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Quiz about The owls are not what they seem

The owls are not what they seem Quiz

Sometimes songs appear to be about one thing, but they're really about something else entirely. Or sometimes they seem to be lovely little ditties, while nobody notices their pitch black soul. This quiz is about some of those songs.

A multiple-choice quiz by hootch. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
hootch

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
227,037

Updated
Jul 24 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
4034

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The Animals' version of the traditional song "The House of the Rising Sun" warns about the dangers of gambling. However, originally this song was about something else. What? Hint

A Chinese restaurant

A brothel

A dry cleaning firm

A barber shop

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The Stranglers have written a few songs which might seem to be about one thing, but turn out to be about something quite different. 'Peaches', for example, is not about fresh fruit, but about a part of the female anatomy. One of their biggest hits was 'Golden Brown'. But what was it about? Hint

Heroin

A girl's hair

Coffee

Manure

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. "There She Goes" is the best known song for the Liverpudlian band The La's. Some people think singer Lee Mavers is singing about a girl, who goes. Nothing could be further from the truth. What is this she? Hint

His mind

The bus

His dog (which died)

Heroin

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. If you're looking for a nice and simple love song, Elvis Costello's back catalogue is probably not the best place to start. His songs are often spiky, sarcastic or angstfilled. One of his songs deals with a rejected man, who becomes obsessed and might even turn to violence. Even so, lots of people don't really listen closely to the lyrics and think it's a romantic song, perfectly suited to slow dance to. Except for that two-note guitar solo in the middle of course. Which song? Hint

From a Whisper to a Scream

I Wanna Be Loved

I Want You

Let Them All Talk

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. The REM song "The One I Love" is a nice love song?

True

False

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which supposedly romantic song by the Police is obviously about a stalker? Hint

Every Breath You Take

Spirits in the Material World

De Do Do Do De Da Da Da

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Even though couples have been known to use this song as the opening dance at their weddings, Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" is not a typically romantic song. What is it actually about? Hint

A suicide

A not so perfect day

Romantic devotion

A funeral

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Everybody knows that Frank Sinatra wasn't a very nice boy, what with his ties to the mob etc. But did you know that his daughter Nancy was also a cheeky little so-and-so? For example, she recorded a song about being totally out of your head on LSD. Which song? Hint

Did You Ever?

Some Velvet Morning

Sugar Town

Good Time Girl

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. It is generally assumed that the song "Pretty in Pink" is about a girl in a pink dress. The movie of the same name didn't do much to dispel this myth. Which band recorded this song, by the way? Hint

The Teardrop Explodes

Psychedelic Furs

Echo & the Bunnymen

The Jesus & Mary Chain

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Then there's a song that often gets mistaken for a deeply romantic ballad, but it's actually rather creepy. It's written from the perspective of this person who's so obsessed with his or her object of affection that he or she threatens to commit suicide if the other person doesn't come back. Which song is this? Hint

Unchained Melody

When I Fall in Love

Cheek to Cheek

Without You

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The Animals' version of the traditional song "The House of the Rising Sun" warns about the dangers of gambling. However, originally this song was about something else. What?

Answer: A brothel

This is about a brothel in New Orleans. "The House Of The Rising Sun" was named after Madame Marianne LeSoleil Levant (which means "Rising Sun" in French) and was open for business from 1862 until 1874, when it was closed due to complaints by neighbors.

Answer: Heroin

Even though the band has claimed that the lyrics are 'like a Rorschach test' and everyone can read into them what they want, it's clearly about Class A narcotics. The lyrics describe what it is like to be on heroin: "Golden brown, texture like sun. Lays me down with my mind she runs. Throughout the night. No need to fight. Never a frown with golden brown". And singer Hugh Cornwell probably knew what he was talking about, as he was jailed for possession in 1980.

Answer: Heroin

Their only album - "The La's" (1990) - took three years to make, but still Lee Mavers with his obsessive eye for detail claimed it was rush released. Subsequently he hasn't released another record since then. The La's broke up in 1992. Mavers and guitarist John Powers - who formed the band Cast - have since made up and toured as The La's in 2005.

Answer: I Want You

"I Want You" was on the 1986 album "Blood & Chocolate" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. For his previous album - "King of America" (1986) - he'd wanted to get rid of The Elvis Costello persona, releasing the album as The Costello Show and using his birth name Declan MacManus. For "Blood & Chocolate" he claimed Elvis Costello back, with a vengeance.

It's one of his most vitriolic records ever.

5. The REM song "The One I Love" is a nice love song?

Answer: False

It is ironic. Michael Stipe is actually singing to the one he left behind.

6. Which supposedly romantic song by the Police is obviously about a stalker?

Answer: Every Breath You Take

It's definitely not a love song, but a deeply sinister song about a creepy guy obsessively watching every little thing his object of passion does. Puff Diddy's hijacking of the song for his so-called tribute to his friend The Notorious BIG was neither here nor there. As is anything that has ever been executed by the man who put the 'mog' back into 'mogul'.

7. Even though couples have been known to use this song as the opening dance at their weddings, Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" is not a typically romantic song. What is it actually about?

Answer: Romantic devotion

In the movie "Trainspotting" the main character overdoses on heroin while this song is playing on the soundtrack. Which is a better interpretation of the song than that BBC charity version featuring Heather Smalls, Elton John and bloody Boyzone.

Answer: Sugar Town

This is what Nancy Sinatra says about it on her own website: "It was basically about LSD, but was not publicized as that. It was Lee's 'Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds.' It went against my image, which made it tough to choose the other songs for the same collection."

Answer: Psychedelic Furs

"Pretty in Pink" was first released as a single in 1981. In 1986 The Psychedelic Furs re-recorded the song, for the movie of the same name. They were amazed that the movie makers were totally unaware of the fact that the song's about a girl who is used by insincere lovers who think she looks "pretty in pink" (ie. naked).

Answer: Without You

"Without You" was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, and recorded by their band Badfinger in 1970. It is possible that this song wasn't written with that intention, but the cover version that Chicagoan singer Bobby Conn recorded in 1999 clearly reveals the creepy side. And Mariah Carey's version actually makes one want to kill oneself.

Source: Author hootch

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ertrum before going online.
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