Which 'R' Band Sings This Song? Quiz

Answer: Ramones

This song might be the one that is associated the most with the Ramones as it is arguably their most popular song. It was released in 1978 off their fourth studio album which was called "Road to Ruin." The song is listed on best of lists, including on Rolling Stone's best five hundred songs of all time. Singer Joey Ramone wrote the song and has said in an interview that the song is a road song about being on tour in the United Kingdom over Christmas time with nothing to do.

The accompanying video has the band sitting at a table eating cereal while a cacophony of movement and frenzy happens around them that involves people dressed as all kinds of characters from nuns to clowns. A young Courtney Love from the band Hole is in the video.

Answer: Ramones

The song "Rock n Roll High School" is a song on the soundtrack of the Ramones movie of the same name. There are actually three versions of this song, one that was recorded in 1979 for the soundtrack. A slightly re-mixed second version was produced by Phil Spector and the third version was also produced by Spector but is a complete re-recording of the song for the Ramones album "End of the Century." The original version is the one that was performed live by the band.

The Spector re-recording of the song was "performed" by the band when they were on the TV show "Sha Na Na" - performed being the operative word because they lip synched to the song.

Answer: Ramones

"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" was released in 1977 from the third Ramones studio album, "Rocket to Russia." The song was written by singer Joey Ramone. The song charted in both the United States and United Kingdom, reaching number eighty-one on the Billboard charts and number twenty-two in the UK. "NME" listed the song as the number five song of 1977 and the song is listed as one of the top songs that shaped rock and roll according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This great song has been covered several times by several acts including Rancid and Husker Du. Japanese all girl band Shonen Knife have a Ramones tribute album called "Osaka Ramones" and included a cover of this song on that album.

Answer: Ramones

"Blitzkrieg Bop" is the opening track on the debut Ramones album and the first single ever released by the band. If you're not familiar with this song that was released in 1976 you're probably familiar with the chant "hey ho let's go" which is not only in my bio but widely heard at sporting events.

The song, written by band members Tommy and Dee Dee Ramone, is on many best of lists by "Rolling Stone", VH1 and "Q" magazine.

Answer: Ramones

"Teenage Lobotomy" is a song from the 1977 album "Rocket to Russia." This song, which talks about the dangers of exposure to DDT, has become one of the most popular songs amongst Ramones fans. The song is included as downloadable content for "Rock Band", the video game.

Although the song clocks in at a very short two minutes, if you ever had the thrill of seeing the band live, they blasted through all their songs at warp speed, so this two minute song would probably last about thirty seconds when played live!

Answer: Radiohead

"Creep" was originally released in 1992 and is the debut single for the band. It's about a guy who likes a girl but feels he isn't good enough for her. Originally it didn't do very well and BBC Radio 1 refused to play it because it was too depressing! The song was re-released in 1993 and ended up being the biggest hit for the band, reaching top ten in the UK. The song was famously covered by Prince when he played the Coachella music festival in 2008.

The song is not really like typical Radiohead and the band wouldn't perform it in concert for years. There is also a censored lyric for radio play that the band was not happy about. While writing the song, the band took elements from the Hollies song "The Air That I Breathe" and after taking legal action, both Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood were named co-writers.

Answer: Radiohead

The song "Karma Police" was released as the second single from the third studio album by the band (the masterpiece known as "OK Computer"). The song reached top ten in the United Kingdom and Belgium and number one in Iceland. In 2021, "Rolling Stone" named the song one of the top five hundred of all time.

"Karma Police" is a beautiful, haunting song but the title of the song originated from a joke among the members of the band. The band would threaten to call the "karma police" if any of them did something bad and that's how they came up with the title for this incredible song.

Answer: Radiohead

You might be more familiar with this video than the song.... The 2011 song is included on the eighth studio album by the band, called "The King of Limbs." The song was never released commercially as a single but still managed to chart in the UK, United States and Japan.

In addition, the song was nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song and Best Music Video. Given all the success garnered by the song, why do I think the video is more famous? It became viral and within a couple of short years, was viewed twenty million times.

