Pulling Out The Musical Stops Trivia Quiz

Answer: Freddie Mercury, Queen

Written by Freddie Mercury for the 1978 album "Jazz", the song reached number nine on the Official UK Singles Charts. It reached number seven on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts.

It was written by Mercury while he was living in Switzerland and enjoying the hedonistic delights of sex, drugs and rock and roll.

In a 2011 radio interview, bandmate Brian May said: "I thought it was a lot of fun, but I did have an undercurrent feeling of, 'aren't we talking about danger here,' because we were worried about Freddie at this point."

The song went on to become popular at weddings. In 2017, a British website put it at number three in its top five.

Answer: The Supremes

That line "Stop! in the name of love" supposedly came from an experience Lamont Dozier, the co-writer, had with a girlfriend.

Diana Ross sang the lead backed by co-Supremes Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and others. The song was a Billboard number one in 1965. It was a number three in Canada and number seven in the United Kingdom.

Answer: Fleetwood Mac

"Don't Stop" was written by Christine McVie about her personal break-up from John McVie, although they remained together in the band.

It appeared on the album "Rumours" in 1977. That was to be a huge seller. Hasn't everyone got a copy of Rumours? Initially the album was to be called "Yesterday's Gone".

Answer: Creedence Clearwater Revival

At a time there was a belief that "Who'll Stop The Rain?" was a protest song against the Vietnam War. However, in a concert in 2012, John Fogerty, who wrote it, said it was actually about the people who had danced in the rain at the first Woodstock Festival.

The song was a Billboard number two in 1970. It was certified a platinum seller. It was used in the 1978 movie of the same name that starred Nick Nolte as a Vietnam veteran.

Answer: Ray Charles

The song was written by country artist Don Gibson in 1958 and he released it as a B side. It was also a country hit for Kitty Wells.

Many people have recorded the song, including Ray Charles who put it on a country album "Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music". The track was not initially released as a single by him, but the album track got a lot of airplay. When Charles did release a single, it reached number one on the Billboard charts. It was his third chart-topper.

"I Can't Stop Loving You" was also recorded by a catalogue of great singers, including Andy Williams, Duke Ellington, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley.

Answer: Twisted Sister

Twisted Sister took the song to number 43 in the UK 1983. It was the third single off the album of the same name, but the other two sold better. It did not chart in the USA.

The band hailed from New Jersey. While they recorded regularly, commercial success eluded them.

Answer: Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson had had four number ones with the Jackson 5 and one as a solo artist before he wrote "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".

It earned him his first Grammy. He was to go on to write or co-write nine more number one hits.

Answer: The Smiths

"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" was not released as a single in the UK as the BBC banned daytime airplay because it came out soon after the Hungerford shooting massacre. Some of the lyrics were problematical at that sensitive time.

The single was released elsewhere. In 2007, a re-written version that included parts of a Supremes song was released by Mark Ronson in the UK and reached number two on the singles charts.

Answer: Rihanna

In 1982, Michael Jackson recorded a song called "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "borrowed" a line from a song by Manu Dibango. Jackson was forced into a settlement over that. In 2007, Rihanna used the line from the Michael Jackson song with permission, but was sued by Dibango because he had not given permission.

"Don't Stop The Music" was on Rihanna's 2007 album "Good Girl Gone Bad". The single was a top ten hit across Europe and topped out at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a number two in Canada and number one in Australia.

Answer: Sting

Indeed, Sting went on to record a duet with Toby Keith that reached number two on the Billboard Country chart.

Sting said of it "The song started as a rock song, but the lyrics just kept screaming out to be a country song. So it ended up with two notes to the bar in the bass and evolved into a country-rock shuffle."