Lyrics Quiz 2: The Answers

Thanks to everyone who played along with my second Lyrics Quiz (and thanks again to SamuraiFrog for inspiring it).

And a big congratulations to Gordon, who won this round with three correct answers! Nobody really dominated this time; the answers were spread out pretty evenly among several guessers, which is nice.

Hope you liked playing. I'm already collecting lyrics for part 3! And here now are all the answers to the quiz, presented in video form.

"He loves the world, except for all the people."

1. Men at Work, "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive"
Hey, remember the '80s? When every band felt compelled to act and dress up as characters and try to be funny in their videos? Yikes. That said, I like that slow zoom toward the end, with all of the band sitting in tuxes on the couch. Reminds me of The Shining, for some reason.

"I was just 34 years old, and I was still wandering in a haze."

2. Pete Townshend, "Slit Skirts"
Oh, Pete, Pete, Pete. What the hell was up with your fashion sense in 1984? Were you trying to be New Wave? Oh, that's Phil Collins on drums, FYI.

"Didn't it feel good, sitting there talking, or lying there not talking."

3. Joni Mitchell, "Help Me"
God, that voice just knocks me out. This era of Joni Mitchell is some of the most beautiful music ever made. Roger made me aware that a cover version of this song by Mandy Moore exists. I gave it a listen, and honestly, it's pretty good. I know, I was surprised, too.

"You know waking up to the daily blues from waking up to the daily news ain't nothing strange."

4. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, "La Costa Brava"
Nobody guessed this one. This is a live performance for Sound of Young America, sans the Pharmacists. If you only watch one of the videos for a song you've never heard before, make it this one. Ted Leo is awesome.

"Tonight the windows are watching, the streets all conspire, and the lamppost can't stop crying."

5. Bad Religion, "Stranger Than Fiction"
Low quality recording, but hey, they actually made a video for this song! How come I never saw any Bad Religion videos on TV, like, when they were current releases? Every time I find one of their videos on YouTube, it's the first I've ever heard of it.

"She's some kind of angel, if you know what I mean."

6. Matthew Sweet, "Evangeline"
Pretty crummy video of a live performance, but it's the best one I could find. And it's still a damn fine song. And it's based on a comic book by Chuck Dixon, if you didn't know.

"You fucked it up, you should've quit."

7. Aimee Mann, "Long Shot"
Another weak recording of a live show, but a bitchin' song. Aimee even throws in a bonus guitar solo at the end. If you consider that a bonus.

"What do you do when all your enemies are friends?"

8. Foo Fighters, "Monkey Wrench"
Rockin' video for a rockin' tune.

"I'm not black like Barry White, no, I am white like Frank Black is."

9. Bloodhound Gang, "Fire Water Burn"
The extended version, with the Matt Pinfield parody at the top. Hey, he's dressing up as a character, carrying on the tradition of the videos of the '80s! Kind of lame, actually.

"You are the reason I've been waiting so long; somebody holds the key."

10. Blind Faith, "Can't Find My Way Home"
As covered by Yvonne Elliman (Mary Magdalene from the Jesus Christ Superstar film adaptation). Lovely rendition. If I could've found a clip of the end credits of Fandango, I would've used that instead -- the end of that movie, with this song playing over the credits, always breaks my heart.

"I start making a deal inspired by gravity."

11. Indigo Girls, "Airplane"
Sadly, the only YouTube video featuring this very fun song is a fanvid for Supernatural. I recommend hitting play, then looking at something else. Perhaps a picture on the wall, or the TV.

"She left her pills in the glove compartment."

12. Fountains of Wayne, "Mexican Wine"
Drew Carey! Love this video. If there were any justice in the world, this song (my favorite by FoW) would've built on the popularity of "Stacy's Mom" and made Fountains of Wayne superstars. Oh well.

"Should be more to learn from this; can't say I know what it is."

13. Tom Petty, "Flirting With Time"
Unguessed. Not too shocking; it was pretty darn obscure. Another doggone fanvid, but at least this one is for a show I liked. And seriously, it's just a tremendous song, off his great but little-heard recent album, Highway Companion. Give it a listen.

"And then he waits, and then he fakes, and then he bends, and then he shakes."

14. Los Lobos, "Kiko and the Lavender Moon"
What a weird-ass video. Boy, I haven't heard from Los Lobos for a long time. They're still together, right?

"I could give you a star, you could give me one too, and that way we'd be even."

15. The Refreshments, "Down Together"
Another song I was amazed to find a video for. This band was so much fun.

"Don't just call me pessimist; try and read between the lines."

16. Tool, "Aenema"
I'm really surprised this one wasn't guessed. Thought there'd be more than a few Tool fans out there. Love this song, but only watch the video if you want to have nightmares.

"You get to me, you're always outta champagne."

17. The Replacements, "Waitress in the Sky"
As performed by Paul Westerberg solo.

"White cane lying in a gutter in the lane, if you're walking home alone."

18. Neil Young, "Don't Let It Bring You Down"
Wow, this is a knockout of a live performance. Geez, Neil Young wasn't always an old man! What a shocker.

"What is truth? Is truth unchanging law? We both have truths -- are mine the same as yours?"

19. Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack, "Trial Before Pilate"
Including the 39 Lashes. Pretty intense stuff, even for this atheist. I always say, I love the story of Jesus, I just don't buy into it. And it is perhaps best told in musical form.

"Well, sir, I guess there's just a meanness in this world."

20. Bruce Springsteen, "Nebraska"
I don't know what the deal is with the Spanish subtitles -- but man, what a chilling song, based on the Starkweather murders. Way to end on an up note!