1/10 Music Fans Can't Get Over 50% On This Music Quiz
- by Ben Sherlock
- – on
- in Entertainment
Everybody loves music. No one doesn't like music. It's just a question of what kind of music it is. Some artists find a niche market in their area, while others can go on to resonate with millions of people. There have been huge stars in the genres of pop, rock and roll, heavy metal, hip hop, all kinds.
The times are always changing. Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber and Katy Perry are the biggest names today, but back in the '60s, it was all about the Beatles and Pink Floyd and the Who. Over this entire period of time, musicians with their own distinctive and unique style have managed to slip through the cracks and make a splash, like Elton John and David Bowie and Prince. These are the artists that defy classification, yet strike a chord with millions of people across the world.
Only a real music fan will be able to name all these artists, finish all these lyrics, match all these musicians to their bands, and answer all these trivia questions. And only music fans who open their ears to all genres will have the range to answer every single question correctly. Go ahead and give it a try!
Which girl band made Beyonce a star?
Beyonce is one of the biggest celebrities in the world. Her stadium tours sell out at the snap of her fingers, she has millions upon millions of followers on social media, and she's one of the best selling recording artists around. She is also a well known public figure for her widely covered marriage to rapper Jay Z. She is arguably better known as a solo artist than she ever was as the member of a girl band, but that is how she got her start as a singer. What was the name of the girl band that made her a star?
Who performs the song Tiny Dancer?
According to IMDb, a biopic of this beloved musician is currently in the works with Kingsman: The Secret Service and Robin Hood star Taron Egerton called Rocketman, named after one of his best known and best loved songs. The singer actually appeared alongside Egerton in the Kingsman sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle back in 2017, an experience that may have swayed him to let the actor play him. The biopic will be presented as a musical using the musician's work to tell the story of his life. Who performs the song Tiny Dancer (and also Candle in the Wind and Your Song)?
Complete the Journey lyric: "Just a city boy..."
According to Wikipedia, the song that this lyric is taken from, Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, is used very commonly in popular culture. It was used in the controversial final scene of The Sopranos at the end of the series finale episode before it is cut off by the infamous cut to black. It was also sung by the characters of both Glee and Family Guy, in the former for emotional effect and in the latter for comedic effect. Buzzfeed included it on a list of songs everyone knows the words to. Complete the Journey lyric: "Just a city boy..."
Which of these musicians was NOT a member of the Beatles?
The Beatles are not only considered to be the greatest rock band of all time, but also the most influential on modern pop music, and all in just a short run of ten years. There were four members of the Beatles. A few people, such as their manager and their producer and a jazz musician who was hired mainly to communicate between the band members towards the end of their run when they weren't speaking, have been called "the fifth Beatle." But officially, there was only ever four Beatles. Which of these musicians was NOT a member of the Beatles?
What are Ed Sheeran's albums usually named after?
According to Wikipedia, a couple of years ago, Ed Sheeran made music history by having a grand total of 16 records in the top 20 charts, a feat that had been accomplished by nobody before in the history of the music business. A lot of artists name their albums on a case by case basis, depending on what the content or theme of the album is. But Sheeran is different in that his albums are always named after a certain thing that links them all together. He's about to run out, though. What are Ed Sheeran's albums usually named after?
Which rock band was Sting in before going solo?
Sting has become a very successful solo artist in the years since he left this band, but this is where he made his name originally. The band was famous for such songs as Roxanne, Message in a Bottle, and De Do Do Do De Da Da Da, a song that Alan Partridge called "their gibberish classic." According to Wikipedia, the band also included Stewart Copeland, Henry Padovani, and Andy Summers supporting Sting, who was the front man and lead vocalist. He was also the main songwriter and bass guitarist for the band. Which rock band was Sting in before going solo?
Whose song is Purple Rain?
This artist is one of the most beloved and highly acclaimed musical artists of all time. He is famous for such tracks as When Doves Cry and 1999. He was one of those artists like Bob Dylan who play all of their own instruments. He did the singing, the guitar playing, the drumming, the synthesizers, everything. Sadly, back in 2016, he passed away, but his music will live on forever. Purple Rain is also the title of a movie that starred this artist. Which artist who played all of his own instruments is famous for the song (and movie) Purple Rain?
Complete the Taylor Swift lyric: "I go on too many dates..."
