Fun Story Made From Classic Rock Songs. And a Music Quiz.

We begin with a fun 'love' story, entitled Just One Look, which is made up entirely from titles, lyrics and lyrical snippets from some of the great songs of the Baby Boom, regarded by many as the best musical era yet.

For a lot of us, these are the songs that provided the soundtrack to our lives as we grew up, so, as you read, expect the memories to come flooding back.....

But, what about the song titles? And the artists?

Your challenge, should you decide to accept it, (sorry, couldn't help myself..) is to identify all 208 songs, with 'just one look', before scrolling down to where I’ve revealed the names of the 122 artists. That should help with any songs that are ‘right on the tip of your tongue’, but you can’t quite bring to mind. Some date back to the fifties, so don't beat yourself up too much...

Although 'Just One Look' contains lyrics from hundreds of different songs, they come together to tell a familiar story. About loneliness, and how 'just one look' was all it took to turn that loneliness into lust. As I've been reviewing the various tracks, I've been constantly reminded that the most enduring songs (with some exceptions of course) are also those that tell a story, and capture the deeper emotions we all share.

As an example, check out the Frankie Lymon archival clip just below. It's a story that may astound you, about Frankie himself, and an everlasting song that works as well today as it did back in 1956. Because we'll never stop asking, "Why do fools fall in love?

Although we all love rock 'n' roll (don't we?) any collection of music Baby Boomers know and love couldn't be constrained by one musical genre, so I've included a couple of crossover hits, like The Bellamy Brothers classic that took Country to Europe, 'If I Said You Have A Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me?' Sounds a bit like a joke title, something Weird Al Yankovic might have done, but trust me, if you can avoid the distraction of wondering where these cowboys have tethered their horses, the featured video (coming up later) of their live performance at England's Wembley Stadium will shoot straight to your heart. And, if you like that feeling, you'll have another chance to 'Let Your Love Flow' (the boys again) later in the story.

Likewise, in the opening paragraph, the reference to a 'Silver Thunderbird' reminds us that 'Walking in Memphis' isn't the only reason Marc Cohn deserves his place in the pantheon of pop. I've never heard a more moving tribute to a father from a son. Watch the rare recording, hear Marc himself explain the real-life feelings that gave him the reason to write the lyric, "If there's a God up in heaven, he's got a silver Thunderbird", and weep.

Finally, not all these songs are old ones. For example, you'll find a reference to Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' in the story. Tracy was born in 1964, the year the Baby Boom ended, but she grew up fast enough, and talented enough, to release this instant classic in 1988. Don't know about you, but as a bona fide Baby Boomer, I was still groovin' to the beat when I was 40. Just not in front of the kids.

I’ve included several more videos of my favourite artists - from this particular story - to give you a taste of the spine-tingling emotion on offer here. And linked to a few more via the text (in blue). But I've hardly scratched the surface - there are 208 songs, remember.

If you don’t feel anything when you check these out, better check for a pulse..!

Or, better yet, because we 'Kids of the Baby Boom' (The Bellamy Brothers again) all respond to different cues, it might just be my song choice. If so, just choose the ones you prefer; they're all available via You Tube Videos.

OK, are you ready for some reminiscing?

(Reminiscing; Little River Band)

No cheating now, read the story through, to see how many songs you can get before you need to look at the List of Performing Artists. I’ll bonus you the first one; the title track. Just One Look, by the fabulously talented Linda Ronstadt.

Maybe 'just one look' is all you'll need to identify all the songs?

To give you an idea of what's ahead, there are 16 clues in the first paragraph alone, and it might take you a while if you want to get all the songs in the story, before checking the list of artists. So, if you run out of time, be sure to bookmark this page, and come back again. (Come Back Again; Daddy Cool)

Sadly, there are no prizes for getting them all, but equally, it doesn’t matter if you don’t, this is a fun quiz after all. If you do, give yourself a big round of applause! (And show off in the poll at the end..)

Good luck, and enjoy!

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^{Copyright to author, writeronline 2011. All rights reserved}.

Old friends, on the road again, cruisin’ a dark desert highway in a silver Thunderbird, we came upon a layby, midway between Eagle Rock and Crocodile Rock, so we stopped to stretch our legs for a while. It took me by surprise, I must say, when my travelling companion suddenly blurted, “I gotta get out of this place. Breaking up is hard to do, so I’m sorry, but my baby wrote me a letter, saying ‘bring it on home to me’, so I got to get back, start taking care of business”. Then he jumped back in the T-Bird, took off like a bat out of hell, and was soon far outta sight, a long way further on up the road.

“You can call me, Al!” I yelled after him, but he was already gone; and I was alone in the dark.

It was a quiet night and I would be alright. But what a feeling. Sad and lonely and blue.

