FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Quiz about Nick Hornbys High Fidelity and Its Music

Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" and Its Music Quiz

Nick Hornby's novel "High Fidelity" is almost all about music. Here are some questions about music mentioned in the book, and also a few question about music in the movie based on the book.

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

Author
Cynicderella

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
110,808

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
487

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The book's title is also a title of a song sung by... Hint

Bob Dylan

Bruce Springsteen

Madness

Elvis Costello

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Hornby's main character, Rob Gordon is thinking about his past love affairs and decides that it would be wonderful to re-visit his old girlfriends, just to say "hi" and clarify some misunderstandings. He describes the sentiment using a Bruce Springsteen song. Which one? Hint

Thunder Road

Bobby Jean

Human Touch

Secret Garden

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Rob tells Laura that this song is "responsible for our whole relationship". In the book, the song is... Hint

Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On"

Aretha Franklin's "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman"

Otis Redding's "These Arms of Mine"

Solomon Burke's "Got To Get You Off My Mind"

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Yet, in the movie, the song that was "responsible for the entire relationship" was changed into... Hint

Aretha Franklin's "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman"

Solomon Burke's "Got To Get You Off My Mind"

Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On"

Otis Redding's "These Arms of Mine"

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Rob's employees in the record store get into a fight about which version of the song "Little Latin Lupe Lu" is better. Which two versions are being fought over? Hint

The Romantics' and The Righteous Brothers'

Mitch Ryder's and The Righteous Brothers'

Mitch Ryder's and Link Cromwell & The Zoo's

Link Cromwell & The Zoo's and The Righteous Brothers'

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Among the regulars in Rob's record shop, there is a drunk, Johnny, who tries to steal records, is always being "tangoed out" of the shop, but is very consistent in asking (or singing) one Eurovision song contest winner. Which one? Hint

Dana's "All Kinds of Everything"

Hot House Flower's "Don't Go"

ABBA's "Waterloo"

Adriano Celentano's "Volare"

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. When Rob first meets Marie La Salle, a fictional and "struggling" American singer/songwriter, she is singing in a club. She is singing a song that Rob used to hate for its cheesiness, yet, he likes it in her rendition. Which song is it? Hint

Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You"

Peter Frampton's "Baby, I love Your Way"

Phil Collins' "Against All Odds"

Eric Carmen's "All By Myself"

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. OK, a slightly tougher one. While giving an interview to a local newspaper journalist, Rob lists his top-5 singles. Which one of these songs is never mentioned as candidates? Hint

"Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan

"Ma Baker" by Boney M

"Sin City" by Flying Burrito Brothers

"Baby Let's Play House" by Elvis Presley

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. For which record Rob says it's "as serious as life itself"? Hint

Cowboy Junkies' "Trinity Session"

Jimmy Hendrix 's "The Ultimate Experience"

Al Green "Explores Your Mind"

Bob Dylan's "Blood on The Tracks"

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Finally, an easy, non-musical one. In its journey from the paper to the silver screen, Rob Gordon's "Championship Vinyl" was moved from North London to... Hint

Los Angeles

New York

Chicago

San Francisco

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The book's title is also a title of a song sung by...

Answer: Elvis Costello

"High Fidelity" is a song from Elvis Costello's 1980 release "Get Happy!", and it contains lyrics "Some things you never get used to, even though you feel like another man", that can be loosely used to describe Hornby's "growing-up-at-the-age-of-35" novel.

Answer: Bobby Jean

"Bobby Jean" is a song from Bruce Springsteen's 1984 album "Born in the USA", and its lyrics are about a guy getting nostalgic about his old girlfriend, Bobby Jean to whom he says: "And I'm just calling you one last time, not to change your mind, but just to say I miss you, baby - Good luck, goodbye, Bobby Jean." Bruce Springsteen also made a cameo appearance in Stephen Frears 2000 movie made by this book, playing a John Cusack's vision of the famous singer, giving him advice while playing a guitar on his shelf.

