Music quiz
Anthems, film songs and the stories of how the biggest hits were made. Ten questions about music legends, starting with the easy ones.
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Question 1 of 10
Twenty-three labels passed; which anthem did Joan Jett release on her own?
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The answer is I Love Rock ’n’ Roll. After rejections, Jett formed Blackheart Records and scored a No. 1 with I Love Rock ’n’ Roll.
Question 2 of 10
Which Eminem track scribbled between 8 Mile takes became an Oscar winner?
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The answer is Lose Yourself. He wrote it on set; it became the first rap song to win Best Original Song at the Oscars.
Question 3 of 10
Which arena anthem starts, 'Just a small-town girl, livin' in a lonely world'?
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The answer is Don't Stop Believin'. Journey's Don't Stop Believin' opens with that line. Its late-arriving chorus and TV boosts from The Sopranos and Glee helped make it a stadium sing-along.
Question 4 of 10
Celine nearly passed, then nailed it in one take - what's Titanic's heartbeat ballad?
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The answer is My Heart Will Go On. Celine Dion almost declined, then recorded the demo in a single take, and that take became the final hit. Composer James Horner and Dion convinced James Cameron, and the song became Titanic’s signature.
Question 5 of 10
Which album cover copied Elvis’s pose while showing a bass getting smashed?
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The answer is London Calling. Pennie Smith shot Paul Simonon wrecking his bass; the layout echoed Elvis’s 1956 debut.
Question 6 of 10
Which Stones hit came from Keith Richards taping a riff in his sleep, then nodding off again?
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The answer is (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Richards woke at night, hit record, played the riff, then fell back asleep; the tape held a few minutes of guitar and a long stretch of snoring. That dream-born lick became (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, driven by its iconic fuzz-toned guitar line.
Question 7 of 10
A misheard “age of seventeen” became which Stevie Nicks talismanic title?
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The answer is Edge of Seventeen. Nicks misheard Tom Petty’s wife say “age of seventeen,” turning it into Edge of Seventeen.
Question 8 of 10
Where did Dylan plug in and trigger folk’s loudest booing?
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The answer is Newport Folk Festival. Dylan’s 1965 electric set at Newport shocked purists and redrew the folk-rock map.
Question 9 of 10
Which Kaoma hit (at the heart of a Bolivian plagiarism suit) became a swaying summer craze?
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The answer is Lambada. Kaoma’s Lambada borrowed the melody of Los Kjarkas’ song Llorando se fue, prompting a lawsuit and retroactive credits.
Question 10 of 10
Which Teresa Teng ballad, passed on bootleg tapes, became a generation’s soundtrack in 1980s China?
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The answer is The Moon Represents My Heart. Her gentle ballad The Moon Represents My Heart spread on pirated cassettes and shortwave, drifting through dorms and parks in the reform era. It became a tender anthem for mainland listeners after years of cultural austerity.
10 more music questions with answers
Which Nirvana hit took its title from a deodorant joke scrawled on a wall?
Answer: Smells Like Teen Spirit. Punk singer Kathleen Hanna spray-painted “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit,” referencing Tobi Vail’s deodorant. Cobain took the phrase as a rebellious mantra and made it the song’s title.
At Live Aid, which Queen anthem had the whole Wembley crowd clapping in unison?
Answer: Radio Ga Ga. Freddie Mercury led Wembley in the signature double‑clap of Radio Ga Ga, creating an iconic sea of synchronized hands. It’s often cited as the goosebump peak of Queen’s Live Aid set.
Which U2 song, born from a tense Berlin jam, pulled the band back from breakup?
Answer: One. During Achtung Baby sessions at Hansa, a stray riff blossomed into One and reset their path.
Dido’s Thank You became the haunting hook: what song spun a toxic fan letter?
Answer: Stan. Eminem sampled Dido and voiced both sides of a deadly obsession in Stan.
Stallone couldn’t get Queen for Rocky III, so which Rocky training banger did he commission?
Answer: Eye of the Tiger. Stallone first wanted Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust for Rocky III, but was denied. He tapped Survivor, who wrote Eye of the Tiger to his rough cut; “You’re the Best” was rejected and later used in The Karate Kid.
Club DJs flipped a forgotten B-side into a disco rallying cry: what song became the anthem of resilience?
Answer: I Will Survive. Originally the B-side to “Substitute,” it blew up after club DJs spun it instead. Gloria Gaynor recorded it while recovering from spinal surgery, which deepened its message of resilience.
Which Nine Inch Nails song did a frail Johnny Cash turn into a haunting farewell?
Answer: Hurt. Cash’s 2002 cover of Hurt, paired with Mark Romanek’s stark video, felt like his goodbye. Trent Reznor later said, “that song isn’t mine anymore.”
Which live album captured cheers from inmates inside a real prison?
Answer: At Folsom Prison. Johnny Cash recorded two shows at Folsom; the raw result reignited his career.
Which Elton John classic is misheard as "Hold me closer, Tony Danza"?
Answer: Tiny Dancer. The real lyric is 'Hold me closer, tiny dancer.' The 'Tony Danza' version is a long-running pop-culture joke.
Which hymn-like hit came to Paul McCartney after a dream visit from his late mother?
Answer: Let It Be. McCartney said his mother Mary, who died when he was 14, appeared in a dream during a rough patch and told him ‘let it be’. He shaped those words into the song’s calm, hymn-like comfort.
About this music quiz
The questions come from the Music Legends topic in DoYouKno: rock, pop, soul and the songs behind famous films.
Many of the answers have a story worth knowing, from a riff recorded half asleep to a hit that took dozens of rejections.
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