I hung my head and cried, “alone again, naturally. South of the border, 24 hours from Tulsa, many rivers to cross, and no direction home. Crazy.”

It was raining in my heart as I thought about how yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, and now I was wishing and hoping I could find someone to stand by me.

Then, up ahead in the distance I saw a shimmering light, and the sound of silence was soon broken by the good vibrations of a little red Corvette, slowing down to take a look at me. I watched it come a little bit closer, until it stopped, almost touching my blue suede shoes. Better get back, I thought, as the door opened, but I got chills, multiplying, electrifying, as a long cool woman in a black dress, wearing sunglasses (at night?), and a raspberry beret, climbed out. I couldn’t help grinning as I thought, ‘she’s got legs’, and she said, “I love the sunshine of your smile. Do you love as good as you look?”

'What a wonderful world', I said to myself, when I saw her standing there, and replied, “Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways, I don’t get around much anymore, foxy lady, but of all the girls I’ve loved before, you really got me goin’. If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?”

“You better shape up, ‘cause I need a man, and my heart is set on you,” she said, “I can’t tell you why. But lately I’ve been having heartaches by the number, troubles by the score, and crying, crying lonely teardrops. Only the lonely know why I cry. I fall to pieces since my baby left me, I’ve been walking after midnight, and it’s even worse now that Daddy took the T-Bird away.”

'Tell me about it', I thought. But I’d had many wasted days and wasted nights myself since my baby shot me down, and looking into the sad eyes of this pretty woman, I wasn’t sure whether to tell her about it, but then I thought ‘it doesn’t matter anymore, my girl’s never gonna come back again’, so I said, “I don’t mean to rave on, but Iove hurts, love scars, love is like a flame, burns you when it’s hot. I wonder why, why do fools fall in love?”

“It’s so easy, I guess,” she said pensively, “love is all around, love is in the air. But who can understand true love ways? What becomes of the broken-hearted? How can you mend a broken heart?”

Then she smiled, and said, “still, here we are, just the two of us, another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody. And I was made for loving you.”

Something in the way she moved told me it was a simple twist of fate that this black magic woman had decided to roll on down the highway in the midnight hour, looking for adventure in whatever comes her way. But I had more than a feeling there was gonna be a heartache tonight, so I asked her, “what’s goin’ on?”

She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.

“What’d I say? Tell me, what’d I say?”

“Don’t worry, be happy”, she smiled as she opened the door and slid back onto the driver’s seat, and for a moment I could see paradise by the dashboard light, as she struggled to get her hot legs, looking to me like the stairway to heaven, pure poetry in motion, back in the car, and I thought, ‘I can hear music, my little runaway. I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door, and I can’t help falling in love with you”.

She said “Jump in my car, us girls just wanna have fun, and I’m ready for love, to take it to the limit, one more time. I know you’ve never been this far before, but the times they are a’changing, you send me, honest you do, and we’re only a heartbeat away from the Heartbreak Hotel, down at the end of Lonely Street, on the cheating side of town. Baby, come on, I can hardly wait to hold you, feel your arms around me.”

“Woman, you’re the devil in disguise” I thought, but I put it down to us guys all having suspicious minds, and said instead, “Well, all right. Are you lonesome tonight?”

“That’ll be the day. If you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with”, she cooed as I got in and said “Let’s go”, and she put the pedal to the metal, making the Corvette shake, rattle and roll as we hit the highway to hell. When she turned her lyin’ eyes my way to softly say, “You’ve got your troubles, I got mine, but we’ve got tonight, and baby, I’m yours. Let’s spend the night together. I want you to rock me baby, rock me all night long. If you’ll be my Dixie chicken, I’ll be your Tennessee lamb”, I knew I was in trouble deep.

Shakin’ all over, I said, “Listen, do you want to know a secret, do you promise not to tell? You got a fast car, but all I wanna do is make love to you. And we may never pass this way again. So tonight’s the night. Let’s get down on it, do that crazy hand jive, some slippin’ and slidin’, movin’ and groovin’, let’s get it on. All my lovin', I will give to you. Anything you want, you got it. Be my baby, and let me be your teddy bear, your brown eyed handsome man. For your love, I’m just a gigolo”.

And then I kissed her.

“Do that to me one more time’, she said, “and gimme all your lovin, all your hugs and kisses too, love me do, that’s what I want. Please please me, and I’ll be your baby tonight...,” she giggled, “...if you make my dreams come true. I want a man with a slow hand, I want a lover with an easy touch. I want somebody who will spend some time, not come and go in a heated rush... let your love flow. I’m so excited baby, I need your lovin’, got to have all your lovin. But you don’t have to say you love me.”

