FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Song by Song Maybellene
Quiz about Song by Song Maybellene

Song by Song: "Maybellene" Trivia Quiz


Test your knowledge of this rocking Chuck Berry song.

A multiple-choice quiz by skylarb. Estimated time: 4 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Music Trivia
  6. »
  7. Music A-C
  8. »
  9. Chuck Berry

Author
skylarb
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
404,047
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
191
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The groove for "Maybellene" was inspired by what Western swing song recorded in 1938 by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the song's title was inspired by what product? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which of the following instruments was NOT used in the 1955 recording of "Maybellene"? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What DJ traded radio playtime for this song in return for co-credit and royalties in a "payola scandal" that eventually destroyed his career? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What vehicle was Maybellene driving in this song? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. How fast was Maybellene driving? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. "Oh Maybellene, why can't you be _____ / You've started back doin' the things you used to do." What word is missing from this lyric?

Answer: (One Word, rhymes with do)
Question 8 of 10
8. What was "blowin' all under" the singer's hood? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Where did the singer finally catch Maybellene? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Whose 1964 cover of "Maybellene" peaked at number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Feb 15 2024 : Guest 172: 8/10
Feb 06 2024 : jumpin1973: 8/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The groove for "Maybellene" was inspired by what Western swing song recorded in 1938 by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys?

Answer: Ida Red

"Ida Red" is a song that dates back to the 19th century, but it was, according to Rolling Stone magazine, the Bob Wills version that inspired Chuck Berry. The song, which describes a man chasing his unfaithful girlfriend in a car, was recorded on May 21, 1955. It was released as a single in July of 1995 and eventually included on "The Anthology" by Chess Records.
2. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the song's title was inspired by what product?

Answer: A mascara box

When performing the song live, Chuck Berry had previously called it "Ida Mae," but producer Leonard Chess thought the name to be too rural. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "Leonard Chess came up with the title, inspired by a Maybelline mascara box lying on the floor at the Chess studio." The spelling was altered slightly (with an e substituted for the i) to avoid legal issues.
3. Which of the following instruments was NOT used in the 1955 recording of "Maybellene"?

Answer: harmonica

Chuck Berry wrote the song and supplied vocals and guitar. Johnnie Johnson was on piano, Willie Dixon on bass, Ebby Hardy on drums, and Jerome Green on maracas. It was released as a single in July of 1955 with "Wee Wee Hours" on the B-side.
4. What DJ traded radio playtime for this song in return for co-credit and royalties in a "payola scandal" that eventually destroyed his career?

Answer: DJ Alan Freed

Alan Freed was an influential DJ in the 1950s who promoted country, blues, and R&B music. His career was destroyed when it came to light that he had accepted money from record companies to give their songs airtime. In some cases, he took co-writing credit and royalties, as with "Maybellene." This further created a conflict of interest, because the more he promoted the song, the more royalties he got.

Although this practice was not illegal until the government made it so in 1959, at the time, Freed's refusal to admit to it destroyed his career.
5. What vehicle was Maybellene driving in this song?

Answer: A Coupe de Ville

Maybellene drives a Coupe de Ville while the singer tries to catch up to her in his V8 Ford.

"As I was motivatin' over the hill
I saw Maybellene in a Coupe de Ville
A Cadillac arollin' on the open road
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford."

"Maybellene" peaked at number five on the Billboard pop chart and number one on the R&B chart. By the end of 1955, it had sold a million copies. The song has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is included on NPR's 1999 list of the "one hundred most important American musical works of the 20th century."
6. How fast was Maybellene driving?

Answer: About 95

"The Cadillac doin' about ninety-five.
She's bumper to bumper, rollin' side by side."

Paul Simon used "Maybellene" in a medley with his song "Kodachrome," and it was covered by The Syndicats in 1964. Steve Howe played guitar on that version, and he would later go on to play for Yes.
7. "Oh Maybellene, why can't you be _____ / You've started back doin' the things you used to do." What word is missing from this lyric?

Answer: true

"Maybellene
Why can't you be true
Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true
You've started back doin' the things you used to do."

According to Glenn C Altschuler in the 2003 book "All Shook Up, How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America," Chess records producer Leonard Chess liked Maybellene because he was intrigued by the idea of a "hillbilly song" being "sung by a black man." The song is often classified as belonging to the "rockabilly" genre.
8. What was "blowin' all under" the singer's hood?

Answer: rainwater

"The Cadillac pulled up ahead of the Ford
The Ford got hot and wouldn't do no more
It then got cloudy and started to rain
I tooted my horn for a passin' lane
The rainwater blowin' all under my hood."

According to "Pop Chronicles," it was blues legend Muddy Waters who urged Chuck Berry to bring "Maybellene" to Leonard Chess. The single followed Berry's 1954 single "I Hope These Words Will Find You Well" and preceded his 1955 single "Thirty Days."
9. Where did the singer finally catch Maybellene?

Answer: At the top of the hill

"The motor cooled down the heat went down
And that's when I heard that highway sound
The Cadillac a-sittin' like a ton of lead
A hundred and ten half a mile ahead
The Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still
And I caught Maybellene at the top of the hill."

According to Songfacts, Chess records gave one-third of the composing credit for this song to a DJ friend of Chuck Berry's named Russ Fratto to ensure that Alan Freed would get fewer royalties, but Fratto agreed to give Berry his share.
10. Whose 1964 cover of "Maybellene" peaked at number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100?

Answer: Johnny Rivers

The Johnny Rivers cover was released as a single in August of 1964 from his second official album "Here We à Go Go Again!" The album was recorded live at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, California. "Midnight Special" was the other hit song from the album.

Numerous artists have covered "Maybellene," ranging from Ronnie Hawkins, the Everly Brothers, Carl Perkins, and Conway Twitty to Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Chubby Checkers.
Source: Author skylarb

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Rolling Stone's 2004 List of the Greatest Songs of All Time:

This quiz list contains in-depth quizzes on the first 57 songs in Rolling Stone magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2004)," originally published in December of 2003. The magazine updated its list in 2021 with many new songs, but this list follows the original rankings. Most of the quizzes are written by me, but I've added a few from other authors.

  1. Dylan Song by Song: "Like a Rolling Stone" Average
  2. Song by Song: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Average
  3. Song by Song: "Imagine" Easier
  4. Song by Song: "What's Going On" Average
  5. Song by Song: "Respect" Average
  6. Song by Song: "Good Vibrations" Easier
  7. Song by Song: "Johnny B. Goode" Easier
  8. Hey Jude! Tough
  9. Song by Song: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Average
  10. Song by Song: "What'd I Say" Easier
  11. Song by Song: "My Generation" Easier
  12. Song by Song: "A Change Is Gonna Come" Average

3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us