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Ten 'Killer' Songs Trivia Quiz

Ten songs about murder! A mixture of questions, name the act, who wrote it etc. Most were hit singles in the UK plus some famous album tracks. Not sure if 'enjoy' is appropriate. Not for the squeamish.

A multiple-choice quiz by Mutchisman. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
Mutchisman

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
267,265

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2156

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Now then Joe, did you have anything to do with this young lady's death?

"Yes, I did, I shot her,
You know I caught her messin' 'round,
Messin' 'round town.
Uh, yes I did, I shot her
You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town.
And I gave her the gun and I shot her!"

A much covered song, but who had their first British hit single with this sorry tale back in 1967? Hint

The Rolling Stones

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Led Zeppelin

Fleetwood Mac

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. "I used to love her;
But I had to kill her
I used to love her;
But I had to kill her.
I knew I'd miss her;
So I had to keep her;
She's buried right in my backyard!"

I think that is called a full confession. Who is the guilty party? Hint

Guns and Roses

KISS

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Van Halen

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. "Mama, just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead,
Mama, life had just begun,
But now I've gone and thrown it all away."

No points at all for knowing that it's from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" but who gets the writing credits?
Hint

Freddie Mercury

John Deacon

Brian May

Roger Taylor

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. "At break of day when that man drove away, I was waiting
I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door
She stood there laughing,
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more."

The first person to have a hit with "Delilah" was Tom Jones in 1968, but can you remember which Scottish band took it back into the charts in 1975? Hint

Average White Band

Nazareth

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Big Country

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. ""This is just the way of the world," Joe said;
"I had to put a bullet into his head."
Then lit up a cigarette,
Decided to call his fat friend Fred.
"Well" he said "Fred I just killed a man
Caught him laying with my girlfriend
Now they're both dead, people can be so cold when they're dead.""

This is a bit more obscure so I'll give you a clue.
A 2003 album track from an American band featuring three brothers and their cousin. Hint

The Killers

The Kings of Leon

The Strokes

The White Stripes

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. An admission and a denial in one sentence now!

"I shot the sheriff,
but I didn't shoot the deputy."

Which of these acts have never charted in Britain with this song? Hint

Eric Clapton

Warren G

Bob Marley

Jimmy Cliff

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Now here's a character you might wish to avoid:

"From a tugboat, by the river bo bo
A cement bag's, droppin' down
Yeah the cement's, just for the weight dear
Bet you Mac, he's back in town
Now looky here, Louie Miller, disappeared dear
After drawin' out his cash
And MacHeath spends, like a sailor
Did our boy do somethin' rash?"

"Mack the Knife" was a hit for Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin and has been covered many, many times. Which musical theatre show is it from originally? Hint

West Side Story

Oliver!

Carousel

The Threepenny Opera

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. "Laughter echoed across from the end of the street,
There was the man I was burnin' to meet;
And my mind was so calm and so clear as I took my revenge for Maria.
And he fell to the ground
Raisin' dust all around
But I knew he was dead
Long before he went down
It was quick it was clean
Made it easy on him
Which is more than he did for Maria."

Which guy was out for revenge? Hint

Tony Christie

Matt Monro

Gene Pitney

Joe Dolan

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. There are many murderous tales told in English folk songs, try this:

""And you will strike the very first blow and strike it like a man
I will strike the very next blow and I'll kill you if I can"
So Matty struck the very first blow and he hurt Lord Donald sore
Lord Donald struck the very next blow and Matty struck no more
And then Lord Donald took his wife and he sat her on his knee
Saying "Who do you like the best of us, Matty Groves or me?"
And then up spoke his own dear wife, never heard to speak so free
"I'd rather a kiss from dead Matty's lips than you or your finery"
Lord Donald he jumped up and loudly he did bawl
He struck his wife right through the heart and pinned her against the wall
"A grave, a grave," Lord Donald cried, "to put these lovers in
But bury my lady at the top for she was of noble kin."

Taken from "Matty Groves", this version is found on the excellent "Liege and Lief" album. Which band sang it? Hint

Steeleye Span

Fairport Convention

The Strawbs

Pentangle

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. A novelty number one from Benny Hill told the tragic tale of a love feud between two delivery men, a milkman and a baker. They fought to the death over which of them had the right to court the lovely widow Sue.
With which of these combination of missiles did baker Ted finally slay "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)"? Hint

A Chelsea bun and a Danish pastry

A sausage roll and an eccles cake

A rock cake and a pork pie

A sharpened piece of bread and a doughnut

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Now then Joe, did you have anything to do with this young lady's death? "Yes, I did, I shot her, You know I caught her messin' 'round, Messin' 'round town. Uh, yes I did, I shot her You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town. And I gave her the gun and I shot her!" A much covered song, but who had their first British hit single with this sorry tale back in 1967?

Answer: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

A first hit for Jimi Hendrix in January 1967, "Hey Joe" reached number six in Britain. It has been covered by many acts including Deep Purple, Nick Cave and Love. Led Zeppelin never covered the song but Robert Plant did sing it with one of his previous groups, The Band of Joy.

2. "I used to love her; But I had to kill her I used to love her; But I had to kill her. I knew I'd miss her; So I had to keep her; She's buried right in my backyard!" I think that is called a full confession. Who is the guilty party?

Answer: Guns and Roses

A light-hearted (I hope) take on how to deal with a nagging partner by Guns and Roses. "Used To Love Her" is found on the "G&R Lies" album. Although never released as a single it was a popular number at Guns and Roses concerts.

