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For the Weekend Genius Challenge, we’ve done anagrams and clues and various wordplay. This weekend, we go musical!
In the following music file are the percussion-only introductions to 15 hit songs from the year 1980. Your job is to identify the songs, and if you’re the first to get them all (or the first to get more than anyone else) you’ll win a T-shirt of your choice from the mental floss store. Easy, huh? We’ll see. We predict you’ll recognize a couple right away, have no idea on a few of them, and go crazy trying to place the others. Anyway, here’s the music file in mp3 format:
No, there’s nothing obscure here… most of these were Top-10 songs, and they all were in the year-end Top 100 on the Billboard pop chart. Answer by commenting below, with all your answers in a single comment. You only get one crack at it, so make your guesses count! The correct songs will be revealed on Monday morning. Good luck!
Comments (17)
Comment
this one is TOUGH
posted by bob on 12-8-2007 at 9:29 am
Huh, Call me by Blondie, Whip it by Devo, and Love will tear us apart by joy division?
Agh.
posted by Milen on 12-8-2007 at 10:08 am
Slightly longer separation between tracks would help…
Definitely heard back to back Emotional Rescue by Stones followed by Hungry Heart from Bruce Springsteen around 7/8, then Eagles Long Run about #10. Last track is definitely Billy Joel/Glass Houses, though I’d argue shattering glass is only marginally “percussion”
posted by Chan on 12-8-2007 at 10:48 am
Woops. The ALBUM is Glass Houses, Song is You May Be Right…
posted by Chan on 12-8-2007 at 10:58 am
Chan sez: Slightly longer separation between tracks would help.
I think that’s where the “challenge” part comes in, Chan.
posted by Jill on 12-8-2007 at 11:01 am
What is shattering glass if it’s not percussion? Answer: Dangerous. (rimshot)
posted by Sandy on 12-8-2007 at 11:31 am
Call me
You lost that loving feeling
Whip it
Boz Scaggs song
Fleetwood Mac song
Pina Colada song “Escape ”
Emotional Rescue
?
Long run
?
Maneater
?
?
Into the night..Benny Mardones
You may be right..
I’ll try to finish it up Later..
posted by CJ, Kansas City, MO on 12-8-2007 at 11:42 am
Now rimshot I’ll give you, is true percussion.
posted by Chan on 12-8-2007 at 12:16 pm
-Call Me (Blondie)
-You’ve Lost That Lovin Feeling (Hall 7 Oates)
-Whip It (Devo)
-Rock With You (Michael Jackson)
-Working My Way Back to You Babe(Spinners)
-Escape (Rupert Holmes)
-Emotional Rescue (Stones)
-?
-The Tide is High (Blondie)
-The Long Run (Eagles)
-?
-?
-You May Be Right (Billy Joel)
posted by Kent on 12-8-2007 at 12:53 pm
You guys can take my lowly contribution, since there’s no way for me to take it: the song between Emotional Rescue and The Tide is High is most likely Hungry Heart by Springsteen which just makes the cutoff at 1980 (on The River).
This one is incredibly difficult, due to the lack of tools to look any of this up. There is no listing of songs indexed by opening beats. Heck even the sample from iTunes usually doesn’t play the intro to a song, just the chorus. Good luck!
posted by Leadhyena on 12-8-2007 at 3:51 pm
I took Kent’s list and added on what I thought.
-Call Me (Blondie)
-You’ve Lost That Lovin Feeling (Hall 7 Oates)
-Whip It (Devo)
-Rock With You (Michael Jackson)
-Working My Way Back to You Babe(Spinners)
-Escape (Rupert Holmes)
-Emotional Rescue (Stones)
-Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen)
-The Tide is High (Blondie)
-The Long Run (Eagles)
-Steal Away (Robbie Dupree)
-?
-Into The Night (Benny Mardones)
-?
-You May Be Right (Billy Joel)
posted by Steve on 12-8-2007 at 7:21 pm
Call Me
You lost that lovin feeling
Whip It
Dirty Low Down
Pina Colata Song…
Emotional Rescue
Hungry Heart
Man Eater
The Long Run
Into the Night
You may be right
Crap!
posted by Gamble on 12-8-2007 at 8:28 pm
Regarding “tools to look this up”, actually he gives you a big hint by saying they all made the Top 100 of the year, and those lists are not hard to find. I have every Billboard chart for 20 years in books in the other room, but did my list above without cheating (because really, what is the fun of cheating on something like this?). But a copy of that list would help narrow down the possibilities A LOT, since a lot of those songs don’t start with percussion songs at all.
posted by Kent on 12-9-2007 at 12:22 am
#4 is def. Rock With You…
posted by Brandi on 12-9-2007 at 12:14 pm
-Call me Blondie
-Escape (The Pina Colada Song) Rupert Holmes
-Whip it Devo
-Rock with you Michael Jackson
-Dirty low down Boz Scaggs
-Emotional Rescue Stones
-Hungry Heart Bruce Springsteen
-
-The Long Run the eagles
-The Tide is High Blondie
-Heartbreaker Pat Benatar
-You May be Right Billy Joel
This is the best I could do.
posted by Don on 12-9-2007 at 7:41 pm
I’m missing one, the 11th intro, but I’m positive on all the rest.
Call Me - Blondie
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling - Hall & Oates
Whip It - Devo
Rock With You - Michael Jackson
Workin’ My Way Back To You - Spinners
Little Jeanie - Elton John
Emotional Rescue - Rolling Stones
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
Master Blaster (Jammin) - Stevie Wonder
The Long Run - The Eagles
??? ( could be Gary Neuman - Cars)
How Do I Make You - Linda Ronstadt
Into the Night - Benny Mardones
In America - Charlie Daniels Band
You May Be Right - Billy Joel
posted by Bryan on 12-9-2007 at 11:44 pm
1. Call Me—Blondie
2. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’—Hall & Oates
3. Whip It—Devo
4. Rock with You—Michael Jackson
5. Working My Way Back to You—The Spinners
6. Escape (The Piña Colada Song)—Rupert Holmes
7. Emotional Rescue—The Rolling Stones
8. Hungry Heart—Bruce Springsteen
9. The Tide Is High—Blondie
10. The Long Run—The Eagles
11. Cars—Gary Numan
12. How Do I Make You—Linda Ronstadt
13. Into the Night—Benny Mardones
14. In America—Charlie Daniels Band
15. You May Be Right—Billy Joel
Idioms T-shirt, size L
posted by da Bomb on 12-10-2007 at 8:29 am