According to Wikipedia, Taylor Swift began performing country music at the age of 14, but she would later go on to find an audience with more mainstream pop music. She has had some wildly popular songs, such as We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and Bad Blood and Blank Space, as well as some best selling albums, such as 1989. This lyric is from a song called Shake It Off, the single of which debuted at the number one spot on the charts, according to Wikipedia. Complete the Taylor Swift lyric from Shake It Off: "I go on too many dates..."
Which of these is NOT a member of One Direction?
One Direction became one of the biggest boy bands in the history of music and then broke up in just six years. They're not completely over, they're just on "indefinite hiatus." Their tracks include Best Song Ever and Story of My Life. Simon Cowell is responsible for getting them together in the first place. Forbes magazine ranked the members of One Direction as the fourth highest earning celebrities in the world in 2015 and the second highest in 2016. According to Wikipedia, they were the first band to have their first four albums debut at number one on the Billboard charts. Which of these is NOT a member of One Direction?
What movie did Eminem star in as a struggling rapper?
According to IMDb, the famed hip hop artist Eminem does not have a long history of acting, but he has appeared in a number of movies. He had a cameo role as himself in Judd Apatow's comedy drama movie Funny People, in which he yelled at Ray Romano for taking a picture of him in a restaurant. According to Wikipedia, Southpaw was originally developed as a starring vehicle for Eminem before it was given to Jake Gyllenhaal. But Eminem's greatest cinematic achievement was winning an Oscar for this semi autobiographical movie. What movie did Eminem star in as a struggling rapper?
Which boy band did Justin Timberlake get his start in?
Justin Timberlake is one of the biggest stars in the world. He got his start as a member of a boy band in the '90s before breaking out on his own as a solo artist with hits that range from "Cry Me a River" to "Can't Stop the Feeling," which was the theme song for the animated movie Trolls that Timberlake starred in with Anna Kendrick and Christopher Mintz Plasse. This boy band featuring Timberlake guest starred as themselves on an episode of The Simpsons. What is the name of the boy band that Justin Timberlake got his start in?
Who performs the song Love Yourself?
According to Wikipedia, in 2016, this artist became the first ever musical artist to have over 10 billion video views on Vevo. Plus, he was the second person after Katy Perry to amass 100 million followers on the social network Twitter. He clearly has quite a large following. He made his name with the song Baby featuring the rapper Ludacris, although Wikipedia reports that although this is one of the most viewed videos in the history of YouTube, it is also one of the most disliked videos on the site. Which artist performs the songs Love Yourself, Sorry, and Baby?
Complete the Queen lyric: "Is this the real life...?"
The title of this song, Bohemian Rhapsody, was used recently as the title of a biopic of Queen front man and lead singer Freddie Mercury. The movie starred Mr. Robot's Rami Malek as Mercury and was directed by Dexter Fletcher (and Bryan Singer). According to Box Office Mojo, with a worldwide gross of over $700 million, the movie has become the highest grossing music biopic of all time. It broke the record a long time ago, since the previous record holder, NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton, only grossed about $200 million. Complete the Queen lyric: "Is this the real life...?"
Which of these musicians was NOT in Nirvana?
Nirvana was one of the first ever grunge rock bands back in the 1990s. They are a garage band from Seattle who hit the big time with their song Smells Like Teen Spirit. Along with their contemporaries like Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, Nirvana was on the forefront of the grunge rock movement. The '70s were dominated by heavy metal and the '80s had brought on glam rock, which is sometimes referred to as "hair metal" in reference to Motley Crue's haircuts. Grunge was the next wave of rock. Which of these musicians was NOT in Nirvana?
What musical genre did Katy Perry start out in?
Katy Perry is now known as one of the most famous pop stars in the world. She sells out stadiums across the globe and every album or single she releases sells millions of copies. But she wasn't always a straightforward pop singer. She was once a performer in a more niche musical genre, but her work in that field was going nowhere and she switched to a more mainstream style and, millions of record sales and a bunch of award wins later, she has become one of the biggest celebrities on Earth. What musical genre did Katy Perry start out in?
Which heavy metal band was Ozzy Osbourne in?
Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most famous rock stars of all time, partly due to his marriage to Sharon Osbourne and their family's reality TV show, and partly due to his onstage antics like the thing with the bat. The band that Ozzy began playing with back when he was a struggling musician and factory worker in Birmingham is widely regarded, according to Wikipedia, to be one of the first ever heavy metal bands. The heavy metal style was born as a rejection of the monotonous working class lives they were leading. What heavy metal band did Ozzy Osbourne start out in before being removed?
Who performs the song Wrecking Ball?