It must be love, I thought as I gazed upon my dream lover and pondered, ‘You got your demons, you got desires. Well, I got a few of my own... but will you still love me tomorrow?’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Suddenly, I’m not half the man I used to be. There’s a shadow hanging over me. Last night the bottle let me down. (I usually only have one bourbon, one scotch, one beer.) Oh, what a night. We were dancing in the dark, and then it started, with a kiss, her love lifted me higher and higher, felt like it was gonna be a real walk on the wild side, but the booze made me kinda drift away right after I said “I can’t hold back”, even while she was crying, “don’t let me down”, and then it ended badly because I had to rush to the boys room. Last thing I remember, I was running for the door, and she was crying “baby, come back, you can blame it all on me”. Then she really lost it, banging on the door, yelling, “somebody tell me why I can’t get no satisfaction!”

This girl with kaleidoscope eyes (that explained the sunglasses), was no angel of the morning either. We said our goodbyes the night before. I said, “bye bye, love”, and she said, “it’s all over now, baby blue”, no tears on my shoulder, just left me standing there, like a complete unknown. Standing in the shadows of love.

But I can see clearly now. I’ve learned my lesson well.

You can’t always get what you want. But if you try, some time, you just might find you get what you need.

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Here's how to check your results, or find out the ones you 'can't quite recall'.

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1: All 128 artists are listed below, in sequence with the song clues in the text. However..

2: Several artists are represented more than once. How many times is noted at their first appearance, but their names are not repeated in the list, (just to add a little extra to the 'spotting' challenge).

3: Most of the 208 featured songs have been covered by various artists. I’ve chosen the ones I like. But it’s easy, and OK, to choose an artist you might prefer, while checking your results. (See 4 below)

4: To confirm your results, or find out the ones you didn't get, keep this page open, and open a new tab in your browser, to search You Tube videos for any lyric, snippet, or song title from here. That way you can just 'Keep Searchin' (Del Shannon) and 'Coming Back for More' ('Take it to the Limit', Eagles), until you've got the lot. (Or can't take any more..)

Or better still, if a song really hits you, pause to click into an ‘on-demand’ performance; grooving to artists you know and love - or easily sampling ones you might not have heard before.

Even the ones who’ve moved on to rock ’n’ roll heaven.

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Linda Ronstadt

Simon and Garfunkel (2)

Willie Nelson (3)

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles (4)

Eagles (12)

Mark Cohn

Daddy Cool (2)

Elton John (3)

Paul Simon (2)

The Animals

Neil Sedaka

Sam Cooke (4)

Lou Rawls

The Beatles (15)

Bachman Turner Overdrive (2)

Meatloaf (2)

Stevie Wonder

Eric Clapton

John Hiatt and The Goners

Irene Kara

The Easybeats

Johnny Cash

Gilbert O’Sullivan

Marty Robbins

Gene Pitney

Joe Cocker

Bob Dylan (6)

Buddy Holly (7)

Dusty Springfield (2)

Ben E King

The Beach Boys (4)

Prince (2)

Jay and The Americans

Carl Perkins

John Travolta

Olivia Newton-John

The Hollies (2)

Corey Hart

ZZ Top (2)

Mike Berry

The Bellamy Brothers (3)

Louis Armstrong

Etta James

Jimi Hendrix

The Kinks

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jackie Wilson (2)

Roy Orbison (5)

Patsy Cline (2)

Freddie Fender

Cher

Robert John

Billy Joel

The Temptations

Gram Parsons

Emmylou Harris

Del Shannon

Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers

The Troggs

John Paul Young

Jimmy Ruffin

Bee Gees

Bob Seger (2)

Bill Withers

Kiss

Santana

Wilson Pickett

Steppenwolf

Boston

Marvin Gaye (2)

Ray Charles

Bobby McFerrin

Sniff’n The Tears

Rod Stewart (2)

Led Zeppelin

Johnny Tillotson

Elvis Presley (8)

Ted Mulry Gang

Cyndi Lauper

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

Conway Twitty

Leo Sayer

The Doors

John Lennon

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

The Cars

ACDC (2)

The Fortunes

Tanya Tucker

The Rolling Stones (3)

BB King

Little Feat

The Everly Brothers (2)

Johnny Kidd and The Pirates

Tracy Chapman

Heart

Seals and Crofts

Kool and The Gang

Johnny Otis

The Band

The Ronettes

Chuck Berry

The Yardbirds

Village People

Captain and Tenille

Hall and Oates

Pointer Sisters (2)

The Four Tops (2)

The Shirelles

Don Williams

Bobby Darin

Waylon Jennings

George Thorogood

The Four Seasons

Bruce Springsteen

Hot Chocolate

Lou Reed

Dobie Gray

Survivor

Motley Crue

The Equals

Player

Juice Newton

Johnny Nash

Ricky Nelson

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