Murderous Music! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

The innocent man, known only as Brother, found out that his wife was having an affair with his friend, Andy, and another man, Seth. He is very angry and wants revenge, but when he gets to Andy's house, he finds Andy's body. He fires a gun into the air to attract a passing police patrol, but the cops jump to the wrong conclusion, as does the judge at his trial. Brother is hanged. It is revealed later that the real murderer is his own sister, who had shot Andy and Brother's wife.
Vicki Lawrence hit the top of the charts with the song, in 1972, and Reba McEntire had a Top 20 version twenty years later.

None of the songs, 'Georgia on My Mind' (Ray Charles), 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia' (Charlie Daniels Band) and 'Midnight Train to Georgia' (Gladys Knight & the Pips), involve anyone being murdered.

Answer: Georgie was killed in a random attack

He was attacked by a group of men, in 1974. The gang's aim was to 'roll some innocent passer-by'. It is not clear in the lyrics whether the perpetrators were brought to justice.

The song, off the album, 'A Night on the Town', reached Number Two on the UK charts, but did not perform as well on the other side of the Atlantic.

Answer: Georgie Fame

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were renowned for robbing banks, stealing cars, and killing people. They left a trail of at least 13 victims across the American South, before being ambushed by police in Louisiana. They were in a stolen car, which was riddled with bullets. The car, a 1934 Ford Deluxe, is now on display at a casino in Prima, Nevada.

Answer: Janey's Got a Gun

Janey avenged the abuse by shooting him through the head. This powerful song is from the album 'Pump' and hit Top Ten charts in many countries. In 2017, band leader Steven Tyler opened Janey's House, in Atlanta, to help provide support and hope for young abuse victims. A very noble act!

All the wrong answers involve murder and killing. 'Dirty Deeds' is by Australian rockers, AC/DC and is about a gun-for-hire. 'Nebraska' was a Bruce Springsteen song, following the story of a serial killer, and 'Hazard', by Richard Marx, is about the singer being falsely accused of killing his girlfriend, Mary.

Answer: Rubin Carter

His trial in 1967 was a sham, with witnesses (all of who were white- Carter was black) lying through their teeth. The police knew it, the judge knew it and the press knew it, but nevertheless he was convicted. Even one of the victims told the police that Carter was not the man who shot him! A retrial in 1977 simply rubber-stamped the original conviction. It was not until a third trial in 1985 that justice finally prevailed and he was exonerated. Did Dylan's song, and the other celebrity support, have any influence? Who knows, but it would be nice if it did.

After his release he headed the Canadian organisation, Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, for more than a decade. He died in 2014, aged 76.

The three wrong answers were also subjects of Dylan ballads. 'Ballad Of Hollis Brown' is a sad song about a man who kills his family and himself, because of extreme poverty. 'Death Of Emmett Till' was another story of justice gone wrong, with a young black teenager being tortured and murdered in Mississippi, in 1955. John Wesley Hardin was a 19th century Wild West gunslinger, credited with at least two dozen murders.

Answer: Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Maxwell Edison ('majoring in medicine') was a student who smashed his girlfriend with a hammer. Later, Maxwell was kept back after class for misbehaviour. His teacher turned her back on him, and she too got whacked. The law finally caught up with him and he wound up in court. As the judge finds him guilty, Maxwell strikes again!

The incorrect answers are all Beatles hits, but none involve murder, although Rocky Raccoon does get shot, not fatally.

Paul wrote the song, but the other three Beatles hated it. Because of this, it has been suggested that the song was the beginning of the end for the band.

Answer: Yes

The principal of Grover Cleveland Elementary School, in San Diego, and the school's caretaker died on January 29, 1979, because Brenda Spencer wanted to "liven up her day". Eight students and a policeman were shot and wounded. The shooter was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Sir Bob Geldof went on to organise the suoergroups Band Aid and Live Aid and wrote the smash hit 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', which raised millions of dollars for charities.

Answer: Bob Marley and the Wailers

Marley was very vague about the meaning of his lyrics, but suffice to say that no actual sheriffs (or deputies), were harmed in the making of his song. It appears to be simply an allegory for the lack of justice in the world.

Answer: Bohemian Rhapsody

A very Bohemian piece of music, indeed, with opinions divided on its meaning. A majority of critics believe it is about Freddy coming out as gay. 'Mamma, just killed a man' refers to the end of his 'straight' ways. Whatever it means, it is a stunning work of art, and would be in my personal Top Ten songs.

'Death on Two Legs' was squarely aimed at their early manager, Norman Sheffield, who allegedly ripped off the band badly. The band REALLY lay the boot into him! Despite its name, nobody dies in 'Killer Queen'- it is about a high-priced prostitute. Believe it or not, 'Radio Ga Ga' is about the radio, and again, there are no deaths involved.

Answer: Poisoned him

Earl breached his restraining order and put Wanda, his soon-to-be ex-wife, in hospital. Wanda, and her school friend, Mary Anne, cooked up a plan and poisoned Earl's dinner of black-eyed peas, then buried him in a remote place.

The Dixie Chicks are one of the highest-selling all-female bands of all time, from their humble beginnings on the country music circuit in 1989.