Bad Moon Rising Trivia Quiz

Answer: R.E.M.

'Man on the Moon' was the second single to be taken from R.E.M.'s best-selling album 'Automatic for the People'. The song is a tribute to late comedian Andy Kaufman and was used as the title for the later Kaufman biopic which was directed by Milos Forman. R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980. Athens has produced a number of excellent bands over the last four decades and the wrong answers are all bands who hail from there.

Answer: Rose Melberg

Rose Melberg's musical career began auspiciously when she made an appearance at the International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia, Washington in 1991. This event would be credited with having been a contributing factor in the emergence of the riot grrrl movement as well as a showcase for future indiepop stars such as Melberg. Melberg was only a teenager when she formed her first band Tiger Trap who gained a significant international cult following.

Her subsequent musical projects Go Sailor and The Softies were met with similar acclaim and she is widely considered as one of the most important figures in American indiepop.

The wrong answers are all celebrated indiepop performers.

Answer: Echo & the Bunnymen

'The Killing Moon' was taken from Echo & the Bunnymen's 1984 album 'Ocean Rain' and remains one of the band's biggest chart hits and arguably their best known song. The band formed in Liverpool in 1978 and enjoyed considerable critical and commercial success during the first half of the 1980s.

Answer: Björk

'Moon' was the fourth and final single to be taken from 'Biophilia' and, like all the tracks on the album, it deals with an aspect of nature with 'Moon' being about lunar cycles and their effects on the earth. Björk was born in Reykjavik in 1965 and first came to international attention as the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Sugarcubes whose 1987 single 'Birthday' garnered considerable popularity amongst fans of alternative music in both the UK and USA. Björk subsequently embarked on a solo career with her first solo album 'Debut' being released to widespread critical acclaim in 1993. 'Debut' was to set the template for the rest of Björk's career during which she has released a series of often highly experimental and sonically innovative albums which have earned her praise from fans and the music press alike.

Answer: Mike Oldfield

Although 'Moonlight Shadow' topped the chart in a number of European countries it only managed to reach number four in Oldfield's native England. Oldfield is probably best known globally for his 1973 album 'Tubular Bells' which became the first release on the fledgeling Virgin Records label. Part of the album's opening track will also be familiar to fans of classic horror movies as it was used on the soundtrack of the 1973 film 'The Exorcist'.

Answer: Bat for Lashes

Khan released her first single as Bat for Lashes, 'The Wizard', in 2006 and followed it up with the album 'Fur and Gold'. Since then Khan has gone on to enjoy widespread critical acclaim, being nominated for the Mercury Prize, several Brit Awards and an Ivor Novello Award and being awarded ASCAP's 'Vanguard' award. Bat for Lashes has toured with Both Radiohead and Depeche Mode and has made appearances at Glastonbury and South by Southwest festivals.

She has also contributed songs to the soundtracks of films in the 'Hunger Games' and 'Twilight' franchises.

Answer: Nick Drake

'Pink Moon' was the third and final studio album recorded by Nick Drake, and, unlike its predecessors, 1969's 'Five Leaves Left' and 1971's 'Bryter Layter', it did not feature a backing band, consisting only of Drake's vocals and acoustic guitar and a brief dubbed piano riff on the album's title track. Like Drake's first two albums sales for 'Pink Moon' were disappointing.

This was largely attributed to Drake's serious problems with depression which made him reluctant to engage in any publicity or personal appearances to promote his music.

When it came time to take a photograph for the cover of 'Pink Moon' Drakes physical and mental health had deteriorated to such an extent that it was decided not to include a photo of him on the album sleeve. Nick Drake was barely able to communicate verbally at this point and so the label made most of the decisions about the marketing and presentation of the album without him. Nick Drake sadly died two years after the release of 'Pink Moon' at the age of just twenty-six. Though his music may have been somewhat overlooked during his lifetime, he has subsequently become one of the most respected English folk performers of all time. All of his albums have been re-issued and generally met with rapturous critical acclaim on their re-release as well as reaching a new younger audience.

Answer: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Two versions of 'The Moon Song' appeared on the soundtrack to 'Her', one by Orzolek and one performed by Johansson. The song was nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy award in 2014 but lost out to 'Let It Go' from the hit animated movie 'Frozen' in both cases. Karen O was born in South Korea in 1978 and she and her family moved to New Jersey when she was a little girl. Yeah Yeah Yeahs formed in 2000 and are perhaps best known for the singles 'Date with the Night', 'Maps' and 'Pin'.

Answer: The Waterboys

Although 'The Whole of the Moon' was only a modest success on its initial 1985 release, it was re-released in 1991, following the band's greatest hits tour and album when it reached number three in the UK singles chart. The track originally appeared on the band's album 'This is the Sea'.

The Waterboys formed in 1983 when main singer and song-writer and the band's only permanent member Mike Scott was looking to form a new musical project. Scott took the band's name from a song by Lou Reed. The Waterboys released their debut single, 'A Girl Called Johnny', in 1983 which was a tribute to Patti Smith.

The band are known for their melding of pop music with Celtic and folk influences.

Answer: The Lovely Eggs

The Lovely Eggs formed in Lancaster in 2006 and released a series of limited edition EPs prior to the release of their debut album 'If You Were Fruit'. Holly had previously been a member of all-girl Lancastrian quartet Angelica best known for the songs 'Why Did You let My Kitten Die' and 'Bring Back Her Head'.

The Lovely Eggs are known for their playful, noisy and offbeat music coupled with surreal and often amusing lyrics. Their music has received extensive airplay on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 thanks to the patronage of djs such as Marc Riley, Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens.

The Lovely Eggs also performed at South by Southwest in 2010.