Nov.10

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GOP 49

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Silver Threads Among the Gold

For some readers, the theme of last week's headlines was immediately evident. For others, it took some serious thought. Here's the answer, courtesy of reader J.N. in Zionsville, IN:

Each of the pieces of music are the "last" in some way for the artists/composers.

1. "Walking on Thin Ice": John Lennon's last song he recorded
2. "Louder Than Words": Last song to include founding Pink Floyd band member, Richard Wright
3. "Do You Want to Rock?": To be honest, I'm not sure which song this references, but Danko Jones is a Canadian and that just will not do.
4. "Riders on the Storm": The last song recorded by Jim Morrison
5. "Now and Then": The (now) last song released by the Beatles
6. "The Art of the Fugue": This (depending on who you ask) is the last finished composition of J.S. Bach
7. "Milkcow's Calf Blues": The last recording of blues musician Robert Johnson
8. "You Know You're Right": The last song recorded by Nirvana before the death of Kurt Cobain

It helped a lot if you knew that, about 24 hours before we put that together, the Beatles managed to release one final song, to much fanfare. That song began as a John Lennon solo effort, however, so it is possible that "Walking on Thin Ice" no longer belongs on the list. Oh, and prior to last week, the Beatles' last song would have been "Real Love," which was also created by starting with a John Lennon solo effort. The last song recorded while the band was still together was "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."

Meanwhile, "Do You Want to Rock?" is actually the last song for Phil Lynott, of Thin Lizzy. We would not stoop to including songs by Canadians, needless to say. "Silver Threads Among the Gold," from the headline, is a mid-to-late-19th-century song by H.P. Danks and Eben E. Rexford. Since it was the only song they recorded, it is necessarily the last song they recorded.

We're working on a different approach to announcing the winners, but for now, we'll stick with the first ten to get it right:

1. D.D. in Highland Park, IL
2. I.B. in Victoria, BC, Canada
3. E.B. in Avon, IN
4. R.D. in Cheshire, CT
5. R.F. in Washington DC
6. J.N. in Zionsville
7. N.S. in North Hollywood, CA
8. F.W. in Franklin, WV
9. D.L. in Uslar, Germany
10. J.C. in Westminster, VT

As to this week's theme, it might be the most appropriate one we've chosen (that's your hint). It fits in the Trivial Pursuit category "History." Actually, we'll give you a second hint, too. Before we had to postpone the results for the debate contest, that item was going to have the headline "The Day After: Some People's Guesses Were Quite Good."

If you have a guess as to this week's theme, send it here. And don't forget to include your initials and city. (Z)