Music Trivia

Name That Song

Name That Artist

Finish Those Lyrics

Music History

Music Video Madness

100

This pop song features a famous male artist, who sings of a woman, "more like a beauty queen from a movie scene", who falsely claims he fathered her newborn son.

A) "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson

B) "Purple Rain" by Prince

C) "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon

A) "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson

Producer Quincy Jones originally wanted to cut the song entirely, thought the bassline was too weak, and wanted to rename it "Not My Lover" so listeners wouldn't confuse it with tennis star Billie Jean King.

100

This 2000's hip-hop artist is best known for his songs "Without Me" released in 2002, "Lose Yourself" in 2002, and "Love The Way You Lie" featuring Rihanna in 2010.

A) Kanye West

B) Eminem

C) 50 Cent

B) Eminem

Before fame, he failed the 9th grade three times and worked minimum wage jobs. His stage name simply comes from his initials, Marshall Mathers (M. M), which sound like "Eminem".

100

"Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world..."

A) She took the midnight train going anywhere

B) He took the midnight plane going everywhere

C) Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit

A) "... She took the midnight train going anywhere"

Journey - "Don't Stop Believin'" was released in 1981 as the second single from Journey's seventh studio album, Escape.

100

Which English band released the synth-pop mega-hit "Take On Me" in 1985, accompanied by a groundbreaking sketch-animation music video?

A) Duran Duran

B) Depeche Mode

C) A-ha

The single "Take On Me" was recorded and released two times to very little effect before it was re-released in 1985 with the legendary pencil-sketch animation and live-action music video that launched it to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

100

This 1975 rock hit featured the following image in their music video:

"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen

The operatic "Galileo" section was so painstakingly overdubbed by Mercury, May, and Taylor that the master tape became so thin you could literally see through it when held to the light.

200

This 2003 hip-hop hit features a celebratory anthem about living in the moment, indulging in luxury, and unapologetic self-confidence, where the male rapper sings "You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub".

A) "Get Low" by Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz

B) "Hot in Herre" by Nelly

C) "In Da Club" by 50 Cent

Produced by Dr. Dre, the beat was originally offered to Eminem's group, D12. 50 Cent wrote the lyrics and recorded the vocals within an hour of hearing it, establishing it as the ultimate birthday track.

200

This famous female artist is best known for her songs "Opalite" released in 2025, "Cruel Summer" in 2023, and "Blank Space" in 2014.

A) Olivia Rodrigo

B) Sabrina Carpenter

C) Taylor Swift

She holds the record as the first artist in Grammy history to win Album of the Year four times, and grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania.

200

"My baby don't mess around because she loves me so, and this I know for sho. But does she really wanna but can't stand to see me..."

A) Walk out the door

B) Cry anymore

C) Look so poor

A) "... Walk out the door"

Outkast - "Hey Ya!" was released in 2003 and served as the lead single from Outkast's ambitious double album, The Love Below.

200

Which song was the very first number-one hit for The Beatles in the United States, sparking "Beatlemania" across the country in 1964?

A) "She Loves You"

B) "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

C) "Please Please Me"

B) "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

The Beatles were the best-selling band of all time, moving an estimated 600 million records worldwide. Despite their massive global impact and catalog of hits, the Fab Four never learned to read or write sheet music, composing entirely by ear.

200

This 1982 pop hit featured the following image in their music video:

"Thriller" by Michael Jackson

Legendary horror actor Vincent Price recorded his iconic spine-chilling monologue in only two takes. He opted for a one-time flat fee of $20,000 instead of a percentage of royalties—which he later admitted was a mistake, given it became the best-selling album of all time.

300

This 2007 R&B single by a female artist is a powerful anthem about unconditional love, resilience, and shielding a relationship from external judgment where she sings "I don't worry 'cause / Everything's gonna be alright".

A) "No One" by Alicia Keys

B) "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey

C) "Dangerously in Love" by Beyonce

A) "No One" by Alicia Keys

Keys played a variety of instruments on the track herself, including the piano, mellotron, synthetic strings, and even used a vocoder to manipulate her voice.

300

This British rock band is best known for their songs "Stairway to Heaven" released in 1971, "Whole Lotta Love" in 1969", and "Black Dog" in 1971.

