Some Rock Songs Need Prayer Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick was the first to record "I Say A Little Prayer" and it reached number four on the charts in late 1967. Warwick was nominated for a Grammy Award for Female Solo Vocal Performance. Aretha Franklin did a cover in the fall of 1968, and it
reached number ten on the Billboard Top 100 and number three on the R&B Charts. Anne Murray recorded a cover on a duet album with Glen Campbell in 1970, and her version reached number thirteen on the Adult Contemporary Charts.
The song is just one of many hits written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The song has appeared in many films and television shows since its release, perhaps most notably in the 1997 Julia Roberts comedy "My Best Friend's Wedding". It has also been recorded by the cast of "Glee".

Answer: The Doors

"An American Prayer" was released in 1978, seven years after the death of Jim Morrison. The album consists of spoken word poems by Morrison which are backed musically by the three surviving members of The Doors: Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore.

While the album received mixed reviews from critics, it did sell enough copies to be labeled platinum in the USA. The album only made it to number fifty-four on the Pop Albums chart.

Answer: Sri Lanka

"Save a Prayer" was the third track on the album "Rio". The video was shot in Sri Lanka, with the band members riding on elephants. Much of the video was shot along the Indian Ocean. The giant ruins the band is standing on are in the town of Polonnaruwa. which has been named a World Heritage Site.
Simon LeBon dedicated the song to Marvin Gaye in 1984. "Hungry Like The Wolf" was also shot in Sri Lanka. "Rio" was shot in the Caribbean, on the island of Antigua.
"Save a Prayer" only reached number sixteen on the US Charts, but went as high as number two in England.

Answer: Tommy and Gina

"Livin' on a Prayer" was the second number one hit for Bon Jovi in the US. It was released on their "Slippery When Wet" album in August 1986 and hit the charts in February of 1987. It tells the story of a down on their luck couple named Tommy and Gina, whose faith in the power of love sees them through.

It was chosen as the number one rock song of the 1980s by VH-1 Viewers. The song was by far the band's biggest hit, going triple platinum. Naturally, it has been recorded by the cast of "Glee".

Answer: Leon Robinson

Leon Robinson began performing as an actor in 1982. He has been in a wide variety of roles, including Jamaican bobsledder Derive Bannock in "Cool Runnings" (1993), David Ruffin in "The Temptations" (1998) and Joe Simmons in "Ali" (2000). Leon is also a successful musician, as the lead singer for Leon and the Peoples. Robinson plays a somewhat messianic figure in the video, when he is not making out with Madonna. Madonna witnesses a murder, for which Robinson is arrested.

She later tells the police what she saw and he is released.

The video is rife with religious imagery, including a full choir. The song came out in March 1989, and was a number one hit for Madonna in sixteen countries, including the USA. Gene Anthony Ray was Leroy in the 1980s TV series "Fame". Seal can be seen in his own videos. One again, "Like a Prayer" was recorded by the cast of "Glee".

Answer: Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden released their eighth studio album, "No Prayer for the Dying", in October. It was a major hit in Englamd, going to number two on the charts, and it contains Iron Maiden's only number one hit in England, "Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter".
Reviews of the album were generally poor, and even the band did not play most of the songs on "No Prayer for the Dying" in their concerts after 1993. The album is more political than some of Iron Maiden's other work, with songs such as "Holy Smoke" and "Public Enema Number One."

Answer: Seal

"Prayer for the Dying" was a modest hit for Seal on his second album. It hit number twenty-one in the US and number fourteen in the UK. The song is a somewhat depressing meditation on people who treat each other badly. Here is an example from the lyrics:

"Life carries on... it goes on.
Just say die, And that would be pessimistic.
In your mind, We can walk across water.
Please don't cry, It's just a prayer for the dying."

Answer: AIDS

"Say a Prayer" is on the "Sisters of Avalon" album. The song is about the AIDS epidemic -- "Say a prayer for all the souls in bloom cut down far too soon under the scarlet moon." The song was never released as a single, so it's impossible to say how it charted. The album did rank in the top 200 (#188) in the United States, but was by far the worst-selling of any of Lauper's albums.

Answer: Josh Groban

Back in 1999, Josh Groban was working with record producer David Foster, who was producing the Grammies. When Andrea Bocelli fell ill, Foster tabbed Groban to sing with Dion. Grammies host Rosie O'Donnell was so impressed she booked Groban on her talk show, which led to a role for Groban on "Ally McBeal." The rest is history. Since then, Groban has had several multi-platinum albums and several number one hits on the Adult Contemporary charts.

Answer: Disturbed

Disturbed released "Prayer" in August 2002. The song was written by lead vocalist David Draiman in response to his grandfather's death. The song is a dark and distrubing rant directed at God. Appropriate, given the name of the band. "Prayer" was a moderate hit, reaching number fifty-eight on the Billboard 100, and charting as high as number three on the Mainstream Rock list. Draiman explains that the music video for "Prayer" is based on the trials of Job from The Bible.

In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, many television stations refused to air the video, citing its graphic apocalyptic imagery.