Good, Better, Best Trivia Quiz

Answer: Feeling Good

Nina Simone's rendition of "Feeling Good" is so definitive that I had always assumed that she had written it. However, that is not the case. It was written by two Englishmen, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, for the 1965 play, "The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd", a play about the differences between the social classes in 1960s Britain.

The list of artists who have recorded a version of the song is far too long to include here but a special mention must go to Muse, whose version of the song reached number 24 in the UK singles chart and was voted by readers of "NME" as the greatest cover version of all time in a 2010 poll.

Answer: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Long regarded as one of the seminal releases in pop music history, "Sgt. Pepper" was originally conceived as a concept album but all that remains of the original concept are the opening two songs ("Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "With a Little Help from My Friends") and the reprise of the opening track towards the end of the album. The remainder of the album is just a collection of very fine and highly advanced, in production terms, songs. One such song was "Getting Better" a Lennon and McCartney penned number.

In 1988, a number of mainstream and indie bands, such as Sonic Youth, Wet Wet Wet and The Fall, recorded a compilation album called "Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father" that celebrated the 21st anniversary of the original album's release and raised money for a children's charity. The Wedding Present, at the time without a big hit to their name, would go on subsequent to "Getting Better" to have numerous top 40 hits in the UK.

Answer: Feel Good Hit of the Summer

On the face of it, WalMart may have had a point. The lyrics of the song consisted solely of the names of drugs, both legal and illegal. The meaning and the intent of the song however, is not so clear. The band claim it does not endorse the drugs. Whatever the meaning of the song, the bans made a difference as the single didn't live up to its name and failed to chart in the US.

Answer: You're My Best Friend

The first single released off Queen's 1975 album was "Bohemian Rhapsody", which gave Queen their first UK number one and nine weeks at the top of the charts (first time around). Remarkably, given the huge success of both the single and the album it took eight months for a follow-up single to be released. "You're My Best Friend" reached number seven in the UK charts.

It would be another four years before Deacon was to pen another Queen top ten hit. "Another One Bites the Dust" also made number seven in the UK charts. However, it did have the distinction of providing Queen with their first US number one single.

Answer: Damon Albarn

"Feel Good Inc." reached number two in the UK charts and charted strongly in many countries around the world. Albarn was well used to significant chart success as Blur achieved a dozen top ten hits in the UK charts, with two singles reaching number one.

He formed Gorillaz with his flatmate, Jamie Hewlett, the artist behind the "Tank Girl" comic books. Launched as a virtual band with Albarn's role being entirely unseen and performances being fronted by Hewlett's comic creations, they achieved a UK number one album with "Demon Days", from which "Feel Good Inc." was the lead single.

Answer: Even Better Than the Real Thing

"Achtung Baby" was described by the band as the album that saved U2. The album saw the band move away from their traditional sound and incorporate a wider range of influences, including industrial and electronic music. Given that, it was somewhat ironic that "Even Better Than the Real Thing" was more successful when it was re-released as a remix than it had been in its original version.

Given the title's similarity to Coca-Cola's longstanding tagline, "The Real Thing", it was no surprise that rival Cola producers tried to get the rights to use the song in their advertising campaigns. The band has always refused permission for this.

Answer: Fine Young Cannibals

The second song from Fine Young Cannibals' second album, "The Raw and the Cooked", "Good Thing" became the band's second number one hit on the US Billboard chart in 1989. Their first number one was the preceding single, "She Drives Me Crazy". It was their last album before the band separated. Lead singer Roland Gift concentrated on acting, while Andy Cox and David Steele, who had prior chart success with ska-revival band, The Beat, continued in the music industry with a variety of new bands and production roles.

Answer: Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters, initially as a one-man band, following the death of Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain in 1994. His new band proved to be as much of a success as the grunge legends had been. "Best of You" was the lead single from the band's fifth album, "In Your Honor".

It reached number 4 in the UK and number 18 in the US, a new high point for the band in each chart. It was nominated for two Grammys for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance but did not add to the four Grammys that they had won to that point.

Answer: The Byrds

Even though the song has featured on a list of greatest songs of all time as published by "Rolling Stone" magazine, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" was only released by The Byrds as a B-side to "All I Really Want to Do". But it didn't go unnoticed, receiving enough airplay that it only narrowly missed out on a place in the US Billboard Hot 100 all of its own.

It also attracted plenty of artists and bands who decided to cover the song. Reputedly, Dinosaur Jr's grunge version was the favourite of the song's writer, Gene Clark.

Answer: Tina Turner

Tina Turner had two pop lives. The first came in partnership with her husband, Ike Turner. It started at the beginning of the 1960s and continued until the early 70s. By the time of their last hit together, 1973's "Nutbush City Limits", their personal relationship had deteriorated significantly and they split as a married and as a performing couple shortly afterwards.

It took nearly a decade for Tina's solo career to really ignite. A 1983 cover version of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" recorded with English band Heaven 17, reached the UK top ten. The following year, her fifth solo album, "Private Dancer" spawned numerous hits including US number one, "What's Love Got to Do With It". By the time "The Best" was released in 1989, reaching the top five in the UK and US, Turner was selling out stadium tours and had become one of the giants of the pop world.