My Trusty Rubber Band Trivia Quiz

Answer: John Lennon

The Plastic Ono Band was created shortly before The Beatles split up. A project formed by John Lennon and his wife-to-be, Yoko Ono, it was always envisioned to go against convention and found fame as an anti-war outfit soon after its debut. With The Beatles calling it quits as a foursome, Lennon continued with Yoko, releasing songs like "Instant Karma!", "Working Class Hero", and "Give Peace a Chance". Most of these ended up being released as Lennon singles, but with backing from Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band.

In later years, after Lennon's death, Ono continued to express herself artistically through several media and the Plastic Ono line-up was reconfigured to include her son, Sean (amongst others).

Answer: Walkin'

A classic from the 1960s, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" was, perhaps, Sinatra's signature song, appearing as a single on her first full album (also named "Boots"). Reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, it was only surpassed in chart accolades by "Somethin' Stupid", her duet with her father, Frank Sinatra.

While rubber boots may not have been the ideal choice of footwear in the song (it was go-go boots), it would be hard to ignore the usefulness of rubber boots in the instance; the song has weathered decades of covers from the Spice Girls' Geri Halliwell to...erm...David Hasselhoff.

Answer: Red

"99 Red Balloons", originally the German "99 Luftballons", was first released in 1984 and became a defining track of the 1980s. A song about nuclear protest, the lyrics tell of balloons accidentally triggering a nuclear war-- the exact opposite of what you want to happen at a party.

Despite the smear this idea paints on the humble name of rubber-based products, "99 Luftballons" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, but topped several European charts after its release. While Nena continued making records into the twenty-first century, "99 Luftballons" has been considered a one-hit wonder.

Answer: Thom Yorke

Seemingly a fan of rubber, the odd Thom Yorke formed Radiohead in the early 1990s, debuting on 1993's "Pablo Honey". The UK group hit it big with the release of "Creep", their first single, in 1992 and has since tried to spend time defying the norm with increasingly avant-garde albums of all sorts. "Fake Plastic Tree", one of the singles off their sophomore album, "The Bends", charted in both the UK and U.S. Yorke's first solo effort, "The Eraser", was a major seller in both countries as well, topping off at number two on the Billboard 200 and number three on the UK Albums chart; it was nominated for a Grammy, losing to Gnarls Barkley in the same year.

Answer: Aqua

Aqua's first major hit was, of course, the 1997 song "Barbie Girl", sung from the point of view of the girly doll. Hitting number one on charts worldwide it made Aqua a household name at the time, spurring their popularity through a couple of CDs ("Aquarium" and "Aquarius") and allowing for other hits like "Doctor Jones", "Roses are Red", and "Cartoon Heroes". None reached the success of "Barbie Girl" and, after their initial success with their europop/eurodance stylings, it would be more than a decade before they released a third album. "Barbie Girl" remains a karaoke staple.

Answer: Plastic Beach

"Plastic Beach" was the third album for musicians Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett (who actually make up the four members of Gorillaz). After the success of their "Demon Days" album, known for "Feel Good, Inc.", "Plastic Beach" showed up on shelves five years later in 2010. With the singles "Stylo" and "Superfast Jellyfish", the album was quite well-received.

It nearly topped the Billboard 200, a first for the band, though their previous album went double-platinum in the U.S. alone. "Plastic Beach" was noteworthy for its guest musicians including Lou Reed and Snoop Dogg (amongst more than a dozen others).

Their next album, "The Fall", only had three.

Answer: The Buggles

While the band led this debut album with the aptly-named "Living in the Plastic Age", it wasn't until the release of "Video Killed the Radio Star", their one-hit wonder, that The Buggles ended up finding fame, particularly through...coincidentally...another medium.

The song ended up being the first music video to air on U.S. network MTV upon its debut in 1981. The Buggles ceased to exist after their second album, "Adventures in Modern Recording", also in 1981.

Answer: Katy Perry

"Firework", on Perry's hit album "Teenage Dream", was perhaps inspirational in the years of "Glee" and widespread advances in social acceptance. The third single from the disc (after "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream"), "Firework" was an anthem for that very concept:

"'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth."

The song was at number three on the 2011 year-end Billboard Chart (though it topped five other Billboard Charts including the Hot 100) and went multi-platinum worldwide. It was topped only by Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" on said year-end chart...and was immediately followed by her proceeding single, "E.T.".

Answer: Bombay Bicycle Club

Bombay Bicycle Club appeared on the indie scene in 2009 with the under-appreciated album "I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose" but has since attained a larger following due to the rise of the indie scene. Their third album, "A Different Kind of Fix", propelled them up the charts while their fourth, "So Long, See You Tomorrow", brought them to the top of the UK Album Chart and the Billboard Heatseekers listing in the U.S. Known for odd beats and the fusion of different styles across their discography, Bombay Bicycle Club adds to the long list of club-related bands; Two Door Cinema Club also hails from the UK.

Answer: Rubber Soul

"Rubber Soul" was the sixth studio album from the band in the UK (it was the eleventh in the U.S.) and featured a number of hits (though the tracklists varied in both countries). Like many of the band's releases, the disc topped the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic, going multi-platinum. Continuing the streak, it was one of many Christmas number ones in the UK.

It went multi-platinum, selling more than their proceeding album, "Revolver", but it was nowhere near achieving the success of the next-- "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".