This singer got her start as an actress in the show Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. In the show, she played a high school student who lived a secret double life as a pop star. Later, she actually became a pop star. She is the daughter of fellow singer Billy Ray Cyrus, who played her father in Hannah Montana and is best known for singing the country song Achy Breaky Heart. Wrecking Ball is one of her most popular songs, along with Party in the USA and, of course, Best of Both Worlds. Who performs the song Wrecking Ball?
Complete the TLC lyric: "Don't go chasing..."
There's a running joke in Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's buddy cop action comedy movie The Other Guys where the police captain, played by Michael Keaton, can't seem to stop quoting TLC. He keeps quoting the lyrics of TLC in conversation, but when it's pointed out to him, he literally has no idea what they're talking about. Towards the end of the movie, as he sends Ferrell and Wahlberg off on their final assignment in the movie's third act, he tells them, "Don't go chasing..." followed by the title of TLC's biggest hit. Complete the TLC lyric: "Don't go chasing..."
Which of these musicians is NOT in U2?
U2 became worldwide stars with their performance at Live Aid, which led to their album The Joshua Tree becoming a giant success. Plus, there was always the success of their singles like I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For to fall back on. Some members of the band have recorded songs together outside the band and some of them have worked as solo artists, but U2 will always be what they're all best known for. According to Wikipedia, U2 has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Which of these rock musicians is NOT in U2?
Which artist sometimes went by the name Ziggy Stardust?
This artist, who sadly passed away back in 2016, would occasionally go by the name Ziggy Stardust, whose band was called "the Spiders from Mars." The alter ego was included in the title of his 1972 studio album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. He more commonly went by a different stage name, under which he recorded songs like Space Oddity, Let's Dance, Under Pressure, Heroes, and Changes. He is the father of Warcraft director Duncan Jones. What is the common stage name of the artist who sometimes went by the name Ziggy Stardust?
Which band was Stevie Nicks a member of?
Stevie Nicks has been widely loved and acclaimed for her work as a solo artist with songs like The Edge of Seventeen (which was also used as the title of a coming of age movie starring Hailee Steinfeld a couple of years ago, according to Wikipedia). However, she was not always a solo artist and actually made her name as a member of a rock band. She was a singer and songwriter within this band, as she would go on to be as a solo artist when she broke away from the band. Which band was Stevie Nicks a member of?
Who performs the song Umbrella?
As an Ambassador at Large for her home country, this singer technically holds the title "Her Excellency" before her name. According to Wikipedia, she got her big break when she auditioned for Jay Z and was given a recording contract based on that audition. Besides Umbrella, her other hit songs include We Found Love, Diamonds, Stay, and Work. She has collaborated with such artists as Eminem and Calvin Harris. In the song Umbrella, she adds a couple of syllables to the word "umbrella" by pronouncing it as "um-ba-rella, ella, ella." Which pop singer performs the songs Umbrella and We Found Love?
Complete the Lady Gaga lyric: "There ain't no other way..."
According to IndieWire and Deadline, Lady Gaga could be in line for an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress this year, following her critically acclaimed performance in Bradley Cooper's directorial debut, the musical drama movie A Star is Born. She already won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for one of the handful of original songs she performed in the movie. According to Wikipedia, the movie was the fourth version of A Star is Born and the third remake of the classic original. Complete the Lady Gaga lyric from one of her biggest hits: "There ain't no other way..."
Which of these is NOT a song by Green Day?
According to Wikipedia, Green Day was included on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and have sold over 85 million records across the globe. They have released a so called trilogy of albums entitled ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré!. They have won five Grammy Awards, including two awards for Best Rock Album and one for Record of the Year. According to Wikipedia, for a brief period in the 1980s, they were known as Sweet Children. Which of these is NOT a song by Green Day?
Which of these bands was Tom Petty NOT a member of?
Tom Petty has been a member of a handful of bands, and he has also worked as a solo artist. Over the years, according to Wikipedia, he has sold over 80 million records, and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was once in a super group with people like George Harrison from the Beatles and Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne. He passed away in 2017, just one week after he completed a tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of one of these bands. Which of these bands was Tom Petty NOT a member of?
Who is the lead singer of Aerosmith?
In the '70s, Aerosmith was one of the biggest rock bands in the world. They had hits such as Walk This Way, Toys in the Attic, Dude Looks Like a Lady, Rag Doll, and I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, which was used as the theme song for the movie Armageddon. Armageddon actually starred the daughter of the lead singer of Aerosmith alongside Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, which might have been how Aerosmith became involved in the production. They began as a hard rock band, but evolved to doing power ballads later on. Who is the lead singer of Aerosmith?