3. "Mama, just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, Pulled my trigger, now he's dead, Mama, life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away." No points at all for knowing that it's from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" but who gets the writing credits?

Answer: Freddie Mercury

There are very few number ones where the title is not mentioned in the lyric but "Bohemian Rhapsody" is one of them. ("Unchained Melody" is another).
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is also one of the very few songs to get to number one twice by the same artist; Queen first took it to the top in 1975 and then again in 1991, when it was re-released after Freddie's death.

4. "At break of day when that man drove away, I was waiting I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door She stood there laughing, I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more." The first person to have a hit with "Delilah" was Tom Jones in 1968, but can you remember which Scottish band took it back into the charts in 1975?

Answer: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Tom Jones was sometimes criticised for the violent nature of this song but Alex Harvey's delivery was much more theatrical, almost maniacal. Alex took his version to number seven; Tom Jones' version had previously got to number two.

5. ""This is just the way of the world," Joe said; "I had to put a bullet into his head." Then lit up a cigarette, Decided to call his fat friend Fred. "Well" he said "Fred I just killed a man Caught him laying with my girlfriend Now they're both dead, people can be so cold when they're dead."" This is a bit more obscure so I'll give you a clue. A 2003 album track from an American band featuring three brothers and their cousin.

Answer: The Kings of Leon

The lyrics come from the song "Joe's Head" from the outstanding Kings of Leon debut album "Youth and Young Manhood".
Kings of Leon comprise three brothers Nathan, Caleb and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill.
Their first two albums "Youth and Young Manhood" and "Aha Shake Heartbreak" both went to number three in Britain. Their third studio album "Because of the Times" went to number one in 2007.

6. An admission and a denial in one sentence now! "I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy." Which of these acts have never charted in Britain with this song?

Answer: Jimmy Cliff

It was not until 2005 that Bob Marley's original version of "I Shot the Sheriff" finally made the charts; it reached a lowly number 67, almost 25 years after his death.
Eric Clapton's version got to number nine in 1974 and Warren G took a rap version which sampled Clapton's cover to number two in 1997.

7. Now here's a character you might wish to avoid: "From a tugboat, by the river bo bo A cement bag's, droppin' down Yeah the cement's, just for the weight dear Bet you Mac, he's back in town Now looky here, Louie Miller, disappeared dear After drawin' out his cash And MacHeath spends, like a sailor Did our boy do somethin' rash?" "Mack the Knife" was a hit for Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin and has been covered many, many times. Which musical theatre show is it from originally?

Answer: The Threepenny Opera

"The Threepenny Opera" was an adaptation of John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera" and was originally written in German by Bertolt Brecht with music by Kurt Weill. Several different translations into English are available, each telling rather gruesome tales about the anti-hero MacHeath also known as 'Mack the Knife'.
Bobby Darin's version went to number one in 1959, Louis Armstrong's had got to number eight some three years earlier.

8. "Laughter echoed across from the end of the street, There was the man I was burnin' to meet; And my mind was so calm and so clear as I took my revenge for Maria. And he fell to the ground Raisin' dust all around But I knew he was dead Long before he went down It was quick it was clean Made it easy on him Which is more than he did for Maria." Which guy was out for revenge?

Answer: Tony Christie

"I Did What I Did for Maria", a number two hit for Tony Christie in 1971. I wonder if he's got to Amarillo yet?

9. There are many murderous tales told in English folk songs, try this: ""And you will strike the very first blow and strike it like a man I will strike the very next blow and I'll kill you if I can" So Matty struck the very first blow and he hurt Lord Donald sore Lord Donald struck the very next blow and Matty struck no more And then Lord Donald took his wife and he sat her on his knee Saying "Who do you like the best of us, Matty Groves or me?" And then up spoke his own dear wife, never heard to speak so free "I'd rather a kiss from dead Matty's lips than you or your finery" Lord Donald he jumped up and loudly he did bawl He struck his wife right through the heart and pinned her against the wall "A grave, a grave," Lord Donald cried, "to put these lovers in But bury my lady at the top for she was of noble kin." Taken from "Matty Groves", this version is found on the excellent "Liege and Lief" album. Which band sang it?

Answer: Fairport Convention

Always one of the highlights of any Fairport Convention gig, "Matty Groves" is a tragic tale indeed.
Fairport only ever had one hit single in Britain, a rather strange version of Dylan's "If You Have to Go" sung in French. "Si Tu Dois Partir" reached number 21 in 1969. However it is for albums such as "Liege and Lief" and "Full House" that Fairport Convention are best remembered.

10. A novelty number one from Benny Hill told the tragic tale of a love feud between two delivery men, a milkman and a baker. They fought to the death over which of them had the right to court the lovely widow Sue. With which of these combination of missiles did baker Ted finally slay "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)"?

Answer: A rock cake and a pork pie

Although a rock cake did the initial damage it was probably a stale pork pie that finally killed poor Ernie off!

"Now Ernie dragged him from his van and beneath the blazing sun,
They stood there face to face, and Ted went for his bun.
But Ernie was too quick, things didn't go the way Ted planned,
And a strawberry-flavoured yogurt sent it spinning from his hand.

Now Susie ran between them and tried to keep them apart,
And Ernie, he pushed her aside and a rock cake caught him underneath his heart.
And he looked up in pained surprise as the concrete hardened crust,
Of a stale pork pie caught him in the eye and Ernie bit the dust."

Benny Hill scored a number one with this cautionary tale back in 1971.

Source: Author Mutchisman

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