Tales of the Cover Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Beatles

The Beatles released "In My Life" in 1965 on the "Rubber Soul" album. Although it was credited to both John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the two later apparently disagreed on exactly who contributed what to the song, especially to the melody. Lennon did say in a 1980 interview that he originally wrote the song's lyrics after it was suggested that he should write something about his childhood. He went on to say that a lot of work had to eventually be done, as what he wrote was "ridiculous" and "the most boring sort of 'What I Did On My Holidays Bus Trip' song". In 2010 "Rolling Stone" magazine listed the Beatles' version as 23rd in their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Dave sang the song in 2001 at a special tribute concert, "Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music", at Radio City Music Hall. It was an acoustic performance.

Answer: Pink Floyd

"Money", considered to be the band's first hit single in the United States, was one of two singles released by Pink Floyd from the "Dark Side of the Moon" album in 1973. Of course, the album made music history by staying on the Billboard chart 741 weeks from 1973-1988. "Money", written by Roger Waters, was the only single on the album, however, to make it on the Billboard Top 100 list of 1973, making it to the 92nd spot on the list.

In 2008 Dave sang the song at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York.

Answer: Talking Heads

Talking Heads released "Burning Down the House" in 1983 on their "Speaking in Tongues" album. The song was their only American top ten hit on Billboard Hot 100, reaching the 9th spot. Although the song also did well in Canada, interestingly, it was not considered to be a hit anywhere besides North America.

Dave performed this number in 2008 at a concert at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre. While it is difficult to think about him singing new wave music, the fact that he does shows his great versatility.

Answer: Led Zeppelin

Although all parties involved agree that Jimmy Page wrote the melody for "Tangerine" (1970), there is a bit of disagreement as to whether he wrote the lyrics and should be credited as the only songwriter. Some sources claim that members of the Yardbirds should have also been credited as well. The song, then called "Knowing That I'm Losing You", was first performed in 1968 when Page was a member of the group. It was released on the Led Zeppelin album "Led Zeppelin III" in 1970 with a new name.

In 1996 Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, lead guitarist for DMB, covered "Tangerine". They were playing at the Whitmore Center in North Carolina at the time and have very rarely played the piece since.

Answer: Peter Gabriel

"Sledgehammer" (1986) by Peter Gabriel was originally released in Gabriel's album "So", and was accompanied by a music video that was nominated for ten awards and won nine of them at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. The video also won British Video of the Year at the 1987 Brit Awards. What about the song? It was Gabriel's biggest hit in the United States, reaching Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of 1986; it reached Number Four on the UK Singles Chart. In 1999 the video was Number Four on MTV's "100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made".

"Sledgehammer" is an all-time favorite cover among Dave Matthews fans. It can be found on the DMB live album, "Live at Mile High Music Festival", that was taped in Denver, Colorado, in 2008.

Answer: The Zombies

Released on The Zombies' "Odessey and Oracle" album, the "Time of the Season" was not the first single released from the album. In fact, even after the single record was released twice with different songs on the its B-side, it was not readily viewed as a hit. The single was released in March of 1968, but it was a year later before it made its way to Number Three on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1968. Interestingly, The Zombies had already disbanded by then!

"Time of the Season" can be found on DMB's "Weekend on the Rock" (2005), which was taped at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Colorado.

Answer: Neil Diamond

"Sweet Caroline" (1969) has been covered by a wide variety of artists, including Elvis Presley (1970), Waylon Jennings (1977), and Frank Sinatra (1974)! It was originally written and performed by Neil Diamond. He had stated in the past that his inspiration for the song was a picture of young Caroline Kennedy on a horse with her parents; later he said the song was really about his wife. A different name, however, had to be used as he needed three syllables and Marcia, the name of his wife at the time, only had two.

DMB debuted their cover of the song in 2006 at Fenway Park. It is found on several of their live albums, including "Live Trax, Vol. 6: Fenway Park".

Answer: Bob Dylan

It is interesting to note that the "Watchtower" with which you might be most familiar - the one by Jimi Hendrix - is actually a cover of the song that was released by Bob Dylan in 1967 on his album, "John Wesley Hardin". Hendrix recorded it on "Electric Ladyland" the following year. It was the Hendrix version of the song that was ranked 47th on the "Rolling Stone" list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

When performed by Dave Matthews, the song generally features a solo at the beginning by the band's bassist, Stefan Lessard, who plays the intro to the "The Star-Spangled Banner." You can hear it on the DMB DVD "The Central Park Concert", released in 2003. Their version of the song lasts for thirteen minutes!

Answer: Neil Young & Crazy Horse

"Cortez the Killer" was originally released by Neal Young & Crazy Horse on their 1975 album, "Zuma". Neil Young has said that he wrote the song while he was in high school; his inspiration came from studying about Hernán Cortés and the conquest of the Aztecs in his history class. It was ranked 329th on the "Rolling Stone" list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011.

A cover by DMB featured Warren Haynes, well-known as the guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band. It can be found on the DVD "The Central Park Concert" (2003).

Answer: Blue Oyster Cult

"Don't Fear the Reaper" was originally recorded by Blue Oyster Cult on their "Agents of Fortune" (1976) album. The band's highest charting hit, the song peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Who hasn't seen the skit on "Saturday Night Live" (April 2000) that asked for "More Cow Bell"? Could renewed popularity of the song be the reason "Don't Fear the Reaper" made it to number 397 on the "Rolling Stone" list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004?

One of Dave's cover performances of the song occurred at The Gorge Ampitheatre in Washington state in 2011.