Food Song Quiz

Were you around during the ’70s? Even if you weren’t, you’ve probably hummed along to some of that decade’s popular songs, with lines such as, “Do you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain?” Or “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,” and, “I don’t think that I can take it, cause it took so long to bake it and I’ll never have that recipe again.”

There were a lot of  strange songs during that era that include food or drink.  OK, maybe the lyrics weren’t really about food; a lot of us were naive and didn’t realize some were metaphors for drugs, sex or social issues.

The decade itself was an interesting time  —  pet rocks, mood rings, Earth shoes, leisure suits. Gooshy foods seemed to be popular —  quiche, broccoli swimming in Hollandaise sauce and crepes with creamy fillings.

We can thank the ’70s back-to-nature movement for sprouts, granola, yogurt and salad bars. It also inspired “Junk Food Junkie,” the only hit song by West Virginia folksinger Larry Groce. His chorus of, “In the daytime I’m Mr. Natural, just as healthy as I can be, but at night I’m a junk food junkie . . . ”  is still spot-on for America’s double-dining standards.

Here’s a chance to test your Food Song I.Q. Although this list of lyrics contains many ’70s tunes, I borrowed a few from other decades too.

Read these lyrics and see if you can come up with the titles and/or artists who sang them:

1. “I don’t think that I can take it, ’cause it took so long to bake it, and I’ll never have that recipe again.”

2. “Put the lime in the. . . . “

3. “Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.”

4. “Talk about your childhood wishes, you can even eat the dishes.”

5. “You are my candy girl, and you’ve got me wanting you.”

6. “Can you catch it on your tonsils, can you heave it left and right?”

7. “Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. . . . “

8. “Give it one more try before you give up on love, girl.”

9. “Drop your shrink and stop your drinkin’.”

10. “Nibblin’ on sponge cake, watching the sun bake all of those tourists covered with oil.”

11. “I’m not much into health food, I am into champagne.”

12. “Have some more chicken, have some more pie, it doesn’t matter if it’s broiled or fried.”

13. “I only eat good sea salt, white sugar don’t touch my lips, and my friends are always begging me to take them on macrobiotic trips.”

14. “When you’re near, the rain cloud disappears, dear, and I feel so fine just to know that you are mine.”

15. “And it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summertime.”

16. “I said, ‘Do you speak-a my language?’ He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich.”

17. “My boy lollipop, you make my heart go giddy-up”

ANSWERS:

1. “MacArthur Park,” by Richard Harris, 1968 (disco-ized by Donna Summer in 1978)

2. “Coconut,” by Harry Nilsson, 1972

3. “American Pie,” by Don McLean, 1972

4. “The Candy Man” by Sammy Davis, Jr., 1972

5. “Sugar, Sugar” by the Archies, 1969

6. “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?” by Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group, 1961

7. “Scarborough Fair,” by Simon & Garfunkel, 1968

8. “One Bad Apple,” by the Osmonds, 1971

9. “Crunchy Granola Suite,” by Neil Diamond, 1971

10. “Margaritaville,” by Jimmy Buffett, 1977

11. “Escape,” (also known as “Pina Colada Song”) by Rupert Holmes, 1979

12. “Eat It,” by Weird Al Yankovic, 1984

13. “Junk Food Junkie,” by Larry Groce, 1976

14. “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” by Lesley Gore, 1965

15. “Little Green Apples,” by O.C. Smith, 1968

16. “Down Under,” by Men at Work, 1983

17. “My Boy Lollipop,” by Millie Small, 1964