Pop Goes the Weasel Trivia Quiz

Answer: Paint It Black

Jagger and Richards were the songwriting force behind the Rolling Stones. Under their pseudonym, "The Glimmer Twins", they also produced many of their bands' recordings. Their first original collaboration that was released as an A-Side single was "Tell Me (You're Coming Back to Me)", which appeared on their self titled debut album and peaked at number 24 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1964.

In their formative years Jagger would be the driver of the lyrics while Richards focused on the music. In later years these roles would overlap.

Answer: Fortunate Son

Written by John Fogerty it was recorded and released by Creedence Clearwater Revival as a double-A sided single in September, 1969. The flipside is the toe-tapping "Down on the Corner" and the record managed to reach number three on Billboard's Hot 100 charts. It has been covered by a range of artists including Bob Seger, Pearl Jam and U2.

Answer: Paint It Black

Eric Burdon had previously covered the song with his former collaboration, The Animals, in 1967. It appeared on their (The Animals') debut album "Winds of Change" and they also performed it that year (1967) at the Monterey Pop Festival. Eric Burdon and War recorded it in 1970 for their double album "Black Man's Burdon" and used it as part of a 13 and a half minute medley that opens disc one.

The medley incorporates three different takes on the song, each titled separately as "Paint It Black I", "Pintelo Negro II" and "Paint It Black III".

The flipside of the single version showcases a cover of the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin". (Note) Whilst "Paint It Black" was recorded in 1970 it wasn't released as a single until 1971.

Answer: God Only Knows

Despite only reaching number 39 on Billboard's Hot 100 when it was initially released in 1966 the song has influenced many and has been listed as a favourite by artists as diverse as Bono from U2 and Jake Burns from Stiff Little Fingers. Its importance is further emphasised by its induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's list of "Songs that Shaped Rock & Roll" and Rolling Stone magazine placing it at number 25 on the list of "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
McCartney would describe the track as "very deep, very emotional, always a choker for me".

Answer: Ticket to Ride

"Ticket to Ride" is credited to the songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney though its primary writer is seen as John Lennon. Typically though, this is disputed by the pair with McCartney stating it was a truly joint effort and Lennon claiming "McCartney's contribution was limited in a similar way to Ringo's drumming". Even the inspiration for the title of the track is a point of conjecture between the two with Paul indicating it was inspired by a rail ticket to the town of Ryde and Lennon declaring it was an "all clear" (health wise) given to the prostitutes in Hamburg to continue to ply their trade.

Answer: Ticket to Ride

"Ticket to Ride" is seen by many critics as a turning point in the Beatles' career. There is acknowledgement by Richie Unterberger of Allmusic of a "harder and heavier" sound. MacDonald also talks of "weightier rhythms" and the use of Indian drone sounds, which would later provide the Kinks with inspiration for their song "See My Friends".

Answer: Paint It Black

"Paint it Black" is considered one of the Rolling Stones' best ever songs, ranking number 174 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Written by the team of Jagger and Richards it appears on the band's fourth album "Aftermath" in 1966 and it also reached number one on the UK charts.

The sitar, which binds the song brilliantly, was played by Brian Jones.

Answer: Ticket to Ride

Richard Carpenter took the jauntiness out of the song and produced an arrangement that turns the recording into the dour and sombre ballad of a break up that it is. Backed with a B-Side of "Your Wonderful Parade" the song was only a minor hit for The Carpenters, peaking at number 54 on Billboard's Hot 100. It appears on their debut album "Offering".

Answer: Fortunate Son

The song was written by John Fogerty as a protest, among other things, of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Fogerty quotes that "Julie Nixon (daughter of President Richard Nixon) was hanging around David Eisenhower and you just had the feeling that none of these people were going to be involved in the war", hence its title. The song's message allows it sit comfortably on the soundtrack of numerous war genre movies, most notably in "Forrest Gump" (1994) as Forrest and Bubba sit in their helicopter while it heads out to the battle zone. Fogerty would later link the track to the Iraq War when he referred to President George W. Bush as a fortunate son on his song "I Can't Take It AnyMore", which appeared on his 2007 album "Revival".

Answer: God Only Knows

Tony Asher wrote the lyrics to this beautiful Brian Wilson composition and was stunned by Wilson's initial "I hate it" reaction. Wilson felt that a tender love song should not begin with such a negative line, however, he relented once he placed the line in context with the rest of the song.

Another sticking point for the band was the use of the word "God" in the title. At the time it was not the "done" thing and Wilson feared that they would not get airplay for the track.