Rock and Roll Sophomore Albums Quiz

Answer: Nirvana

"Nevermind" is often credited as the album that revolutionized rock and roll music in the 1990s. It is given credit for ending the hair metal era and beginning an era called grunge and popularizing a form of rock and roll called "Alternative rock." "Nevermind" has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, has been certified Diamond in the U.S. and Canada, and has been certified platinum or better in at least ten different countries.

One notable song on the album is "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It charted at number one in four different countries, number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and in the top ten in at least ten different countries. It is considered the most popular rock song of the 1990s and it is sometimes referred to as "The anthem for Generation X."

Another notable song is "In Bloom," which charted in ten different countries. The song calls out fans who say that they love Nirvana's music, but do not understand the meaning of their lyrics.

Another notable song is "Come as You Are," which charted at number 32 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and in the top ten in nine different countries. According to Kurt Cobain, this song is about "People and what they're expected to act like."

Another notable song is "Lithium," which charted at number 64 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, number one in Finland, and in the top ten in Ireland, Portugal, and Poland. According to Cobain, it's about a man who, after the death of his girlfriend, turns to religion "as a last resort to keep himself alive. To keep him from suicide."

Answer: Chicago

Chicago are one of the first bands ever to combine jazz music and rock music. This was a revolutionary idea at the time, considering rock is credited as the genre that killed jazz, and many jazz fans hated rock music because of that. However, Chicago sold over 100 million albums worldwide by doing just that. They began to get popular with the release of their second album, which charted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and number six in the UK.

One notable song on this album is "25 or 6 to 4," which charted at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart; it charted in seven different countries. The song is about a man who has stayed up after 3 AM, he notices it's either 3:35 AM or 3:34 AM.

Another notable song on this album is "Make me Smile," which charted at number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it charted in three other countries. The song made a lot of people smile.

Another notable song is "Colour My World," which charted at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. This song became a staple in pop culture, often played at high school proms and weddings.

Another notable song is "Where Do We Go From Here," which charted at number four on the pop singles chart. This was the first song ever written by bassist Peter Cetera, who says that this song reminds us all that we need to love each other all the time, not just during war time.

Answer: System of a Down

"Toxicity" was the breakthrough album for the Armenian metal band System of a Down. It has been certified triple platinum in the United States and Australia, double platinum in Canada and the UK, platinum in Italy and New Zealand, and gold in six countries.

One notable song from the album is "Chop Suey!" This single has been certified platinum in the UK and Italy and gold in the U.S., Australia and Denmark. It charted in seven different countries. Guitarist Daron Malakian says that the song is about how everybody has a flaw that makes them deserving of death, Malakian cites his own drug abuse as an example. This song quotes the Bible with the question "Why have you forsaken me?" which Jesus asked while he was on the cross.

Another notable song is "Aerials," which charted at number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and number 55 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. A notable line in the song is "When you lose small mind you free your life," meaning that when you open up your mind about life, you will enjoy it a lot more.

Another notable song is the title song, which charted at number three on the U.S. Alternative airplay chart, number ten on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart, and number 70 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. This is a song about life in Armenia, where people really do eat seeds to pass the time. The song is about the "Toxicity" and the "Disorder" of Armenia due to corrupt politicians.

Another notable song is "ATWA," or "Air, Trees, Water, Animals." This song is about serial killer Charles Manson. It's also a song that protests environmental pollution.

Answer: Poison

With "Open Up and Say Ahhh," Poison established themselves as one of the biggest Hair Metal bands in the world. This album was certified five times platinum in the United Sates.

One notable song on this album is "Every Rose Has its Thorn," which charted at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and also charted in nine other countries. Singer/songwriter Bret Michaels said that this song was inspired by a phone call he made to his girlfriend, where he heard a male voice in the background.

Another notable song is "Nothin' But a Good Time," which charted at number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. This song is about a man who wants to enjoy his life, but he has to work all the time to make money to survive, and despite all his work he isn't making enough money.

