When Music Met Science Trivia Quiz

Answer: Girls Aloud

Girls Aloud were formed in 2002 once they won the English talent show, "Popstars: The Rivals". Their original lineup of Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh survived and was not changed for a decade. They are considered to be one of the most successful bands to have come from a talent show.

"Biology" was one of the songs on Girls Aloud's third album, "Chemistry", released in 2005. That album title would fit in quite well with this quiz as well! Unfortunately, no other branches of science feature as titles in "Chemistry". Back on topic, the song was brought to life with its atypical structure -- the musical structure of the song changes twice before introducing the chorus at two minutes into the song, which is generally quite late in songs to introduce a chorus. The song achieved reasonable success on the UK Singles chart, breaking into the top ten.

Answer: Speed of Sound

The speed of sound is, as stated, 343.2 meters per second in dry air, which a physicist would probably know. Comparably, the speed of light is 186,282 miles per second, which is... a bit hard to swallow, really. The song mentions both the speed of light and the speed of sound in its lyrics. Of course, the 'speed of sound' elements are more prominent within the song as the name would suggest.

When creating the song, bandmember Guy Berryman admitted that when creating the song, they tried to emulate the drum style of a Kate Bush song called "Running Up That Hill". The drum beat is incorporated into the song as the song goes on, although a consistent piano tune is present throughout. However, in a somewhat blunt way, lead singer Chris Martin expressed his dislike of the song, claiming that they "didn't get it quite right on record". Despite this, the song was nominated for two Grammy awards and hit number two in the UK singles chart (and, obscurely enough, a number one in the Polish singles chart!) so Chris Martin's dislike of the song was not universally shared.

Answer: rock

Geology, broadly speaking, is the study of rocks, so appropriately enough the answer to this question was 'rock'. Rock music originated as rock and roll music in the 1950s, but became rock in the 1960s onwards. Although rock and rock and roll are virtually synonymous, rock and roll music has a characteristic backbeat that rock music can lack. In addition, whilst rock music is a rather broad classification, it is often characterised by the use of an electric guitar with support from bass and drums.

However, there are many, many variants; progressive rock, blues rock, glam rock, alternative rock, indie rock, and many more. It is an ever changing genre which changes as the times do, so defining what 'rock' is can be quite difficult. Having said that, Axl Rose, Michael Stipe, Jim Morrison and Mick Jagger were all famous frontmen of rock bands, and all were influential to the field of rock music and its development over time.

Answer: Gold

Ah, yes, gold. The element that is generally quite inert and unreactive, yet has been the vice of many people for many years for its aesthetic appeal and subjective value. Taking a deep breath, the 'gold' songs connected with the artists I mentioned are: "Fields of Gold", Sting; "Golden Brown", The Stranglers; "Gold", Spandau Ballet and "Goldfinger", Shirley Bassey.

Ironically, none of these songs are really about the actual substance, gold, but are metaphors which contain other meanings and have another message to give.
For example, according to a book written by Hugh Cornwell, The Stranglers' songwriter, "Golden Brown" was a metaphor for a girl and for heroin, as both gave him pleasure. "Fields of Gold" and "Gold" both mention gold but for its warm or positive qualities rather than for the element itself. "Goldfinger"'s lyrics juxtapose gold as both a warm and cold element, as it suggests Goldfinger is mostly materialistic due to his 'golden heart' and is therefore a cold person despite saying the 'golden words' (the right things). There are many other 'gold' songs out there, but I wonder how many are actually about gold itself?

Answer: Money

Economists, of course, study money; where it comes from, where it goes to, and what it is used for. An economist might agree with the view that money, indeed, makes the world go round. The song also goes on to say that if one is rich, they can buy entertainment, a companion, and can recover from their lover leaving them by relaxing on a 14-carat yacht. But, it also goes on to say that if someone is cold, poor and hungry, love won't win out; hunger will, implying a rather cynical view of society.

Although "Cabaret" originated as a stage musical, "Money, Money" was made for the film version and did not feature in the original musical. However, its popularity meant that it was eventually included in the stage musical. The film was highly successful, winning eight Academy Awards (or Oscars).

Answer: Led Zeppelin

Robert Plant was the lead singer of rock band Led Zeppelin for twenty-two years, which is a respectable achievement in itself. Their first album released in 1969 was considered to be the kickstarter for the heavy metal genre of music and is an example of how influential the band was. Plant had an interest in several mythologies, which he integrated into some of the songs he helped write for the band. For example, "Immigrant Song" refers to events in Norse mythology.

