The Power of a Song Quiz | Music Mixture

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The pioneering rock band, Radiohead, released an album in 2007 called "In Rainbows." This album included a hit single which Radiohead allowed listeners to download for free from their website. Name this hit single.

Answer: Jigsaw Falling Into Place

Having their hit single, "Jigsaw Falling Into Place," as well as the rest of the album downloaded for free did wonders for the band. Although one-third of the consumers downloaded the album for free, buyers paid an average of $8 to download the music. Three million copies of the album were sold within a year.

Other bands have since followed suit. As a result, the power of record companies has since dwindled.

2. If you've ever doubted that music can have a profound effect on animals, think again. R.E.M.'s 1993 single "Everybody Hurts" has been used on which mammals for increased production for consumer use?

Answer: Cows

Researchers in the United Kingdom have shown that playing slow, melodic songs can reduce bovine stress, thus allowing the cows to produce nearly a half pint of milk more per day. The results have been spectacular. There's something about the song "Everybody Hurts" that has increased the most milk production in cows.

It heads the list of songs favored by cows. Other favorite bovine songs are Aretha Franklin's "What a Difference a Day Makes," Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony." Who knew that cows could have such discriminating taste in music?

3. Cher recorded a song in late 1998 that all but made back-up singers obsolete. With its catchy tune, this monster hit sold more than ten million copies worldwide and went on to win a 2000 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. Name the song.

Answer: Believe

Producer Mark Taylor wanted to create a sound that not only appealed to a younger generation, but also to Cher fans from her "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" days. Taylor used Auto-Tune, an audio processing technology that had actually been around for years. Taylor took Cher's distinctive voice and amped it up with Auto-Tune, adding robotic tones.

The result? Not only was Cher pleased but so were her fans.

4. Is there such a thing as a sad song that can make you physically sadder to hear it? In 1997, the rock band The Verve recorded a very sad song from their third album "Urban Hymns." What is this song called?

Answer: The Drugs Don't Work

The song referred to lead singer Richard Ashcroft's father who lay dying in a hospital. According to Harry Witchel, a physiologist at the University of Bristol in England, songs can alter a body's response to it. Such was the case in 2006 when Witchel performed an experiment.

He tested the effect that the song "The Drugs Don't Work" has on a body. His findings? Listening to that particular song slowed down the listener's heart rate and breathing. According to Witchel, this song "works like the emotional state of sadness." This is one tune I won't be listening to any time soon.

5. In 1987 British singer/songwriter Rick Astley recorded a song that became a huge hit. It would have stayed a 1980s song except for something unusual that happened on the Internet in 2008. What's the name of the song?

Answer: Never Gonna Give You Up

An Internet prank dubbed "Rickrolling" brought the song into the 21st century. The prank went something like this: a co-worker sends you an e-mail link to a news article or blog. However, instead of channeling the link to its proper source, you are directed to a video for Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." The prank started on the messaging board 4chan and quickly spread across the Internet.

In the last three years, the video has been viewed more than 50 million times.

6. Back in 1991, songstress Natalie Cole decided to sing with her father, Nat King Cole. However, Nat had died in 1965. This, of course, didn't stop the producers from recording the duo together. Which song, made famous by her father, did Natalie record with him?

Answer: Unforgettable

Recording the hit song was accomplished by what was considered back then to be new digital technology. Not everyone thought it was ethical. Even Natalie's mom publicly criticized it. But due to its enormous success, the album from which the song was recorded sold more than seven million copies and swept the Grammy Awards. Nowadays, Lisa Marie Presley can sing with her father, Elvis, and Janet Jackson can rock out with her brother, Michael.

7. Avant-garde composer John Cage, who died in 1992, created a piece that was not intended to last more than a half hour. Even so, it has been continuously playing on an organ in Halberstadt, Germany since 2003 and will continue to do so for another 639 years. What aptly named song did Cage compose?

Answer: As Slow As Possible

John Cage largely explored how music exists in time and space. He composed "As Slow As Possible" for the organ because the pipes can last for thousands of years. For the organ in Halberstadt, a machine called a blower keeps the air flowing and a weight holds down the pedals. The first three-note chord was played in 2003 and lasted for a year and a half.

8. Is it possible for music to make sewage disappear? Anton Stucki, a German sewage treatment plant operator believes it does. He has experimented with different operas and found that one Mozart opera in particular seems to make sludge-eating microbes digest faster. Which opera is this?

Answer: The Magic Flute

According to Stucki, he believes the secret lies in the vibrations which penetrate everything from the water and sewage right down to the cells. He believes that the resonance stimulates the microbes to help them work better. Stucki is a fan of rock music and doesn't even like opera.

He tolerates Mozart's music because it makes the microbes more efficient, thus saving the sewage plant $1,250 a month.

9. Michael Phelps, winner of sixteen Olympic medals, claims that he often listened to music on his iPod just before he performed at the 2008 Olympic Games. One song in particular, sung by Lil Wayne, held a special place on Phelps' playlist. In fact, he talked about it on "The Today Show". What's the name of Lil Wayne's song?

Answer: I'm Me

It's easy to understand why the song "I'm Me" has significance for Phelps. With the lyrics "There ain't nothin' gonna stop me...so just envy it," the motivational words must have struck the right chord with the Olympic swimming champ, enough so to go on to win his eight gold medals in 2008.

10. This popular song, co-written by Kurt Cobain and featured on Nirvana's second album, "Nevermind," actually helped the sales of a particular deodorant to skyrocket. Name the title of this sales-increasing song.

Answer: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Cobain claimed he had no idea that Teen Spirit was the name of a deodorant when he wrote the song. Using the song to promote their product, Mennen, the deodorant's manufacturer, decided to create a new tagline for their product..."Do you smell like Teen Spirit?" Sales skyrocketed and Mennen went on to expand their product line. Six months after the song was released, Colgate-Palmolive bought the company for $670 million.

Source: Author nmerr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Power of a Song Trivia Quiz

Music is a powerful medium. If you've ever doubted that, take this quiz and discover just how much of a difference one song can make.

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