The five minute long black and white video features singer Thom Yorke dancing, well, bizarrely. An associated meme was called, appropriately enough, "Dancing Thom Yorke".

Answer: Radiohead

"No Surprises" was the final song released from the album "OK Computer." The song, released in 1998, reached number four in the United Kingdom. It also reached top ten in Iceland (where they seem to have a real appreciation for Radiohead!). The song, which includes a glockenspiel, was the first that was recorded for the album.

In 2011, "NME" named "No Surprises" one of the top one hundred and fifty songs of the previous fifteen years.

Answer: Radiohead

"Fake Plastic Trees" was the third single released from the second studio album by the band, called "The Bends." Released in 1995 it reached top ten in Canada (the rock/alternative chart) and also charted in the United States, United Kingdom and Scotland. "Rolling Stone" has named it one of the greatest five hundred songs of all time.

A cello, violin and viola add to the haunting, sad feeling of the song. The accompanying video shows the band being pushed around in shopping carts in a supermarket and features an appearance by a young Norman Reedus of "Walking Dead" fame.

Answer: R.E.M.

"Losing My Religion", the song that opens with a mandolin, was an unlikely smash hit for the band. The first single from the album "Out of Time", the song was released in 1991 and ended up winning the band two Grammys. They won for Best Short Form Music Video and Best Pop Performance by a Group or Duo with Vocal. The song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in the Netherlands and Belgium. Guitarist Peter Buck was learning to play the mandolin and wrote the main riff and chorus while practicing!

Apparently, the band wanted to release this song as a single but had to really push the record company to make that happen as the song was pretty unconventional with its use of the mandolin. It ended up being the biggest hit for the band in the United States.

Answer: R.E.M.

I'm personally not a fan of this over the top pop song that features the vocals of Kate Pierson, of fellow Athens, Georgia band the B-52s. Released in 1991, the song is included on the album "Out of Time" and reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

It also reached top ten in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Belgium. The song was used as the theme song for the pilot of the sitcom "Friends" however the pilot was unaired and the song was replaced with that Rembrandts song "I'll Be There For You." The band apparently don't really like this song too much either as it's one they refused to play live except for a performance of it (along with Kate Pierson) on "Saturday Night Live" in 1991.

Answer: R.E.M.

"The One I Love" was a big and misunderstood song for the band. Included on the studio album "Document", it was released as a single in 1987 and was their first commercially successful hit. It reached top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, top twenty in Canada and top twenty in the UK (when it was re-released in 1991).

The song is often hailed as a love song and requested as a dedication to a loved one but the full lyrics of the song include the line "a simple prop to occupy my time" and a nod to a darker meaning.

The song is included on a couple of "Guitar Hero" video games (" Guitar Hero World Tour" and "Guitar Hero on Tour: Decades").

Answer: R.E.M.

Released in 1981, "Radio Free Europe" was the debut single for the band. It helped propel them to popularity on college radio. The song also earned them a record deal with I.R.S. Records and the band re-recorded the song for their debut album "Murmur" which was released in 1983.

This song, like many on the album, has lyrics that are difficult to make out and apparently that was by design as singer Michael Stipe has admitted that he hadn't finished writing the song while it was being developed and recorded. He also sang different lyrics while performing the song live. Despite (or because of that), "Rolling Stone" has listed the song as one of the best five hundred songs of all time and the song was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. The song set the "pattern for later indie rock releases by breaking through on college radio."

Answer: R.E.M.

"Everybody Hurts" is included on the fantastic album "Automatic for the People." Released in 1993, the song reached top ten in several countries including Australia, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It managed to crack top thirty in the United States.

The song is included in a couple of best of lists, including "Q" magazine who listed it at number thirty-one of the top 1001 best songs ever. The anti-suicide song was used by the British support service The Samaritans in a campaign and the song was also recorded by a number of artists as a charity single after the Haiti earthquake of 2010, with R.E.M. waiving all royalty fees.