Classical Pop Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pet Shop Boys

The tune for the song was based on the 'Canon in D Major' by Johann Pachelbel, which has been plundered for several pop songs including 'All Together Now' by The Farm and 'When a Man Loves a Woman', sung by Percy Sledge in 1966.

The Village People version reached only number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100, although it did rather better in the UK, managing number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. The Pet Shop Boys extended the song's introduction, which made the resemblance to the source material even more noticeable. It paid off for them, with the song becoming a hit around the world.

Answer: A Lover's Concerto

'How gentle is the rain; that falls softly on the meadow' were the opening lines of this hit, which reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the UK Singles Chart. It was by far the biggest hit for the three girls who made up The Toys.

The tune came from a notebook given to his wife by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Bach himself was thought to be the composer. In the 1970s, it was established that the minuet was actually the work of Christian Petzold, with Bach having merely copied it down as part of the gift.

Answer: If I Had Words

The lyrics can't have taken long to write, since there are only four lines, repeated several times through the song. Although the tune was the same, the reggae backing added to it was probably outside the experience of the original composer. Saint-Saens wrote his 'Symphony No. 3 in C minor' in 1886, and the tune is taken from the Maestoso movement.

In the film, the song is sung to Babe by the farmer, with a faster version sung by the mice.

'If I Fell' was a Beatles song and 'If I Were a Carpenter' has been recorded by many singers, including Bobby Darin and The Four Tops. 'If I Ruled the World' is another much recorded song, originally featured in the musical 'Pickwick', first performed in 1963.

Answer: The Beach Boys

The song was released as a single in 1979 and did well in the UK, reaching number six on the Singles Chart. It was less successful in the band's home country. It was originally named for Jardine's wife and was renamed as 'Lady Liberty' when the pair divorced. The Beach Boys were very successful, particularly in the 1960s, moving from their early surfing related songs, such as 'Surfin' USA' in 1963 to the beautiful harmonies of 'Good Vibrations' in 1966.

'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' is part of a cantata written by Johann Sebastian Bach in the early eighteenth century, and is one of his best known works. It is also credited as having been the source material used by The Byrds for their introduction to Bob Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man' in 1965.

Answer: Nut Rocker

B. Bumble and the Stingers consisted of a group of session musicians. Their piano driven version of 'The March of the Wooden Soldiers' was taken from 'The Nutcracker', and the title is derived from the source material. The recording was particularly successful in the UK, where it reached the top of the Singles Charts. Emerson, Lake and Palmer recorded a version of them playing it live in 1972.

Tchaikovsky is one of the best known Russian composers, and the three wrong answers are my fictional versions of some of his other works - 'Swan Lake', 'Sleeping Beauty' and the '1812 Overture'.

Answer: All by Myself

'All by myself; don't wanna be, all by myself any more'. I'm sure you remember it now. The song did well for Carmen, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number twelve on the UK Singles Chart. Celine's version reached number four in the USA and number six in the UK in the same charts.

Carmen borrowed the melody from Rachmaninoff's 'Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor', believing that it was in the public domain. The composer died only in 1943, and his estate negotiated with Carmen to receive a percentage of the royalties. Since Carmen also used another Rachmaninoff piece, 'Symphony No 2', for his next hit ('Never Gonna Fall in Love Again'), the royalties must have been well worth having.

The other three songs are all real, but were not sung by Eric Carmen.

Answer: Paul Simon

The song appeared on the album 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon', which came out in 1973. Simon acknowledges his debt to the original on the cover. Although it was released as a single in the USA, it was only moderately successful. In partnership with Art Garfunkel, Simon had numerous hits including 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' (1970), 'The Sound of Silence' (1965) and 'Mrs. Robinson' (1968).

Bach's 'St. Matthew Passion' was written in 1727, based on the Gospel of Matthew and its version of the last days of Jesus Christ. Bach himself had borrowed the tune, which was originally written by Hans Leo Hassler. The melody is used for the hymn 'O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded'.

Answer: Procol Harum

This was the band's first and biggest hit. The lyrics are unusual, and open to interpretation, with references to 'vestal virgins' and skipping the 'light fandango'. The tune is carried by an organ played by Matthew Fisher, who was credited as a co-author for his contribution to the instrumentation following a law suit in 2009. The song reached number one in many countries around Europe, and managed number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.

There are various candidates put forward as being the inspiration for the tune, but they were all written by Bach. 'Air on the G String' is most often cited, with other, similar sounding, works being suggested as well. Fisher himself has said that he was inspired by 'Sleepers. Wake!', another Bach composition.

Answer: Stranger in Paradise

The musical was an adaptation of a 1911 play with most of the music taken from the works of the Russian composer Alexander Borodin. As well as 'Stranger in Paradise', the composers used Borodin's original work for 'And This is My Beloved'. 'Stranger in Paradise' has been recorded by numerous musicians, including Gordon MacRae, Bing Crosby, André Rieu and Mantovani. The song gave Tony Bennett his first hit in the UK, although he had first reached the top of the US charts in 1951 with 'Because of You'.

Borodin's original tune was written for the opera 'Prince Igor', begun by the composer in 1869 and finished after Borodin's death by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. The music used for 'Stranger in Paradise' came from 'Gliding Dance of the Maidens', one of the Polovtsian dances.

The other 'stranger' songs listed are all real, and may well have been sung at times by Tony Bennett, but have not reached the number one spot in the UK.

Answer: O Sole Mio

Elvis hadn't heard the original but was inspired by a different song, 'There's No Tomorrow' which had been based on the tune. The song became one of the King's many number one hits, reaching the top of the charts in numerous countries, including the USA, UK, Australia, Norway and Belgium. The Germans apparently didn't like it quite as much, as it managed only number two over there.

The original song title means 'my sunshine', and the singer describes his love for his woman as the sun shining on her face. All the songs listed originated in Naples in the nineteenth or very early twentieth century, and should be familiar even to non Italians.