Another notable song is "Fallen Angel," which charted at number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. This song is about a girl who grew up in Los Angeles and tried to become a famous actress, but by doing so she abandoned her friends and family, and it was a lot more work and a lot less fun than she thought it would be.

Another notable song is a cover of Loggins and Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance," which charted at number ten on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. This song is about a man who goes outside late at night with his girlfriend so he can have fun and get away from his parents who don't approve of the way he likes to have fun. He has fun with his girlfriend in the backseat of the car, but then he gets arrested.

Answer: Halestorm

Halestorm are a hard rock or arguably a heavy metal band fronted by a woman named Lzzy Hale. The musicianship and the live show of this band is absolutely incredible. Halestorm formed in 1997, but didn't release their first album until 2009. It took them a long time just to release an album, let alone become famous, but Halestorm became one of the most popular female-fronted rock bands of the 2010s with their second album "The Strange Case of..."

One notable song on this album is "Mrs. Hyde." This is a ferocious song telling us that Lzzy has two different personalities, one on the stage and one off the stage.

Another notable song is "Love Bites (So Do I)." This song won a Grammy for best Hard Rock Performance.

Another notable song is "I Miss the Misery." In this song, the woman, who just got out of a bad relationship, says that she misses being abused, she just doesn't miss her abuser. How that makes sense is beyond me, but it became a regular concert-closer for them.

Another notable song is "Freak Like Me." During their 2019 live shows, when Halestorm toured with Alice Cooper, Lzzy said that this song was inspired by a time she took an Alice Cooper album to a slumber party. She said that this made her realize she wasn't like other girls. However, later in life she learned that she was not the only person in the world who's not like the other girls, and she dedicated this song to all people who are different than they are expected to be.

Answer: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival may have only lasted four years, but in four years they put out seven albums (In the 2000s most bands put out no more than two albums in a four-year span) and became the most popular American rock band of their era. "Bayou Country" is when they began to make their mark with original material.

One notable song on this album is "Proud Mary," which charted in the top ten in ten different countries. This song is about a man who leaves home to live in a boat on the river because he believes he'd be happier there.

Another notable song is "Graveyard Train," one of the first 8 1/2 minute songs in the history of rock and roll. This song has the same bassline riff repeating for the whole 8 1/2 minutes as a hook. Fogerty delivers a powerful dark vocal to set a mood, and the lead guitar work is great. It was heavily influenced by Howlin' Wolf.

Another notable song on the album is "Born on the Bayou." Actually, John Fogerty was not born on a bayou. He was born in California. However, he's performed many songs that mention New Orleans or Louisiana during his career, both with CCR and as a solo artist. Sometimes during his live shows, a marching band would even march through the audience performing "When The Saints Go Marching in."

Another notable song is "Keep on Chooglin'." This is an uptempo fun seven and a half minute album-closer. This song was a staple in John Fogerty setlists, both during his time in CCR and as a solo artist, for over 50 years. "Choogling" means holding your head high. This song has some great instrumental parts with some great harmonica work and guitar work, as well as a catchy bassline.

Answer: Motley Crue

Motley Crue are one of the most popular hard rock bands of the 1980s. Their first highly successful album was their second album, "Shout at the Devil," which has been certified four times platinum in the United States despite getting no publicity from the record label when it was released.

One notable song from the album is the title song. Despite not being released as a single, the title song went to number 30 on the U.S. Mainstream rock charts and became a staple on rock radio stations and in Motley Crue's live shows for decades to come.

Another notable song is "Looks that Kill," which peaked at number 12 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Chart and was on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for ten weeks. It was often used as their concert opener.

Another notable song is "Too Young to Fall in Love," which peaked at number 26 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and number 90 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song is in the 2002 video game "Grand Theft Auto:Vice City".

Another notable song is "Helter Skelter," a cover of a Beatles song.

Answer: Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains became the first grunge band to have a platinum album with their debut "Facelift" in 1990, which paved the way for the grunge explosion in 1991 that had Nirvana's "Nevermind," Pearl Jam's "Ten," and Soundgarden's "Badmotorfinger." Alice in Chains' most popular album, however, is their second album "Dirt," which was certified four time platinum in the U.S.

