h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have a book 'A Directory Of Tunes' by Denys Parsons. He invented a simple code which enables you to look up the names of any common tunes you hear that you can't identify. I'll explain the code, then test you with ten codes to see if you can identify them from that sequence.

In his code, Parsons takes the first 13 notes of each tune, then assigns them a letter as follows:

* is the first note of the tune
U means the next note goes Up from the previous one
D means the next note goes Down from the previous one
R means the note is Repeated (i.e. it goes neither up nor down)

As an example, *RUDUD DRUDU DDR is the code for the first 13 notes of the song 'Happy Birthday To You'. It goes like this:

* (Hap)
R (py)
U (birth)
D (day)
U (to)
D (you)
D (Hap)
R (py)
U (birth)
D (day)
U (to)
D (you)
D (Hap)
R (py)

etc

So here are ten for you to find:

1. *UUUDD DUUDD RUU (clue: Carpenters)
2. *RUDDD UUDDR UUD (clue: Beatles)
3. *URRDD URUDU UDD (clue: Early cartoon theme)
4. *DURDU UDDUR RDU (clue: Mary Poppins)
5. *UUUDD DUDDD UDD (clue: Beatles)
6. *URRRD RRRUR RRD (clue: Film series theme)
7. *UUUDD DRDUU DDU (clue: Rolling Stones)
8. *UUUDU UDDDD DUU (clue: Irish traditional)
9. *UUUDU DUUDR UUU (clue: Cliff Richard)
10. *URDUU UUUDU URU (clue: A national anthem)


***

I’m trying to sing these. Mrs D thinks I’m ill... de dah!

Ill Try:
4. Spoonful of Sugar

<BB<

4. is indeed a spoonful of sugar

* And
D a
U spoon
R ful
D of
U sug

U ar
D helps
D the
U me
R di

R cine
D go
U down

9. Congratulations

9. *UUUDU DUUDR UUU - Congratulations is correct

* Con-
U gra-
U tu-
U la-
D tions 
U And
D ce-
U leb-
U ra-
D tions 
R When
U I
U tell
U ev-

1. Goodbye to Love

6. James Bond Theme?

8. Oh Danny Boy

7 Paint it Black

7. Paint it Black

1,6,7,and 8 all correct

1. *UUUDD DUUDD RUU - Goodbye To Love

* I'll
U say
U good-
U bye
D to
D love
D No
U one
U ev-
D er
D cared
R if
U I
U should


6. *URRRD RRRUR RRD - James Bond Theme

* Dum
U du-
R du-
R dum
R dum
D dum
R dum
R dum
R dum
U du-
R du-
R dum
R dum
D dum


Bonus question this week is to write some appropriate lyrics for this tune.

I'll kick off with "I'm Dou-ble-O-Se-ven and I'm..."


7. *UUUDD DRDUU DDU - Paint It Black

* I
U see
U your
U red
D door
D and
D I
R want
D it
U paint-
U ed
D bla-
D ack
U No

8. *UUUDU UDDDD DUU - Londonderry Air

* Oh
U Dan-
U ny
U Boy
D the
U pipes
U the
D pipes
D are
D ca-
D al-
D ling
U From
U glen

2. Strawberry Fields Forever
5. Penny Lane

Do you know how many Beatles songs Ihad to sing to find those?

And I had two near misses for 5. with Ticket to Ride and Eleanor Rigby

Both correct

2. *RUDDD UUDDR UUD - Strawberry Fields Forever

* Let
R me
U take
D you
D down
D cause
U I'm
U go-
D ing
D to
R Straw-
U ber-
U ry
D Fields

5. *UUUDD DUDDD UDD - Penny Lane
* In
U Pen-
U ny
U Lane
D there
D is
D a
U bar-
D ber
D show-
D ing
U pho-
D to-
D graphs

I see what you mean about Ticket To Ride. Eleanor Rigby seems to fall over after the third note for me.

I was considering the "Ah look at all the lonely people" phrase.

Oh yes, so it does!

That would be Denys Parsons of Gobfrey Shrdlu fame? A witty and ingenious bloke.

Any ideas on 3 or 10? I don't know many national anthems