Although the band broke up in 1980 once bandmember John Bonham died, Plant still had a successful solo career for many years, though he did collaborate with artists periodically such as Phil Collins and Alison Krauss. In 2009, he received a CBE for his services to music, and in the "Rolling Stone" list of their top hundred musicians, released in 2011, Robert Plant received a respectable fifteenth place. His unique legacy of high pitched, raw style of singing will continue to be remembered and emulated as the years go on.

Answer: Paranoid Android

An android is a robot which looks like a human, and such robots are products of applied computer science. "Paranoid Android" takes its name from Marvin the Paranoid Android from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", a comedic science fiction series of literature. The song itself is both dark and humorous in nature, and has been compared to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" due to its variety of musical sections and also due to its duration of over six minutes.

"OK Computer", the third album Radiohead released, was the first album the band produced by themselves. The album was praised for its insight into modern day life, having a somewhat cynical view of some aspects of society, particularly in politics, and was more abstract in its lyrics than their previous album. "Paranoid Android" was chosen as the album's lead song, and, although the band's American label Capitol thought it would fail to sell many records, it had ended up selling over two million records worldwide within a year.

Answer: "Venus" - The Rolling Stones

"Venus" was originally released by Dutch band Shocking Blue in 1969 and was later covered by girl band Bananarama in 1986. The Rolling Stones probably would never have sung a song like that, considering its female-oriented lyrics! Although the planet Venus is highly inhospitable due to its sulphuric acid clouds and volcanoes, Venus was the Roman goddess of love and both Venus and "Venus" were named after said goddess.

"Walking on Sunshine", released in 1983, was a highly energetic and fun record from Katrina and the Waves, and is a classic feel good song. Sunlight itself can also bring about a good mood by helping the body produce serotonin and Vitamin D.

"Can't Fight the Moonlight" is probably best known for featuring in the movie "Coyote Ugly", released in 2000. Technically, the moon doesn't create its own light, it reflects the sun's light. Pedantics aside, the song's lyrics appear to be an attempt at courting late at night, and that the subject of the song will eventually surrender their heart.

"Starlight" was a passionate love song recorded by Muse in 2006 and is about missing someone you love. Although it was released as a single, it was also a part of the "Black Holes and Revelations" album. With "Supermassive Black Hole" as another song within that band, it would seem Muse really liked their celestial objects!

Answer: What is Love?

Although all of these options are, in fact, song titles, the correct answer is "What is Love?". They all concern love but in different ways; for example Haddaway's 1993 release might be the most well-known of these same-titled songs and the lyrics suggest a one-sided love from the perspective of the singer.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez's 2011 version appears to depict a woman who has tried pretty much every trick in the book to fall in love, but has never found it and feels lonely.

Howard Jones seems to have taken more of a reassuring vibe in his 1983 release, implying that he doesn't mind his lover doubting his love for her, but that it's okay because these worries are normal.

Finally, Vivian Green expresses clear romantic feelings in her 2002 release of the song, but she doesn't know if it's really love, only that the object of her attraction evokes some kind of feelings in her, even though he has some negative qualities.

All of these songs featured different lyrics and are not covers of each other, so the question of "What is Love?" has clearly puzzled many singers, as well as humanity in general.
How a psychologist might answer the question of what love is may depend on their discipline. It could be a product of genetics, brain activation, chemicals, culture, or several of these. The precise answer, however, will probably continue to elude humanity for a while...

Answer: Major General's Song

The song also continues with more credentials;

"I'm very good at integral and differential calculus
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General".

Very modest indeed! Equations, binomial theorem and hypotenuse are all components of mathematics, as is integral and differential calculus as described in the above lyric section. I won't bore you by explaining what all of those are about. The Major-General boasted his knowledge of these topics to suggest his well-rounded education, though he suggested he lacked military knowledge near the end of the song.

"Major-General's Song" is best known for being sung in the comic opera "Pirates of Penzance", written and composed by Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert (or Gilbert and Sullivan as they are better known). The song is a tongue-twister and is rather fast-paced, making it a difficult song to sing.

In the musical, the song is used to introduce Major-General Stanley and this character is believed to have been a caricature of Sir Garnet Wolseley, a real officer in the British Army who served in the Crimean War, amongst others.