The Sounds of Music... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hotel California

'Hotel California' is a 1976 classic by the Eagles. Though the song is quite dark, and has been revealed to be a commentary on the hedonism and self-indulgence of Americans, you might be surprised to learn it was written on a beautiful day in the living room of a holiday beachhouse in Malibu.

Answer: Shut Up And Dance

'Shut Up and Dance' was released by the American band, Walk The Moon, in 2014.
The song enjoyed great success in the US, reaching number four on the 'Billboard Hot 100'. It also topped the charts in Poland, Australia, NZ, Canada, Germany, the UK and Israel, among others. Inspired by music from the 80s, it was written to 'encourage people to let go of whatever is bothering them and get into their bodies and out of their heads'.

Answer: Bad Romance

As most of us know, 'Bad Romance' is a famous song by Lady Gaga.
What you might not know is that there are three Alfred Hitchcock film titles in the song, - 'Psycho', 'Vertigo', and 'Rear Window'. They are as follows: "I want your psycho, your vertigo shtick/Want you in my rear window, baby you're sick."

Answer: Somewhere Only We Know

'Somewhere Only We Know' is by Keane - an English alternative rock band. It was written by Tim Rice-Oxley, Tom Chaplin and Richard Hughes and features on the album 'Hopes and Fears'. The 2004 song was covered in 2013 by Lilly Allen for a John Lewis Department Store Christmas commercial.

Answer: Make You Feel My Love

You might be surprised to learn that 'Make You Feel My Love' or 'To Make You Feel My Love' has been recorded by a staggering 450 artists. Originally written by Bob Dylan in 1997, it had a resurgence in 2008 when Adele covered it. But it has also been covered by Billy Joel, Boy George, Neil Diamond, Michael Bolton, Garth Brooks, Michael Buble, Bryan Ferry and Pink, to name just a few.

Answer: What If God Was One of Us

'What If God Was One of Us' was performed by Joan Osbourne and written by Eric Bazilian. He wrote it to impress a girl, which evidently worked, because they subsequently got married. Released in 1997, it is sometimes referred to as simply 'One of Us'. Alanis Morrisette performed a cover in 2010.

Answer: We Are The Champions

'We Are The Champions' is a Queen classic from 1977.
The song wasn't about Queen big-noting themselves (i.e saying they were the champions) but was meant for audience participation, in the same way 'We Will Rock You' was. Freddy Mercury was thinking about football when he wrote it. He said that the song could be construed as his version of 'I Did It My Way' and added that making it was 'no bed of roses'.

Answer: Because of You

'Because of You' was performed by Kelly Clarkson in 2004. The song is basically about the impact her parents' divorce (which happened when Kelly was 6) had on her, and how that left her scared of falling in love in case it all fell apart - as it did with her parents.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper in the UK, she said of the song, "You may as well just grab a knife; that song really is the most depressing I have ever written."
The song has sold over two million downloads and went platinum, so depressing or not, it has been a huge hit.

Answer: You Are So Beautiful

'You Are So Beautiful' was a 1973 song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and was originally sung by Preston. In 1974 Joe Cocker released a slower version of the original. It's Cocker's version that most of us are familiar with. Billy Preston advised that he wrote the song as a tribute to his mum (aww). And in another 'aww' moment, Joe Cocker sang the song at Billy Preston's funeral in 2006.

Answer: What A Wonderful World

'What A Wonderful World' was performed in 1967 by the late, great, Louis Armstrong.
Interestingly, in the US it originally sold less than 1,000 copies, because the head of Armstrong's record label - Larry Newton - hated the song (perhaps he was deaf?) and refused to promote it. And even though it topped the charts in the UK in 1968, it still didn't take off in the USA. However, after it was heard on 'Good Morning Vietnam' in 1988, it did manage to rise to number 32 on the Billboard Top 100 charts.