The A to Z of Pop Music

A is for Abba

1 Which manager of Abba passed away in 1997?
2 What was Abba’s only number one hit single in the USA?
3 Which 1982 hit for Abba was covered by Blancmange two years later?
4 In which country was Anni-Frid Lyngstad born?
5 Which Abba song holds the record for the most weeks at number one in Australia?

B is for Beatles

1 Who left Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to complete the line up of the Fab Four?
2 Which Beatles album cover saw the band members walking on a zebra crossing?
3 Prior to being the residential band at the Cavern in which city did the Beatles perform at the Reeperbahn Club?
4 Who played the guitar solo on the Beatles song, While My Guitar Gently Weeps?
5 Who directed the film A Hard Day’s Night and went on to direct Superman II?

C is for Cher

1 Which 1987 film earned Cher a Best Actress Oscar?
2 From which American Indian tribe is Cher descended?
3 Born in 1969, what is the name of Cher’s daughter?
4 Who did Cher divorce in 1978?
5 Which song won Cher a 1999 Grammy?

D is for Drummers

1 Who collaborated with David Bowie on the song Little Drummer Boy?
2 Which drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin died in 1980?
3 For which chart topping trio did Rick Buckler bang the drums?
4 Which rock drummer composed the theme tune for the TV series The Equaliser?
5 Who did the drummer Tommy Lee marry in 1995 and divorce in 1998?

E is for Eighties

1 What was the best selling single in the UK in the 1980s?
2 In 1985 who became the first western pop group to tour China?
3 Who provided lead vocals for Heaven 17?
4 Which member of Duran Duran produced the debut album of Kajagoogoo?
5 In the video for which song did Danny Aiello play the father of Madonna?

 

Answers to Abba

1 Stig Anderson
2 Dancing Queen
3 The Day Before You Came
4 Norway
5 Fernando

Answers to Beatles

1 Ringo Starr
2 Abbey Road
3 Hamburg
4 Eric Clapton
5 Richard Lester

Answers to Cher

1 Moonstruck
2 Cherokee
3 Chastity
4 Greg Allman
5 Believe

Answers to Drummers

1 Bing Crosby
2 John Bonham
3 The Jam
4 Stewart Copeland
5 Pamela Anderson

Answers to Eighties

1 Do They Know Its Christmas
2 Wham
3 Glenn Gregory
4 Nick Rhodes
5 Papa Don’t Preach

F is for Fifties

1 In 1958 who became the first singer to win a Grammy for Best Male Performance?
2 What did Dickie Valentine point at the top of the 1955 singles charts?
3 Which chart topping singer of the 1950s was nicknamed the Professional Virgin?
4 Which UK number one for Lonnie Donegan took its title from a region of the Appalachian Mountains?
5 Who was the first singer to record three UK number one hit singles in the same year?

G is for Glam Rock

1 Which glam rockers formerly performed under the name of Wainwright’s Gentlemen?
2 Which song by Wizzard featured backing vocals by the Stockland Green Bilateral School first year choir?
3 How many UK number one hits did Slade record in the 1970s?
4 Mount, Stiles, Gray and Davis were the four members of which glam rock group?
5 Which four songs provided UK chart toppers for T Rex?

H is for Houston

1 Which song recorded by Whitney Houston in 1993 was originally a hit for Chaka Khan in 1978?
2 In which state of the USA was Whitney Houston born?
3 What was the first name of the character played by Whitney in The Bodyguard?
4 Who did Whitney duet with on the hit record Something In Common?
5 Name the four songs that topped the UK charts for Whitney Houston in the 20th century.

I is for Instrumentals

1 Who played the drums on the hit record, Fanfare for the Common Man?
2 What is the nationality of the musician who composed the film theme Chariots of Fire?
3 Which film theme was a number one hit in 1968 for the Hugh Montenegro Orchestra?
4 Which 1961 hit for The Shadows might one associate with J Edgar Hoover?
5 Which Cuban band leader nicknamed The King of Mambo, had a posthumous hit in 1994 with Guaglione, after it had featured in advert for Guinness?

J is for Jacko

1 In which state of the USA was Michael Jackson born?
2 Who did Michael Jackson marry in 1996 and divorce three years later?
3 What was Michael Jackson’s first UK number one hit single as a solo artist?
4 What was Michael Jackson’s last UK number one hit in the 20th century?
5 In 2002, Michael Jackson was the best man at a celebrity wedding. Who was the famous bride?

