How many classic rock songs can you guess from one line?
Classic rock has a way of living in the body rather than just the memory. The opening chord, the first word of a line, and the rest of the room finish without thinking.
Ten songs, one lyric each. Name the song and the artist before scrolling.
See how many you get right.
Song 1
“New car, caviar, four-star daydream. Think I’ll buy me a football team”
Answer
Money by Pink Floyd (1973). Built on a 7/4 time signature, one of the few top-forty hits in rock history to use it.
Song 2
“In Birmingham, they love the governor (boo-hoo-hoo). Now, we all did what we could do”
Answer
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974). Neil Young later said the band was right and the song was great.
Song 3
“When it all was over. We had to find another place. But Swiss time was running out. It seemed that we would lose the race”
Answer
Deep Purple released “Smoke on the Water” (1972). The fire was started during a Frank Zappa concert. Deep Purple watched from across Lake Geneva.
Song 4
“Then she lit up a candle. And she showed me the way”
Answer
Hotel California by The Eagles. The album Hotel California was released in 1976, and the song was released as a single in 1977. The closing dual guitar solo is widely considered one of the finest in rock history.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated April 10 to clarify the release dates of Hotel California as a single and Hotel California, the album.
Song 5
“Half my life’s in books’ written pages. Storing facts learned from fools and from sages”
Answer
Dream On by Aerosmith (1973). Tyler wrote it as a teenager. A 1976 re-release finally made it a hit.
Song 6
“Buddy, you’re a young man, hard man. Shouting in the street, gonna take on the world someday”
Answer
We Will Rock You by Queen (1977). Brian May wrote it so any audience could participate without knowing a single word.
Song 7
“See-saw swingin’ with the boys in the school. With your feet flyin’ up in the air”
Answer
Walk This Way by Aerosmith (1975). The riff was improvised at a soundcheck and recorded on the spot.
Song 8
“Carry on, my wayward son. There’ll be peace when you are done”
Answer
Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas (1976). Written overnight by Kerry Livgren after the rest of the album was finished.
Song 9
“She is like a cat in the dark. And then she is to darkness. She rules her life like a fine skylark”
Answer
Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac (1975). Nicks wrote it before joining Fleetwood Mac, inspired by a novel on a plane.
Song 10
“In a tree by the brook, there’s a songbird who sings. Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven”
Answer
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin (1971). Page wrote the progression in one evening. Plant wrote the lyrics, hearing it for the first time.
How did you do?
Ten for ten, and this music is genuinely in your bones. Fewer than six, and there is a playlist worth building.
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Related:
- Quiz: Can you guess the 1971 song from just one lyric?
- Can you guess the 1975 song from just one lyric?
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