The Lyrics Quiz: Elections (Answers)
Answers for Quiz 2 of Term 4, 2023
Kia ora koutou ē hoa mā
Nau mai, haere mai to the answers!
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel and “Lose Yourself” by Eminem that were the most commonly recognised songs this week - though a lot of people correctly identified Radiohead (I think the hint was maybe too easy?). “The Election of 1800” from Hamilton was the least correctly guessed, but most people did pick the musical.
1960s: “Mrs. Robinson”, Simon & Garfunkel
1970s (musical): “A New Argentina”, Evita
1970s (rock): “Elected”, Alice Cooper
1990s: “Electioneering”, Radiohead
2000s: “Lose Yourself”, Eminem
2010s (musical): “The Election of 1800”, Hamilton
Your leaderboard this week:
🥇 on 12/12 and taking a seat in parliament: Megan and The Chamberlains, Team BSA, Vercisca, Siobhan M, Bex K, and TSY Reception
🥈 on 11/12 and taking a seat on the crossbenches: Team Impoverished, All The World's a Song, and The Bögan Crüe
🥉 on 9.5/12 and taking on the minor party/swing vote role: Flying Lizards
Have a great weekend and don’t forget to vote!
Kirsti.
PS: It is with great shame I realised I forgot to tell you on Monday that this was Fat Bear Week, one of the most important elections of the year. It was won, most deservedly, by a behemoth of a bear nicknamed Grazer.
1960s: “Mrs. Robinson”, Simon & Garfunkel
Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon
Going to the candidates debate
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at it, you lose
Hint: This seminal song from this American folk duo was used in the movie The Graduate and is one of their biggest songs (along with “The Sound of Silence”, “Bridge over Troubled Water”, “The Boxer” and “Cecilia”). It was originally going to be called “Mrs. Roosevelt” but the name (and chorus) was changed to fit the film. Song title not in lyrics quoted.
1970s (musical): “A New Argentina”, Evita
Nationalization of the industries
That the foreigners control
Participation in the profits that we make
Shorter hours, higher wages
Votes for women, larger dole
More public spending, a bigger slice of every cake
It's annoying that we have to fight elections for our cause
The inconvenience—having to get a majority
If normal methods of persuasion fail to win us applause
There are other ways of establishing authority
We have ways of making you vote for us
Or at least of making you abstain
Hint: When the film version of this musical was released in 1996 (starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas), they chopped and changed this song a lot with another song from the same part of the musical, “The Art of the Possible”. Whichever version you listen to, it’s about an election in a South American country, and how perhaps democracy isn’t always as free as you think it is…Song title not in lyrics quoted, but involves a word meaning “produced, introduced, or discovered recently or now for the first time; not existing before” and the second-largest country in South America after Brazil.
1970s (rock): “Elected”, Alice Cooper
We're gonna win this one
Take the country by storm
We're gonna be elected
You and me together, young and strong
We're gonna be elected
Hint: A cover of this rock song was recorded by Mr. Bean in 1992 for charity, which I think is hilarious. This glam rock artist/band (one of those ones where the band and the lead singer had the same name) was notorious for their elaborate, theatrical shock rock stage shows; you might know them from such songs as “I’m Eighteen”, “School’s Out”, and “Feed My Frankenstein”. Song title in lyrics quoted.
1990s: “Electioneering”, Radiohead
I will stop, I will stop at nothing
Say the right things when electioneering
I trust I can rely on your vote
Hint: This English rock band’s debut single “Creep” was a worldwide hit, and I also quite like their songs “Karma Police” and “No Surprises”. They self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows, on their website on 10 October 2007 as a download for any amount users wanted, including £0, which I honestly thought was very cool of them. Song title in lyrics quoted.
2000s: “Lose Yourself”, Eminem
Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?
Yo
Hint: I had to. Do you really need a hint for this one? It’s pretty legal after all…
2010s (musical): “The Election of 1800”, Hamilton
Talk less!
Burr!
Smile more!
Burr!
Don’t let ‘em know what you’re against or what you’re for!
Burr!
Shake hands with him!
Burr!
Charm her!
Burr!
It’s 1800, ladies, tell your husbands: vote for
Burr!
Hint: This song comes from the hit musical about America’s founding fathers and tells the story of the election happening the year mention in this song. I saw this musical IN PERSON earlier this year at Spark Arena and this song is very fun to see live. Song title kinda in lyrics quoted.