Answers to Fifties

1 Perry Como
2 Finger of Suspicion
3 Doris Day
4 Cumberland Gap
5 Frankie Laine

Answers to Glam Rock

1 Sweet
2 I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
3 Six
4 Mud
5 Hot Love, Get It On, Telegram Sam, Metal Guru

Answers to Houston

1 I’m Every Woman
2 New Jersey
3 Rachel
4 Her husband Bobby Brown
5 Saving All My Love For You, One Moment In Time, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, I Will Always Love You

Answers to Instrumentals

1 Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer
2 Greek, Vangelis
3 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
4 FBI
5 Perez Prado

Answers to Jacko

1 Indiana
2 Debbie Rowe
3 One Day In Your Life
4 Blood on the Dancefloor
5 Liza Minnelli

K is for Kids

1 Which song provided Kim Wilde with her debut chart hit?
2 How were Jordan, Jon, Donnie, Danny and Joey collectively known?
3 Who is the youngest singer to have a solo number one hit in the UK in the 20th century?
4 Which two singers collaborated on the 2000 hit Kids?
5 What name did Frederick Heath adopt after he took to wearing an eye patch?

L is for Labels

1 On which record label did Elvis Presley record his first song?
2 Abba, Boston, Gloria Estefan, Meat Loaf and Sade have all recorded on which label?
3 In which country did Chris Blackwell found Island Records?
4 Who launched his own label called UK Records in 1972?
5 Which record company’s headquarters located in California became the world’s first circular office building?

M is for Madonna

1 What are Madonna’s middle two names?
2 What was the title of her 1990 greatest hits compilation?
3 Who is the father of her daughter Lourdes?
4 Which Hollywood star was the maid of honour at Madonna’s wedding to Guy Richie?
5 Which children’s book penned by Madonna was published in 2003?

N is for Number Ones

1 Which band accompanied Vic Reeves on his chart topper Dizzy?
2 A number one hit for UB 40, who composed the song Red Red Wine?
3 Which group charted with December 63 in February 76?
4 What was the only UK number one for the Foundations?
5 Which was the first group from Liverpool to have a number one hit in the UK?

O is for One Hit Wonders
Which one hit wonder topped the charts with…

1 Sugar Sugar in 1969
2 Barbados in 1975
3 Fire in 1968
4 Ring My Bell in 1979
5 No Charge in 1976

Answers to Kids

1 Kids In America
2 New Kids on the Block
3 Little Jimmy Osmond
4 Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue
5 Johnny Kidd

Answers to Labels

1 Sun Records
2 Epic
3 Jamaica
4 Jonathan King, the UK standing for United King
5 Capitol

Answers to Madonna

1 Louise Veronica
2 The Immaculate Collection
3 Carlos Leon
4 Gwyneth Paltrow
5 The English Roses

Answers to Number Ones

1 The Wonder Stuff
2 Neil Diamond
3 The Four Seasons
4 Baby Now That I’ve Found You
5 Gerry and the Pacemakers

Answers to One Hit Wonders

1 Archies
2 Typically Tropical
3 Crazy World of Arthur Brown
4 Anita Ward
5 JJ Barrie

 

P is for Pink Floyd

1 Which Pink Floyd album took its title from a chapter in the novel Wind in the Willows?
2 In which city was Pink Floyd founded?
3 The album track Shine On You Crazy Diamond was a tribute to which founder member of the band who sadly passed away in 2006?
4 From which two blues musicians did Pink Floyd glean their name?
5 What kind of animal is depicted on the cover of the album Atom Heart Mother?

Q is for Queen

1 Which 1981 chart topper was a collaboration between Queen and David Bowie?
2 Which song provided Queen with their first UK hit single?
3 In what year did Freddie Mercury die?
4 Which musical featuring the music of Queen opened in the West End in 2002?
5 Which song mentions in the lyrics, caviar and cigarettes?

R is for Rolling Stones

1 The Rolling stones took their name from which blues musician?
2 Which restaurant opened by Bill Wyman took its name from a Rolling Stones album?
3 Brian Jones drowned in a swimming pool in close proximity to a statue of which literary animal?
4 Who designed the tongue and lips logo of the Rolling Stones?
5 Which Stones song was used by Microsoft in an advertising campaign to launch Windows 95?

