The Kooks Lyrics Trivia Quiz

Answer: Eddie's Gun

Released as The Kooks' debut single, "Eddie's Gun" epitomized the Brighton band's upbeat indie aesthetic out the gate. At just over two minutes in length, the track would end up topping out at number thirty-five on the UK Singles Chart in the summer of 2005 and be one of the tracks drumming up attention for the band's first album, "Inside In / Inside Out", which would hit store shelves in early 2006, giving them traction in the growing indie-alternative space.

Answer: Always Where I Need to Be

The Kooks launched into their sophomore album, "Konk", quite quickly. Rolling out of the success of "Inside In / Inside Out", "Konk" hit the stores in 2008 and provided a more refined sound for the band, now able to work with a less scrappy edge. What resulted was songs with more substance and tighter production, but the first single, "Always Where I Need to Be", kept the old, familiar Kooks sound.

In the UK, it gave the band a repeat at the number three spot on the UK Singles Chart. Two weeks after its release, "Konk" would hit number one on the UK Albums Chart.

Answer: Naïve

The Kooks' best-selling track, "Naïve" was the fourth single off "Inside In / Inside Out", their debut album, and it was the one that was put in front of the widest audience, arriving on the airwaves at the time that rhythm-based video games struck it big in the industry. "Naïve" went four-times platinum in the UK, topping out at number five on the UK Singles Chart (and in the U.S., it reached number twenty-two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart).

This may have been the track that helped push "Inside In / Inside Out" into the number two spot on the UK Albums Chart. It would end 2006 in fifth position overall in the UK, returning to the year-end charts in 2007 and 2008 as well.

Answer: How'd You Like That

If "Inside In / Inside Out" felt scrappy and "Konk" felt like the fuller form of The Kooks' sound, their third album, "Junk of the Heart", felt like a departure, and if it didn't come through in the critiques of the album's release, it did in the charts-- "How'd You Like That" was sent out as the album's third single and it failed to chart altogether.

The fourth and final single, "Rosie", would do the same. This being said, it's an interesting track-- the second on the album-- which pairs the band's indie drum and guitar sound with a rarely-utilized piano.

Answer: Bad Habit

Although "Around Town" would be the "Listen" album's second official single, only "Bad Habit" (the album's third) would find any success in the U.S., bringing them to number twenty on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The gospel and R&B sound brought into this song, and the album as a whole, allowing them to shift their style so thoroughly, almost convinced the band to change their name altogether.

Instead, they kept on with their alternative rock evolution, releasing the well-received "Let's Go Sunshine" album in 2018 and "10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark", written throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022.

Answer: Sway

Although "Do You Wanna" was technically released as an online single from "Konk", the band's second album release, it was "Sway" that took the slot as the third and final radio single from the album. Despite a lack of success for the song on the international scale, it would land at number forty-one on the UK Singles Chart and close out The Kooks' promotional work as they considered work on their third album less than half a year later. "Sway" conveys a heavier emotionality than a number of their earlier tracks, emphasizing the band's eagerness to create an album with more power behind it.

It worked.

Answer: She Moves in Her Own Way

The fifth of six singles from "Inside In / Inside Out" and the album's second-highest-charting track, "She Moves in Her Own Way" was a little more carefree than the other songs on the album. A quick and jaunty single with periodic harmonies, it's unsurprising it made its way up to number seven on the UK Singles Chart (and went three-times platinum there).

It also ended up appearing on three U.S. Charts in 2006, establishing The Kooks as more than a one-hit wonder in North America and allowing them to remain an indie staple in the late 2000s.

Answer: Shine On

Although not a high-charting song, "Shine On" has perhaps the most heart of any song from The Kooks' second album, "Konk". The track peaked at number twenty-five on the UK Singles Chart and, unlike "Always Where I Need to Be" before it, it failed to gain international traction.

This being said, "Shine On" saw significant play on TV both in TV ads and contemporary TV dramas, becoming a common staple on their live setlists for more than a decade.

Answer: Down

Appearing as a single in early 2014, very shortly after The Kooks wrapped promotional efforts on their third album, "Down" pushed the band into a funkier beat not seen on "Junk of the Heart", transitioning them into a new version of themselves. It would subsequently become the lead single for their fourth album, "Listen", which utilized jazz and R&B as new influences and brought them back to the charts. "Down" peaked at number forty on the UK Singles Chart while "Listen" would hit number sixteen on the UK Albums Chart.

They would have trouble, going forward, charting with their tracks, but their subsequent 2018 album, "Let's Go Sunshine", would bring their discs back into the top ten.

Answer: Junk of the Heart (Happy)

Although "Is It Me" was sent out as the first single for the band's third album (titled "Junk of the Heart") in the UK, it was the title track, "Junk of the Heart (Happy)", that helped The Kooks make an international return to the airwaves. It would, unfortunately, not make a dent in the UK Singles Chart but it would hit number twenty on the U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs Chart.

It, fortunately, didn't hamper the success of the album as a whole. "Junk of the Heart" peaked at number ten on the UK Albums Chart and appeared on three Billboard charts in the U.S. Nonetheless, many critics felt that the title track was a sign that the band had gone bland in their pursuit of mainstream success.