A) Pink Floyd

B) Led Zeppelin

C) The Rolling Stones

B) Led Zeppelin

The band name was pitched by The Who's drummer Keith Moon. He quipped that a proposed supergroup with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck would crash “like a lead balloon”. The band loved the imagery but dropped the 'a' in "lead" so Americans wouldn't mispronounce it.

300

"You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know..."

A) When to fight

B) When to run

C) When to hide

B) "... When to run"

"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers was released in 1978 as the lead single from his multi-platinum, Grammy-winning sixth studio album of the same name.

300

Which 1979 track by The Sugarhill Gang is widely credited with introducing hip-hop music to a global commercial audience?

A) "Rapper's Delight"

B) "The Message"

C) "King of Rock"

A) "Rapper's Delight"

The Sugarhill Gang is an American old-school hip-hop group formed in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1979. Their hit "Rapper's Delight", released the same year they were formed, was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980.

300

This 1991 rock hit featured the following image in their music video:

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana

Bassist Krist Novoselic initially thought the main riff was "ridiculous" when Cobain first brought it to practice. Cobain made the band play it repeatedly for over an hour and a half to convince them.

400

This country song that begins with "Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots" is a 1990's working-class hit about a man who interrupts his ex-fiancée's high-class wedding to declare that he is perfectly happy drowning his sorrows at a local dive bar.

A) "Livin' on Love" by Alan Jackson

B) "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks

C) "Don't Take The Girl" by Tim McGraw

B) "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks

This song was famously written on a bar napkin after songwriters Dewayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee realized they couldn't pay their tab, prompting Lee to quip: "Don't worry... I've got friends in low places."

400

This R&B female artists is best known for her song "All The Stars" featuring Kendrick Lamar released in 2018, "Kill Bill" in 2022, and "Snooze" off her album SOS in 2022.

A) SZA

B) Doja Cat

C) Tyla

A) SZA

SZA was a nationally ranked gymnast, a Sephora skincare expert, and a major songwriter for artists like Beyoncé before launching her massive music career.

400

"She got her own thing, That's why I love her. Miss independent..."

A) Will you come and take some time?

B) Won't you come and spend a little time?

C) Could you possibly be mine?

B) "... Won't you come and spend a little time?"

"Miss Independent" by Ne-Yo was released in 2008 and served as the second single from his third studio album, Year of the Gentleman.

400

Which of these rock icons originally worked as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division before being honorably discharged due to a back injury?

A) Jimi Hendrix

B) Jim Morrison

C) Mick Jagger

A) Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter most known for his songs "All Along the Watchtower", "Purple Haze", and "Little Wing".

400

This 2015 pop hit featured the following images in their music video:

"See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth

Commissioned as a heartfelt send-off to the late Paul Walker for the Furious 7 soundtrack, Charlie Puth co-wrote the chorus in about 10 minutes.

500

This rock band, commonly abbreviated as NIN, sings "There is a place that still remains" in this 1999 single about emotional detachment, hidden decay, and finding peace in isolation.

A) "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana

B) "Creep" by Radiohead

C) "The Day The World Went Away" by Nine Inch Nails

Unlike Nine Inch Nails' typical industrial aggression, the song features absolutely no drums during its runtime, relying on atmospheric synth pads, acoustic bass, and distorted guitars.

500

This popular male country singer is best known for his cover of "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman released in 2023, "When It Rains It Pours" in 2017, and "Beautiful Crazy" off of his first album released in 2017.

A) Morgan Wallen

B) Zach Bryan

C) Luke Combs

Born in North Carolina in 1990, he went from a college dropout with exactly $200 to his name to a record-breaking, Grammy-nominated artist who has earned dozens of number-one hits and sold out stadiums worldwide.

500

"If it was up to me, I wouldn't give these nobodies no sympathy. I'd take away the pain..."

A) If this world were mine

B) I just wanna see you win

C) I'd give you everything

C) "... I'd give you everything"

"Luther" by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA was released in 2024 as part of his album, GNX.

500

Which artist has won the most Grammy awards of all time?

A) Michael Jackson

B) Kendrick Lamar

C) Beyonce

She has won a total of 35 Grammy awards, and has been nominated for a staggering 99 Grammy Awards.

500

This 2017 Spanish pop hit features this image in the music video, and is the most watched music video on Youtube of all time with over 9 billion views.

"Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee

Filmed in the colorful La Perla neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico, this song also holds the second-longest reign in chart history by staying 16 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.