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Average Music Trivia: I Write The Songs | 10 Questions

"I Write The Songs" was a Billboard Hot 100 number one hit for Barry Manilow in January 1976. This quiz is not about the song, but tests your knowledge of writers of songs over the last 60 years. You may know the songs, but do you know who wrote them?

A multiple-choice quiz by shuttlemania. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
shuttlemania

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
370,047

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
347

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The first record released by The Beatles was "Love Me Do" in 1962. The reverse side was "P.S. I Love You". Can you name the two band members who co-wrote both of these songs? Hint

Lennon and McCartney

Goffin and King

Jagger and Richards

Bacharach and David

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Question 2 of 10

2. "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" is a memorable song written specifically for the 1969 film, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, but do you know who wrote it as well as the film score? Hint

Gerry Goffin and Carol King

Kris Kristofferson

Bob Dylan

Burt Bacharach and Hal David

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Question 3 of 10

3. Coldplay is a British rock band whose first UK hit was "Yellow" in 2000 and their first hit in the USA was "Speed of Sound" in 2005. "Viva La Vida" reached number one in both UK and USA in 2008. Can you name the founding member, instrumentalist and lead vocalist who co-wrote these three songs? Hint

Chris Martin

Doc Martin

Martin Christopher

Chris Matthews

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Question 4 of 10

4. "Hotel California" is one of the biggest hits for The Eagles. The Eagles have sold over 150 million records, including over 100 million in the USA alone. Which band member(s) is credited with writing the song? Hint

Don Felder, Glenn Frey & Don Henley

Glenn Frey

Don Henley

Don Felder

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Question 5 of 10

5. Dire Straights is a British band with numerous hits from the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Their album, "Brothers In Arms" topped the charts in many countries including the UK and USA although the single was a relatively minor success. Of the following founding members, which one wrote the song? Hint

John Illsley

Pick Withers

David Knopfler

Mark Knopfler

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Question 6 of 10

6. "Purple Rain" was the name of a single, an album and a film, all released in 1984. All three formats were successes with the single reaching number two in the U.S. and number eight in the U.K. Who is the "royal" sounding composer of this song? Hint

Count Basie

Carol King

Prince

Duke Ellington

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Question 7 of 10

7. Released as "Mighty Quinn" by the British band Manfred Mann in 1968, the song topped the UK charts and reached number ten in the US Billboard Hot 100. The songwriter recorded it under the title, "Quinn The Eskimo (Mighty Quinn)" in 1967. Can you identify the song's writer? Hint

Bob Seger

Bob Marley

Bob Ballard

Bob Dylan

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Question 8 of 10

8. This songwriter has written or co-written songs that have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Cher, Madonna. Dolly Parton, Tom Jones and many other artists. His biggest hit is "The Most Beautiful Girl" recorded by Charlie Rich, which topped various music charts in the USA and Canada and reached number two in the UK in 1973. Despite all this success, you've probably never heard of him. Who is he? Hint

James Taylor

Bob Dylan

Rory Michael Bourke

Kris Kristofferson

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Question 9 of 10

9. He wrote and recorded some of the world's best known songs, but can you identify this artist from some of these "minor" hits - "Another Part Of Me" (1988), "They Don't Care About Us" (1996) and "You Rock My World" (2001)? Hint

Mick Jagger

Michael Jackson

Elton John

Bob Dylan

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Question 10 of 10

10. To finish this quiz, the song that gave the quiz its title, "I Write The Songs" was written by which member of The Beach Boys? Hint

Bruce Johnston

Al Jardine

Brian Wilson

Mike Love

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The first record released by The Beatles was "Love Me Do" in 1962. The reverse side was "P.S. I Love You". Can you name the two band members who co-wrote both of these songs?

Answer: Lennon and McCartney

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were one of the strongest song-writing teams of this era. They co-wrote the majority of the songs recorded by The Beatles. "Love Me Do" reached number 17 in the UK charts in 1962, but reached number one on the US Billboard charts in 1964.

Answer: Burt Bacharach and Hal David

The song was recorded by B.J. Thomas for the film in 1969. The single was released before the film and didn't make any headway. Once the film was released and was a big hit, the single sold huge amounts and topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts for four weeks in January 1970. Thus, it was the first number one record of the decade.

Answer: Chris Martin

Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland formed the group Pectoralz in 1996. By 1998, Guy Berryman and Will Champion had joined and the name had changed to Coldplay. The band has had fifteen top ten singles in the UK and three top tens in the USA.

Answer: Don Felder, Glenn Frey & Don Henley

Don Felder had come up with the outline of the melody, including the opening riff. He played it to Glenn Frey and Don Henley who liked it and added the lyrics. It was their interpretation of the excesses of life in Los Angeles, especially in the music business.

Answer: Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler was the lead guitarist and main vocalist, his brother David played rhythm guitar and backing vocals, John Illsley played bass guitar and backing vocals and Pick Withers played drums and percussion. Mark Knopfler was ranked 27th on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of "Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Answer: Prince

"Purple Rain" is regarded by many people as Prince's signature song and it regularly features in his concerts. The official artist is listed as "Prince and the Revolution". Prince also stars in the film of the same name.

Answer: Bob Dylan

The song has been recorded by numerous artists over the years. Dylan first recorded it in 1967, but didn't release it until 1970. Manfred Mann topped the UK charts for two weeks in February 1968.

Answer: Rory Michael Bourke

Rory Michael Bourke co-wrote "The Most Beautiful Girl" with Billy Sherrill and Norro Wilson. I was fortunate enough to meet Rory on a cruise down the Danube in August 2014. He is an interesting and friendly person and I enjoyed his company. Rory was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989 and has three Grammy nominations for Best Country Song.

Answer: Michael Jackson

Among the chart toppers for which Michael Jackson received a writer's credit are, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (1979), "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" (1982), "Bad" (1987) and "Black Or White" (1991). His live performances were amazing and he will be sadly missed.

10. To finish this quiz, the song that gave the quiz its title, "I Write The Songs" was written by which member of The Beach Boys?

Answer: Bruce Johnston

Bruce Johnston wrote the song in 1975 and it was first recorded by The Captain & Tennille on their album "Love Will Keep Us Together". The first single release of the song was by David Cassidy in 1975, but it is strongly associated with Barry Manilow who reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts the following year.

Source: Author shuttlemania

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
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