Phoenix Lyrics Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lisztomania

With that can't-help-but-be-memorable lead-in riff, "Lisztomania" was Phoenix's second major single from "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix", hitting number five on the Billboard U.S. Alternative Airplay chart and going Platinum. The track would be instrumental in establishing the band's continued presence in indie-alternative circles at the turn of the decade; Phoenix would become ingrained in the genre's aesthetic at that time.

It would also help "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" be considered one of the top albums of 2009 by many outlets (including The A.V. Club and Drowned in Sound).

Answer: Long Distance Call

The only track from Phoenix's third album to take any charting position (hitting number forty-nine in Italy), "Long Distance Call" is the song to spawn the album's title, "It's Never Been Like That". The album seemed to be the last step before the band hit their stride as their colossal alternative hit, "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix", would follow a few years later and the rest would be history. "It's Never Been Like That", however, wavers between the laid-back sounds of their earlier discs and a more upbeat feel that can be heard in tracks like "Napoleon Says", which opens the disc.

Answer: Tonight

Perhaps Phoenix's strongest outlier track, "Tonight" has everything going for it. Released as the second single from "Alpha Zulu", "Tonight" managed number eleven on the Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay in the U.S., topped the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, and harkened back to earlier tracks like "Lizstomania" and "1901" in sound.

The catch is that this turned out to be the first track in Phoenix's seven-album catalogue to feature guest vocals, bringing in Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig to hold vocals alongside Thomas Mars.

The combination is a match made in indie rock heaven with the two contemporaries harmonizing seamlessly throughout.

Answer: Identical

Releasing between the band's main releases, "Identical" appeared as a stand-alone single in 2020, attached to the soundtrack for the film "On the Rocks", which released on Apple TV+ during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considered a departure from what was, then, the band's sound, it was intentionally omitted from their traditional album until it was added onto the end of "Alpha Zulu" in 2022.

The film in question was directed by Sofia Coppola, lead singer Thomas Mars' wife.

Answer: Entertainment

Phoenix had a lot of work to do in following up from the major hit that "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" was upon its release in 2009, and to accomplish that they released "Bankrupt!" in 2013, leading with the synth-heavy "Entertainment" as an opening single and the first track on the disc. Hitting number eleven on the Billboard U.S. Alternative Airplay chart, it didn't manage to hit the soaring heights of their earlier singles but it pushed the band past the one-album wonder stage.

The album's following singles, "Trying to Be Cool" and "S.O.S. in Bel Air" fared modestly, but "Bankrupt!" benefits from its strong deep cuts (like "Don't" and "Bourgeois").

Answer: 1901

The first Phoenix track to cross to North America and gain mass appeal, "1901" was Phoenix's first single from their fourth album, the Grammy-winning "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix". With the band's signature beat and added synths, it was a push into a propulsive, new direction for the previously (and typically) low-key alt group. Though the track only hit number eighty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, it topped the U.S. Alternative Songs chart and hit number three on the U.S. Rock Songs chart, going Platinum in the process.

Answer: Everything Is Everything

Phoenix had a slow burn in terms of their rise through the indie and alternative charts in the 2000s as their first three albums had next to no chart showing both from a record and single standpoint. "Everything Is Everything", released as the first single on the group's sophomore album, failed to chart in their home country (France) and in the United States, barely making its way up the UK Singles Chart.

The track would kick off a mellower album, titled "Alphabetical", as the band transitioned into their later sound.

Answer: J-Boy

Returning to the scene in 2017, Phoenix pushed their sound into a lighter, bubblier space with "Ti Amo", an album leaning so hard into Italian aesthetics that it might as well be served up with gelato. Its lead single, "J-Boy", was the only one to gain any traction in the U.S., hitting number twenty-six on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

Unfortunately, none of the songs from this disc charted in Italy, the album's obvious inspiration. The band has since utilized several songs from the album on their consistent concert rotation (including "Fior di Latte", performed solely by Thomas Mars, and "Ti Amo").

Answer: Alpha Zulu

The lead single of the band's seventh studio album (also called "Alpha Zulu"), this song pulls together Phoenix's propensity for seemingly nonsense lyrics and their upbeat funkiness, kicking off an album that feels more like a return to their glory days than any other. Recorded by the band during the COVID-19 pandemic, Phoenix used the then-empty Musée des Arts décoratifs (in the Louvre Palace) to inspire their work.

It resulted in this track and album, the former of which hit number seventeen on the Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay chart in the U.S.

The album would be highly-received from a critical standpoint.

Answer: Lasso

The third of five singles from "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix", the quick and memorable "Lasso" failed to chart in the U.S. but managed to become a popular concert favourite for its unique opening drum-synth beat, its catchy chorus, and its uncharacteristic guitar solo in its bridge. Fitting into the album's tracklist after the lengthy and mostly-instrumental "Love is a Sunset", it picks up the tempo at a natural point, allowing the listener to swing right back into the upbeat Phoenix promised from the disc's outset.