U2, UB40, REM or XTC? Trivia Quiz

Answer: U2

"Pride (In the Name of Love)" is a song from the U2 album "The Unforgettable Fire". It was the first single released from the 1984 album and reached number three on the UK charts and number thirty-three in the US, being the first top forty hit in the US for the band.

The backing vocals are sung by Chrissie Hynde, singer with The Pretenders, although she is listed as Chrissie Kerr as she was married to Jim Kerr (singer with Simple Minds) at the time. The lyrics "early morning, April 4" are incorrect as Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot in the evening time and U2 singer Bono will often change the lyrics to "early evening, April 4" during live performances of the song.

Answer: REM

"Man on the Moon" by REM appears on the amazing 1992 album "Automatic for the People." It is about Andy Kaufman and includes references to his Elvis impersonation and association with wrestling. It also has many cultural references throughout the song.

It features prominently in the movie "Man on the Moon" starring Jim Carrey. The song reached number thirty in the US on the Billboard Hot 100, number eighteen in the UK and number one in Iceland. It is one of REM's most popular songs.

Answer: UB40

British reggae band UB40 covered the Neil Diamond song "Red, Red Wine" as part of their "Labour of Love" album. They turned the original acoustic version into a reggae song and had quite a bit of success with it. In 1983 the song reached number one on the UK singles chart and in 1984 it reached number thirty four in the US.

In 1988 the band performed the song at the Nelson Mandela 70th birthday concert and a Phoenix, Arizona DJ heard it and decided it should be played in the US again. It was re-released and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: REM

The song "I am Superman" was originally recorded in 1969 by Texas band The Clique. REM recorded it in 1986 for their album "Life's Rich Pageant" and released it as a single but it didn't chart on any mainstream US charts. It's a great song although audiences and singer Michael Stipe don't really seem to think so; he wasn't too excited about singing it so he provides backup vocals only and bassist Mike Mills sings the main vocals.

Answer: XTC

"Dear God" was written and recorded by singer Andy Partridge of the British band XTC originally for their "Skylarking" album but it was initially originally not included on the record. It was released as a B-side on a non-album single and received quite a bit of play on college radio stations, so the album was re-issued and included this song. Partridge has stated that the song is not anti-religious but about a man who is agnostic and writes a letter to God.

Despite these assertions, the controversial song was met with violence as a radio station in the US received a bomb threat, some British shops refused to sell it and the band received hate mail.

Answer: UB40

"Kingston Town" was included on the UB40 album "Labour of Love II", which is the second album of cover versions by the band. It reached number four in the UK and number one in France. It was originally written and recorded by Lord Creator in 1970. The original copyright holders of the song sued Paris Hilton for her song "Stars are Blind" stating that it sounded very similar to "Kingston Town" and the suit was allegedly settled out of court in 2009.

It was believed that UB40 were the ones suing Paris Hilton but that misconception was corrected.

Answer: U2

"Mysterious Ways" is the second single from the 1991 U2 album "Achtung Baby". It achieved top ten spots in several countries music charts. The story behind the song is that it started as an improvised demo that band member Bono and producer Daniel Lanois got quite argumentative and heated about. Guitarist The Edge got involved with some effects and the song began to take shape.

The video was filmed in Morocco and features Bono dancing with a belly dancer named Morleigh Steinberg, who ended up marrying The Edge.

Answer: XTC

"Making Plans for Nigel" was written by the bassist for the band XTC and released as a single in 1979. In the song, parents are talking about their son Nigel and how happy they are that he's found a job at British Steel. After the song, 100,000 workers from British Steel went on strike and contacted the bassist for his thoughts on their issues (he didn't have any). British Steel actually found four employees named Nigel and asked them to talk to a media publication about job satisfaction!

Answer: U2

"New Year's Day" was the first single from the 1983 U2 album "War." It was the first top ten single for the band in the UK and it reached only number fifty-three on the Billboard Hot 100. While performing this song live in Poland for their 2005/2006 Vertigo tour, the band was surprised by what they saw out in the crowd. Fans in lower sections of the stands in the Silesian Stadium waved white items while fans in other sections waved red items, making the Polish flag.

This was repeated a second time at the same stadium while on their 2009-2011 360° tour.

Answer: REM

"Radio Free Europe" was released by REM in 1981 on Hib-Tone Records and the song became popular enough to land REM a record deal with IRS Records. The song was then re-issued for their debut full length album "Murmur" and made it to number seventy-eight on the Billboard Hot 100.

A deluxe version of "Murmur" was released in 2008 and includes a live recording from July 1983 of this song from a club in Toronto, Canada called Larry's Hideaway, known for great acoustics and for booking punk and new wave acts.

Not related to the song specifically but relatable for music lovers, sadly the site of this great musical venue was turned into an off-leash dog park.