Who performs the song Free Bird?
This song is widely regarded to be the signature song and most famous track of the southern rock band that performs it. The guitar solo in Free Bird was deemed so awesome, according to Wikipedia, that it was ranked in the number three spot by Guitar World magazine on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos in the history of music. According to Wikipedia, the song is used as a finale whenever the band performs live as it can run for up to well over 14 minutes if it's performed live in concert. Who performs the song Free Bird?
Complete the Smash Mouth lyric: "Somebody once told me..."
Smash Mouth was made into a hugely popular band simply due to the fact that a couple of their songs were featured on the soundtrack of DreamWorks Animation's animated fairy tale satire Shrek. This band, and particularly this song All Star, instantly remind a huge chunk of the audience of scenes from Shrek. But hey, at least they remember the song. It isn't all bad. Sure, the song reminds people of an animated ogre, but at least it's well known. That's more than most bands get. Complete the lyric from the song All Star: "Somebody once told me..."
Which of these is NOT a song by Oasis?
This band began with just Liam Gallagher fronting it, but when they returned to Manchester to cash in on the "Madchester" scene, his brother Noel Gallagher joined the band. After that, it was the band featuring the Gallagher brothers as the front men with some musicians around them to make up the band. It was their personal rift that led to the band eventually breaking up. Liam Gallagher now fronts the band Beady Eye, while Noel Gallagher has formed the band Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Which of these is NOT the title of a song by Britpop band Oasis?
Which of these drummers is still alive?
Many rock bands throughout the 1970s lost their drummers to various problems. Led Zeppelin ended up breaking up after they lost their drummer, according to Wikipedia, because it was felt that it wouldn't really be Led Zeppelin without him. The Who lost their drummer when he was a very young age (although he made it to 32, so he overshot "The 27 Club"). The tendency for rock bands to lose their drummers was parodied in the music mockumentary movie This is Spinal Tap, where the band goes through like a dozen drummers. Which of these rock drummers is still alive?
Which band is fronted by Chris Martin?
Chris Martin was married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow for over a decade before they were divorced in 2016. Martin is the front man and lead singer of one of the most popular rock band of the past couple of decades. According to Wikipedia, three albums by this band, Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and X&Y, have charted among the highest selling albums in the history of the UK music industry. The band has actually won a whopping grand total of 107 awards out of its 252 nominations. Which hugely popular rock band is fronted by Chris Martin?
Who performs the song One Last Time?
This singer recently had a whirlwind romance with Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. She started dating and quickly got engaged. She was writing songs about him and they were gushing about each other in the media. And then as quickly as their relationship began, it was over. She made her name as an actress starring in the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious alongside Victoria Justice and then starred in her own spin-off of the show, Sam and Cat with Sam from iCarly. According to Wikipedia, Billboard named her Woman of the Year in 2018. Who performs the song One Last Time?
Complete the Guns 'n' Roses lyric: "She's got eyes of the bluest skies..."
This lyric is taken from the Guns 'n' Roses song Sweet Child o' Mine, which was featured as a track on the band's debut album Appetite for Destruction. The album was released in 1987, but according to 1987, it would not reach the charts and find a big audience until over a year later. After that, GnR became one of the most popular rock bands of all time, with particular success finding its lead singer Axl Rose and its guitarist Slash, despite the band only ever releasing six albums. Complete the Guns 'n' Roses lyric: "She's got eyes of the bluest skies..."
Which of these is NOT the name of a Rolling Stones album?
The Rolling Stones have been one of the longest running bands of all time. Having made their names in the '60s, they've been going now for over half a century and they're not slowing down. They're one of the only classic rock bands to still be together today, playing all the biggest festivals and routinely selling out concert tours every year. Its members, like front man Mick Jagger and lead guitar player Keith Richards, have become some of the biggest names in the history of music. Which of these is NOT the name of an album by the Rolling Stones?
What is the best selling non-compilation album of all time?
According to Wikipedia, this album was the best selling album of all time for decades. It was released in the '80s and its whopping sales figures were only topped recently by a compilation album comprising of the Eagles' greatest hits. The Eagles' album Hotel California is also on the list. But this is still the best selling non compilation album of all time. It is famous for its title track's music video, which was directed by John Landis and features Michael Jackson in a zombie movie scenario. What is the title of the best selling non compilation album of all time?