One notable song from the album is "Rooster," a song that guitarist Jerry Cantrell wrote about his father's time serving in the Vietnam War. Cantrell's great-great-grandfather nicknamed his father "Rooster," because his hair stuck up like a rooster's hair.

Another notable song on the album is "Would?" a song about Andrew Wood, the former lead singer of Mother Love Bone who had recently died. This song charted at number 31 on the U.S. mainstream rock chart and it also charted in four other countries.

Another notable song is "Them Bones," a song about being afraid of death. This song charted at number 24 on the U.S. Mainstream rock chart and it also charted in three other countries. The song is in an unusual 7/8 time signature, except for the chorus which is in the standard 4/4. It has a blistering guitar solo.

Another notable song is "Angry Chair," one of the few songs written entirely by singer Layne Staley. It charted at number 34 on the U.S. Mainstream rock chart and it charted in two other countries. At live shows, Alice in Chains would sometimes play this right before their big hit "Man in the Box," using this song's outro as that song's intro.

Answer: The Foo Fighters

"The Colour and the Shape" charted in the top ten in ten different countries, was certified platinum in four different countries, and proved that Dave Grohl could have a successful musical career after Nirvana.

One notable song on the album is "Everlong," a love song which charted at number four on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and it also charted in five other countries. Grohl sang an acoustic version of it on "The Howard Stern Show" in 1998. Both the original studio version and that acoustic version of the song appeared on the Foo Fighters' greatest hits albums. Although the Foo Fighters are primarily known for loud hard-hitting songs and Dave Grohl's screaming, this song proved that they could also do softer, quieter music and people would still love it.

Another notable song is "Monkey Wrench," which charted at number nine on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and it also charted in four other countries. This is a break-up song. The inside cover to the album says that this song is "About realizing that you are the source of all of the problems in a relationship and you love the other person so much, you want to free them of the problem, which is actually yourself." However, that explanation could just be Dave Grohl living up to his reputation as the nicest man in rock music not wanting to upset whoever this song was about. The lyrics suggest that the other person isn't exactly innocent either ("I'd rather leave than suffer this"). My favorite part of the song is the last verse, in which Grohl screams the whole verse and it ends with him saying "I was always caged and now I'm FREE!"

Another notable song from the album is "My Hero," which charted at number eight on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and it also charted in two other countries. Some people think the song is about Kurt Cobain, which Dave Grohl hasn't exactly denied. However, the phrase "He's ordinary," likely suggests that his hero isn't a major celebrity like Cobain... it's an ordinary person who most of the world doesn't know. In 2020, Dave Grohl gave a speech defending teachers. Maybe this song is about teachers, who work extremely hard but don't get the credit they deserve.

Another notable song is "Hey, Johnny Park!" This song is about a friend that Dave Grohl had when he was a kid. He lost contact with that friend, but hopes to meet him again.

Answer: Three Days Grace

"One-X" has been certified triple platinum in the U.S. and in Canada and it charted in the top five in both countries. Four songs from this album charted at number one on the U.S. Mainstream rock chart and eventually helped Three Days Grace break Van Halen's record for most number one hits on that chart.

One of those songs is "Never Too Late," a single that has been certified double platinum in the U.S. and gold in Canada. It's an anti-suicide song encouraging suicidal people that it's never too late to turn around their lives.

Another one of those songs is "Animal I Have Become," a single that has been certified double platinum in both the U.S. and Canada. Singer/songwriter Adam Gontier wrote this song while he was in rehab for his addiction to the painkiller OxyContin. It's a song about struggling to control your desires to do evil things.

Another one of those songs is "Pain," a single which has been certified platinum in both the U.S. and Canada. The line "I'd rather feel pain than nothing it all" explains the whole song. It's a song about feeling numb all the time and wishing you could feel something, even if it's pain.

Another one of those songs is "Riot," a single that has been certified platinum in both the U.S. and Canada. It's a song about releasing anger in a very destructive way.