S is for Spice Girls

1 How many UK number one hits did the Spice Girls record?
2 In what year did Geri Halliwell leave the band?
3 Which rock star played the girls coach driver in the Spice Girls movie?
4 Who did the Spice Girls very publicly sack as their manager in 1997?
5 What does the C stand for in Mel C?

T is for Take That

1 Which female singer provided additional vocals on the hit Relight My Fire?
2 Which three number ones for Take That had four letter titles?
3 What was Take That’s best selling single in the UK?
4 What are the surnames of the members of Take That?
5 Which Bee Gees hit provided the band with a number one hit in 1996?

Answers to Pink Floyd

1 Piper at the Gates of Dawn
2 Cambridge
3 Syd Barrett
4 Pink Anderson and Floyd Council
5 Cow

Answers to Queen

1 Under Pressure
2 Seven Seas of Rhye
3 1991
4 We Will Rock You
5 Killer Queen

Answers to Rolling Stones

1 Muddy Waters
2 Sticky Fingers
3 Winnie the Pooh, he drowned at the former home of AA Milne
4 Andy Warhol
5 Start Me Up

Answers to Spice Girls

1 Nine
2 1998
3 Meat Loaf
4 Simon Fuller
5 Chisholm

Answers to Take That

1 Lulu
2 Pray, Sure, Babe
3 Back for Good
4 Williams, Barlow, Orange, Owen, Donald
5 How Deep is Your Love

U is for U2

1 What was U2’s first UK number one hit single?
2 Which U2 album shares its name with a plant that is pollinated by the yucca moth?
3 Which U2 video in 1998 featured the boxer Steve Collins and Boyzone?
4 Which song contains the lyric, I want to take shelter from the poison rain?
5 What is Bono’s real name?

V is for Village People

1 Which gay area of New York City inspired the name of the group?
2 In which 1980 film did the band co-star alongside Steve Guttenberg?
3 Which nation collaborated with the Village People on the 1994 World Cup song Far Away in America?
4 What was the title of Billy Connolly’s spoof version of In The Navy?
5 What six costumes did the band members wear?

W is for Words
Identify the number one hits of the 1990s from the opening words of their lyrics

1 Step inside the eye of your mind
2 All this talk of getting old
3 I used to think that I could not go on
4 Strike a pose, strike a pose
5 Look into my eyes you will see, what you mean to me

X is for X Rated (banned songs)

1 Which George Formby song was banned by the BBC in the 1940s for its smutty lyrics including, the bridegroom he is doing fine?
2 Which DJ infamously stopped the song Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood on his Radio 1 show and snapped the disc in two?
3 Which Wings song did BBC radio refuse to read the title of as they believed it was sympathetic to the IRA?
4 Who recorded the song Spasticus Autisticus banned in 1991 in the International Year of the Disabled?
5 Whose sensuous moans on Love To Love You Baby caused the record to be removed from the BBC play list on its original release?

Y is for Yellow
Who had hits with the following yellow songs?

1 Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree in 1973
2 Yellow River in 1970
3 Yellow in 2000
4 Goodbye Yellowbrick Road in 1973
5 Yellow Pearl in 1981

Z is for Zoology
Which “beastly” groups recorded the following albums?

1 Tonic For The Troops
2 The Long Run
3 Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
4 Seven Separate Fools
5 London 0 Hull 4

Answers to U2

1 Desire
2 The Joshua Tree
3 The Sweetest Thing
4 Where the Streets Have No Name
5 Paul Hewson

Answers to Village People

1 Greenwich Village
2 Can’t Stop the Music
3 Germany
4 In the Brownies
5 Soldier or GI, construction worker, Indian brave, biker, cowboy, police officer

Answers to Words

1 Don’t Look Back In Anger
2 The Drugs Don’t Work
3 I Believe I Can Fly
4 Vogue
5 Everything I Do I Do It For You

Answers to X Rated

1 When I’m Cleaning Windows
2 Mike Read
3 Give Ireland Back to the Irish
4 Ian Dury
5 Donna Summer

Answers to Yellow

1 Dawn
2 Christie
3 Coldplay
4 Elton John
5 Phil Lynott

Answers to Zoology

1 Boomtown Rats
2 Eagles
3 Arctic Monkeys
4 Three Dog Night
5 Housemartins