3. Rob tells Laura that this song is "responsible for our whole relationship". In the book, the song is...

Answer: Solomon Burke's "Got To Get You Off My Mind"

In the book, Rob says that it is one of the songs that he used to play while he was DJ-ing in a club, and that the song would always "clear the floor", for it was a "difficult song for dancing". Yet, Laura managed to dance to it, and she did it well. There is no mention of the song in the movie, even though Solomon Burke is shortly mentioned while Laura is reading Rob's "Top-5 dream jobs" list.

4. Yet, in the movie, the song that was "responsible for the entire relationship" was changed into...

Answer: Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On"

In the movie, Jack Black, the actor who plays Barry, actually sings this song with his "Sonic Death Monkeys / Kathleen Turner Overdrive" band. Marvin Gaye is mentioned several times in the movie, and more concretely while Rob and Laura are visiting a record-fair, and he is scolding her for liking both Marvin Gaye and Art Garfunkel. "Liking both Marvin Gaye and Art Garfunkel is like supporting both Israelis and Palestinians," Rob says to Laura. "No, it's not," Laura answers "Israelis and Palestinians are two nations involved in bitter territorial dispute, while Art Garfunkel and Marvin Gaye are musicians!" "WERE!" shouts Rob "WERE musicians. Marvin Gaye is dead.

His father shot him!"

5. Rob's employees in the record store get into a fight about which version of the song "Little Latin Lupe Lu" is better. Which two versions are being fought over?

Answer: Mitch Ryder's and The Righteous Brothers'

When Dick says that he prefers Mitch Ryder's and Detroit Wheels version, Barry exclaims: "%^$#@! The Righteous Brothers!". In the book, Rob decides it's because Barry has never heard Mitch Ryder's version.

Answer: Dana's "All Kinds of Everything"

Dana was, I think, Irish representative on Eurovision Song Contest in 1970. Jimmy also enters into the store while Marie La Salle is doing a promotional on her album there, and asks her if she would sing "All Kinds of Everything" for him.

Answer: Peter Frampton's "Baby, I love Your Way"

All three "Championship Vinyl" men agree that they hate Peter Frampton's song, yet Rob admits that it makes him want to cry when Marie sings it.

8. OK, a slightly tougher one. While giving an interview to a local newspaper journalist, Rob lists his top-5 singles. Which one of these songs is never mentioned as candidates?

Answer: "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan

Some other songs that Rob mentions are: "Think" by Aretha Franklin, "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen, "Little Red Corvette" by Prince and "Stir it Up" by Bob Marley. He is actually trying to make his all time favourite singles that are suitable for club-playing and dancing, and that's why "Sin City" is, although mentioned, discarded, and none of Bob Dylan's songs (whom Rob normally adores) are mentioned.

9. For which record Rob says it's "as serious as life itself"?

Answer: Al Green "Explores Your Mind"

(pg. 168) "...These people look as though they wouldn't have the time to listen to the first side of Al Green's Greatest Hits...they're too busy fixing base rates and trying to bring peace to what was formerly Yugoslavia...So they might have the jump on me when in comes to accepted notions of seriousness (although as everyone knows, "Al Green Explores Your Mind" is as serious as life gets), but I ought to have the edge on them when it comes to matters of the heart."...

10. Finally, an easy, non-musical one. In its journey from the paper to the silver screen, Rob Gordon's "Championship Vinyl" was moved from North London to...

Answer: Chicago

John Cusack's choice. The majority of flyers and stickers on the front of the register stand are bands either from Chicago or on Chicago record labels, including Urge Overkill, Falling Wallendas, Veruca Salt, and Liz Phair. These bands have members that are known to hang out in Wicker Park (one of the filming locations), and the local bar The Rainbo Club, where the "proposal" scene was filmed.

Source: Author Cynicderella

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.