Rockets, voted in in 2002. Of those "Halls of Fame" mentioned among the choices, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame is the only one that actually exists. Their biggest hit was the song "Seventeen" which it Number 16 on the U.S. Singles chart.

6. We interrupt your regularly scheduled program, with a hot news flash Dan, Dan, are you there? Yeah I'm here, and what a crowd! "This is Dan Summers, your super scoop news reporter, at the local ticket outlet center Excuse me sir, what's all the excitement about? Yo man, you don't know?! Run-D.M.C. and the Raising Hell Tour is coming to town, B!" This tidbit is from RUN-DMC's "Raising Hell Radio Tour Spot." Which of these rappers was NOT a member of Run-DMC trio?

Answer: Kurtis Blow

Run-DMC is widely recognized as one of the most influential recording groups in the genre of hip-hop and rap. Kurtis Blow (nee Kurtis Walker) was also a big influence and one of the earliest commercial successes in the genre, but he was not a member of Run-DMC. In 2009, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

7. "Say you don't know me, or recognize my face Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place Knee-deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight We got too many runaways eating up the night Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember? We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll" Who doesn't remember this giant hit song from 1985 by Starship? Betcha never guessed what huge songwriting talent wrote the lyrics for this song?

Answer: Bernie Taupin

Fellow Englishman of Taupin's, Martin Page wrote the music to Taupin's lyrics. Ironic that two British songwriters are responsible for this very American perspective on U.S. music. Regardless, they made a demo for tarship's producers who decided to have the group record it, and it became the debut single from the Starship album "Knee Deep in the Hoopla." The song hit Number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

It would be Bernie Taupin's first Top Ten hit without Elton John.

8. From the Canadian group Martha and Muffins came what 1984 song that tackled racism in the radio industry?

Answer: "Black Stations/White Stations"

"Black Stations/White Stations" is the song by Martha and the Muffins and it's the only real song of the choices. The others are fake. The song is from their album "Mystery Walk." Martha and the Muffins were formed in Canada in 1977 by David Millar, Mark Gane and Martha Johnson.

"A voice inside my car told me today
There was a song of love they would not play
She was black, he was white
A voice inside my car told me today
Black stations, white stations break down the doors
Stand up and face the music, this is 1984
Black stations, white stations feet on the floor
Dance on the ceiling with us, this is 1984, ha!"

9. "Radio has changed our lives and practically saved our lives Oh yeah! I want to tell you about dead city radio man And the new gods of supertown. A world of magic lanterns and chemical blues. A world where x stands of the unknown and y is the zero." These lyrics are from "Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown" by whom?

Answer: Rob Zombie

The song is from Rob Zombie's 2013 album "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor." This song was the first single from that album, Zombie's fifth solo effort. Like the subject of many songs about the radio in this ongoing series of quizzes, this song "Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown", is also a harsh critique of the state of modern radio.

10. The title "Radioactive" is shared by five different songs about radio. These four groups had songs called "Radioactive" but which group's "Radioactive" charted highest on the U.S. record charts and is the best selling record of the five?

Answer: Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" reached the Top-10 in 12 countries. It is the best-selling rock song in U.S. digital history. As 2013's third best selling song it sold 5,496,000 copies that year. It's gone on to sell nearly 9 million digital copies. It peaked at Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Peak positions of the others:
Kings of Leon's "Radioactive": #37 on the Billboard Hot 100
The Firm's "Radioactive": #28 on the Billboard Hot 100
The Welsh recording artist Marina and the Diamonds recording of "Radioactive" wasn't released in the U.S. but peaked at #25 on the U.K. charts.
And the fifth song, Rita Ora's "Radioactive" was only released as a digital download in the U.S.

Source: Author Billkozy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor 1nn1 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Here's the 14th quiz in this series of questions revolving around songs you might hear on the radio that are about radio itself. Mostly I'll provide the lyrics and you identify the artist. Sometimes you'll have to name the song. Or sometimes other stuff.

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