Mystery Mix 2022 Solution
In my last post, I presented, for the third year running, a mystery mix, a selection of songs in which my puzzle-minded readers could attempt to guess the hidden commonality. And with the deadline for entries having expired I can now reveal the solution and announce the winner. But before I do, I want to report that I received more entries this year than in both of the previous years combined, plus there were several correct submissions among them. This pleases me greatly. And from the comments I received, I could tell that many of you had fun with it even if you didn’t solve it. That pleases me even more. Thank you to all who participated. Now for the solution.
I’ve called this year’s edition “Title Track,” as it is comprised of a collection of well-known hit songs that are also movie titles. But here’s the thing, there are hundreds and hundreds of songs and movies that share the same title and in the vast majority of instances, the song was specifically commissioned for the movie and never appeared on the Billboard music charts. In others, the song became a hit based on the strength of the movie’s popularity (think of all those James Bond movies and their theme songs) or the film and song both were simultaneously developed as a vehicle to promote the star power of a musical artist (every movie Elvis ever made should immediately come to mind here). However, for this mystery playlist, I specifically chose only those songs that were popular long before they were later appropriated as a movie title and also were licensed for use in the movie’s soundtrack.
It was while recently rewatching Pretty Woman, the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere movie, that I got the idea for this mystery mix. From there, Reese Witherspoon’s Sweet Home Alabama quickly came to mind, as well as the movies My Girl, Stand by Me, and Soul Man. It didn’t take long to come up with enough other candidates to make a suitable playlist. However, from the outset, I knew that if I decided to use this puzzle, I would probably have to accept as correct the more general answer of “Song titles that are also movie titles,” as I figured that once someone discovered this basic commonality they would not likely examine it any further. I also knew that I shouldn’t be disappointed if no one realized my intended answer. However, I have to confess, like the old professor that I am, I had hopes that at least one reader would see that more specific, deeper connection.
I received the first entry on the second day of the contest. I was not surprised that it contained the more general answer. Over the next couple of days, several more submissions came in. I was pleased that readers were participating and that so many had perceived the basic connection, but alas, they all had that same general response. In sharing this with a friend that evening, I mentioned my feeling that something was alack.
And then, lo and behold, on the third day I got a follow-up email from the first entrant containing an addendum to the original submission. It stated: “None of the songs on the list were written for the films that bear their name. Each of the songs existed on their own as a chart hit before the films bearing their name were made.” Well, Flip Dog A’mighty! This was the more specific answer I was looking for all along.
Kudos to Brown Furlow of New York City for sending that first entry and also the later follow-up. I thank you mightily, Brown, for being bugged enough to persist in looking for that deeper connection. Your commemorative My Back Pages Mystery Mix winner’s mug is on its way to you.
And, I must give honorable mention to Macy Moore, my grandniece, a high school senior and this year’s youngest entrant, whose second-place submission was just a few hours behind Brown’s. Congratulations, Macy Beth! Did I say that I was pleased with this year’s participation? Yes, I believe I did.
Oh, by the way, some sharp-eyed readers may have already noticed that I did not include “Pretty Woman” in the playlist after all. Even though this was the song/movie that gave me the idea for this puzzle, after I refined the theme I realized it didn’t quite fit the bill. While “Pretty Woman” is the title of the movie, the exact title of the Roy Orbison classic is “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Well, oh, well.
TERMS TO PONDER
alas (interjection): from French helas meaning “how sad, sadly”; from the mid-13th century. Often paired with alack.
alack (interjection): from Middle English, contraction of ah lack meaning “it is missing” and expressing sadness over the shortage or deficiency; from the mid-15th century. Often paired with alas.
en.wickionary.com
lo and behold (interjection, used in the imperative): The lo in this expression probably originated from the shortening of the word look, as commonly seen in Middle English texts. Its presence in literature can be traced to at least as early as the 18th century. The literal meaning of the expression is “look and see.”
en.wickionary.com
SONG OF THE DAY
“Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison (Orbisongs, 1965)
BONUS TRACK
“Along Came Jones” by The Coasters (Greatest Hits, 1959)
Here is one of the few cases where a popular song shares the title of a movie that preceded it, rather than the reverse. Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the Coasters, and later covered by Ray Stevens, “Along Came Jones” came over a decade after the 1945 Gary Cooper western film of the same title. While the song does feature a western hero named Jones who was obviously inspired by Cooper’s “long, lean, lanky” “slow-walking, slow-talking” screen persona, the lyrics describe how a bad gunslinger, “Salty Sam,” terrorizes a ranch owner named “Sweet Sue,” two characters who were not in the movie but were supposedly on an unnamed television show.