Women in Van Morrison's Songs Trivia Quiz

Answer: Angeliou

"In the month of May
In the city of Paris
And I heard the bells ringing [. . .]
Angeliou, Angeliou
Angeliou, oh my Angeliou
Angeliou, oh my Angeliou, can you hear me?"

The song "Angeliou" appears on Van Morrison's 11th studio album, "Into the Music," which was released in 1979. He performed the song at the 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival.

Answer: Rosie McCann

"He smiled at me, and he says, says he,
'That's the gem of Ireland's crown.
It's Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann,
She's the star of the County Down.'"

"Star of the County Down" is a late 19th century Irish ballad with words written by Cathal McGarvey and set to "My Love Neil," an old Irish folk song. Van Morrison recorded a version with The Chieftains on his 1988 album "Irish Heartbeat."

Answer: Brown Eyed Girl

"Whatever happened
To Tuesday and so slow?
Going down the old mine
With a transistor radio
Standing in the sunlight laughing
Hiding behind a rainbow's wall
Slipping and sliding
All along the waterfall, with you
My brown eyed girl
You, my brown eyed girl."

"Brown Eyed Girl" was a single from Van Morrison's 1967 debut solo album "Blowin' Your Mind!" It was also released as a single with "Goodbye, Baby" on the B-side. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007 and is included in "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" at number 60.

Answer: Bayou Girl

"Knock on your window
I'm gonna ring your doorbell too
Won't you come out tonight
Yea yea yea
And jam on the bayou
Na na na na
Bayou girl..."

This song appears on a bootleg 3-CD set, "The Genuine Philosopher's Stone," which contains outtakes and live recordings from 1964-1975. The album is an unofficial release put out in Japan in the year 2000.

Answer: Ballerina

"Step right up, step right up
And step right up
Ballerina
Crowd will catch you"

Van Morrison wrote this song after meeting his future wife, actress and model Janet (Planet) Rigsbee. The couple was married for six years and had a daughter named Shana, who, like her father, became a singer and songwriter.

Answer: Gloria

Other musicians who have covered the popular song include David Bowie, Rick Springfield, Energy Orchard, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, and even Bill Murray. The song first appeared on the 1965 album "The Angry Young Them," and it was released as a single with "Baby, Please Don't Go" on the A-side.

Answer: Josephine

The song is known by the titles "My Girl Josephine," "Josephine," and "Hello, Josephine." Fats Domino originally recorded the song in 1960, and it hit number seven on the Billboard R&B charts. Them, with Van Morrison as its lead singer, recorded the song as "Hello, Josephine" on its 1966 album "Them Again."

Answer: Greta Garbo

In "Just Like Greta," Van Morrison sings:

"Well I guess I'm going A.W.O.L.
Disconnect my telephone
Just like Greta Garbo
I want to be alone."

This song appears on Van Morrison's 2005 album "Magic Time."

Answer: Gypsy Queen

"Dance on gypsy queen
If it's all night, it's alright
Rave on
Let your love come tumblin' down
If you let your love come tumblin' down
It's alright."

The album that contains "Gypsy Queen" was released in 1970 and peaked at 32 on the Billboard 200.

Answer: Jane

The chorus of the song, which appears on the 1985 album "A Sense of Wonder," is "all things remain in God." The album contains many spiritual songs, including "Ancient of Days" and "The Master's Eyes."

Answer: Madame George

The song "Madame George" runs a lengthy ten minutes and appears on the 1968 album "Astral Weeks." While many reviewers consider Madame George to be a drag queen (based on the lines "In a corner playing dominoes in drag / The one and only Madame George"), in a 1970 "Rolling Stone" interview, Van Morrison said, "If you see it as a male or a female or whatever, it's your trip. I see it as [. . . ] a Swiss cheese sandwich. Something like that."

Answer: Marie's

"Step we gaily on we go,
Heel and heel
And toe for toe,
Arm and arm
And row and row,
All for Marie's wedding."

The song "Marie's Wedding" is the fifth track on side two of the album, which Van Morrison recorded with The Chieftains, a traditional Irish band originally formed by Paddy Moloney, Michael Tubridy, and Sean Potts.

Answer: Rosey

"Ro ro ro ro ro ro ro rosey
Ro ro ro ro ro ro ro rosey
You're the apple of my eye
Ice cream in my cherry pie, pie"

"Ro Ro Rosey" was a single from "Blowin' Your Mind!" paired with "Chick-A-Boom." Released in 1967, the album was produced by Bert Berns and came out on the Bang label. Van Morrison wrote all of the songs on his debut solo album except for "Midnight Special" and "Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)."

Answer: Natalia

"On a magic night like this
I hunger for your kiss
On a magic night like this
Na na, na na, na na
Na na, na na, na na
Na na, na na, na na, Natalia."

The song "Natalia" appears on the 1978 album "Wavelength." The album was remastered in 2008 and two tracks were added: live versions of "Kingdom Hall" and "Wavelength" from a performance at the Roxy Theatre. Lester Bangs of "Rolling Stone" did not receive the album well, writing in a November 1978 review that it does "confound how such a monumental talent can mire himself in such twaddle."

Answer: Madame Joy

"Here she comes walking
Here she comes talking
I do believe it's Madame Joy
Walking past that old street corner
And she's looking for her boy
Oh yes she is, looking for her boy"

This song is included on the double compilation album "The Philosopher's Stone," which was released in 1998. Van Morrison has said the original title of "Madame George" was "Madame Joy." However, the song "Madame Joy" on "Philosopher's Stone" is a completely different song.