Wisconsin in Song Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joan Baez

"The River in the Pines" is from Joan Baez, on her 1965 album "Farewell, Angelina." It tells of a young couple named Mary and Charlie. He is killed in a rafting accident on the Chippewa River, and the last verse tells of how people visit the graves of the two lovers.

The Chippewa River runs for 183 miles in northwestern Wisconsin, from Lake Chippewa in Sawyer County down the Mississippi River. The river is still popular with kayakers, despite Joan's warning about rafting in January.

Answer: Milwaukee

"Juanita" tells the story of a man who claims to be wrongly convicted of a crime in Mexico. He asks a young woman named Juanita to break him out of prison and promises to take her to Milwaukee if he escapes.

Among the promises in "Jaunita" are the claims that "all of Milwaukee speaks Spanish" and "Lake Michigan tastes like tequila," both fairly extreme stretches of the truth. He also claims that his friends in Milwaukee have big shiny motorcycles, which is probably true given that the city is the home of Harley-Davidson.

"Juanita" was released by David Allan Coe on his album "Tennessee Whiskey" in 1981. The song was written by Fred Koller and children's author Shel Silverstein.

Answer: Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson recorded "32-20 Blues" in 1937, shortly before his death at the age of 27. It is a somewhat disturbing song, about a man who plans to shoot his woman before she can shoot him. 32-20 is a reference to ammunition which can be used in handguns.

Robert Johnson was one of the most influential blues artists of all time. Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton all cite Johnson as a major influence on their music.

Johnson died in August 1938 at the age of 27, under mysterious circumstances. He may have been murdered, but it was never proven. His songs included "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Cross Roads Blues" along with "32-20 Blues."

Answer: Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen released "Cadillac Ranch" on his 1980 album "The River". It was released as a single in September 1981. The song was inspired by the Cadillac Ranch in Texas, a sculpture along the old Route 66 made of scrapped Cadillacs.

The song contains several iconic cultural references such as James Dean, Junior Johnson and Burt Reynolds from "Smoky and the Bandit" (1977). While the song is supposedly one of Springsteen's "fun" songs it has also been called a profound meditation on the inevitability of death.

Answer: The Edmund Fitzgerald

Lightfoot actually reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." At the time of its sinking in November 1975, it was the largest ship ever to have sunk on the Great Lakes. The six minute and 30 second song tells the epic story of the sinking, with several references to Wisconsin such as Chippewa and Lake Superior.

The Benjamin Noble sank in Lake Superior in April 1914 and was finally discovered in 2004. The Amboy was an ore schooner that sank in Lake Superior in November 1905. The Eastland was one of the worst marine disasters in US history; 848 people died when it sank in the Chicago River in July 1915.

Answer: Highway 51

Those specific lyrics come from "Highway 51 Blues" which Dylan released on his self-titled debut album in March 1962. "Highway 51" was written by Blues guitarist Curtis Jones, and is one of many covers on "Bob Dylan" (1962).

Highway 51 does begin in Wisconsin, at the Iron County town of Hurley. It runs 316 miles through the state north to south and passes through Stevens Point, Portage and Janesville. US Highway 51's southern terminus is in LaPlace, Louisiana.

"Highway 61 Revisited" (1961) was Dylan's sixth studio album. Highway 61 has been called "The Blues Highway." Route 66 does not go through Wisconsin; the closest it comes is Chicago. Route 12 does go through Wisconsin, but Bob Dylan did not sing about it.

Answer: Lil Wayne

Wiz Khalifa sings about his fandom for the Pittsburgh Steelers in "Black and Yellow" which was released in September 2010. A few months later, Lil Wayne, a Packers fan, reworked Khalifa's song into "Green and Yellow," a Green Bay tribute song.

In the song, Lil Wayne name checks almost every member of the Packers' 2011 starting lineup, from Quarterback Aaron Rodgers to kicker Mason Crosby.

Lil Wayne (born Dwayne Michael Carter) is a native of New Orleans. He began his rap career in 1995, and has sold over 20 million albums since. He has had over 100 songs make the Billboard Hot 100 (more than Elvis).

Answer: Green Bay

"A Road Song" opens with "We're still in Wisconsin as far as I know. Today was Green Bay ..." The song is basically a lament by a musician on tour that he can't be with his significant other. It was released on the 2011 Album "Sky Full of Holes."

Fountains of Wayne was formed in New York and performed between 1996 and 2011 before disbanding in 2013. Their biggest hit was "Stacy's Mom," about a young man who is in lust with his girlfriend's mother. Supermodel Rachel Hunter played Stacy's Mom in the video.

Answer: Ira Gershwin

"My Cousin in Milwaukee" was written by George and Ira Gershwin for their 1932 musical "Pardon my English." The show and song were not particularly successful, but did receive some new life when Ella Fitzgerald recorded it in 1959. Ira Gershwin actually commented "I didn't know how good our music was until Ella Fitzgerald sang it."

George Gershwin wrote some of the best music of the 20th century, most notably "Rhapsody in Blue" (1924). Ira Gershwin was the lyricist for his younger brother. His songs include "I Got Rhythm," "Embraceable You" and "Someone to Watch Over Me."

Answer: Glenn Yarbrough

Gelnn Yarborugh, who gained famed with The Limeliters in the 1960s, released "Wisconsin" on his 1969 album "Country." Yarbough was born in Milwaukee, but grew up in New York. He recorded many albums with both the Limeliters and as a solo artist, but his only major hit was "Baby the Rain Must Fall" which reached number 12 on the Billboard charts.

Bon Iver released their version of "Wisconsin" in their 2008 album "For Emma, Forever Ago." Whitehorse mentions union busting in Wisconsin in their 2013 song, which is on "The Fate of the World Depends on this Kiss." And the somewhat dystopian Atomic Cafe version of "Wisconsin" is on their 2017 album "The Krakken."