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30 music quiz questions

Five rounds, decade by decade from the 60s to now, then instruments and musicals to finish. Answers stay hidden until you want them.

Questions
30
Rounds
5
Difficulty
Medium & Hard

Round 01 / 60s & 70s

The 60s and 70s

  1. Which band released "Waterloo Sunset" in 1967?

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    The Kinks

    Also accept: Kinks

  2. Which band released "The Dark Side of the Moon" in 1973?

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    Pink Floyd

  3. "Wuthering Heights" was a 1978 No.1 for which singer?

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    Kate Bush

    She wrote it at 18, and was the first woman to top the UK chart with a song she wrote herself.

  4. Which Liverpool band took "You'll Never Walk Alone" to No.1 in 1963?

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    Gerry and the Pacemakers

    The song comes from the musical "Carousel"; Liverpool fans adopted it soon after.

  5. Which singer-songwriter released the album "Tapestry" in 1971?

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    Carole King

  6. What was Elton John's first solo UK No.1 single, in 1990?

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    Sacrifice

    Also accept: Healing Hands

    It was a double A-side with "Healing Hands". His earlier No.1, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", was a duet with Kiki Dee.

Round 02 / 80s

The 80s

  1. Which Manchester band released "This Charming Man" in 1983?

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    The Smiths

    Also accept: Smiths

  2. Which Irish band released "The Joshua Tree" in 1987?

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    U2

  3. What was Kylie Minogue's first UK No.1 single, in 1988?

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    I Should Be So Lucky

  4. Which Sheffield band had a 1981 Christmas No.1 with "Don't You Want Me"?

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    The Human League

    Also accept: Human League

  5. Which Scottish band had a No.1 with "Belfast Child" in 1989?

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    Simple Minds

  6. Which Sheffield rock band released the album "Hysteria" in 1987?

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    Def Leppard

Round 03 / 90s

The 90s

  1. Which rapper had a 1995 hit with "Gangsta's Paradise"?

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    Coolio

  2. Which band released the album "Parklife" in 1994?

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    Blur

  3. Which band released "Common People" in 1995?

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    Pulp

  4. Which Welsh singer had a 1999 hit with "Sex Bomb"?

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    Tom Jones

    It was a collaboration with the German producer Mousse T.

  5. Which Irish band had hits with "Linger" and "Zombie"?

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    The Cranberries

    Also accept: Cranberries

  6. Which band released the album "OK Computer" in 1997?

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    Radiohead

Round 04 / 2000s to now

2000s and beyond

  1. Which band released "Mr. Brightside" in 2004?

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    The Killers

    Also accept: Killers

  2. Which Welsh singer had a 2008 UK No.1 with "Mercy"?

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    Duffy

  3. Which Scottish DJ and producer had hits with "Summer" and "Feel So Close"?

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    Calvin Harris

  4. Which Ed Sheeran single spent 14 weeks at No.1 in the UK in 2017?

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    Shape of You

  5. Which Sheffield band's debut album was "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"?

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    Arctic Monkeys

    Released in 2006, it was then the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history.

  6. Which band released the album "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" in 2008?

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    Coldplay

Round 05 / Instruments & musicals

Instruments and musicals

  1. How many lines are there on a musical stave?

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    Five

    Also accept: 5

  2. In music, what does "forte" mean?

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    Loud

  3. How many keys does a standard piano have?

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    88

    52 white and 36 black.

  4. Which woodwind instrument is played by blowing across a hole rather than through a reed?

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    The flute

    Also accept: Flute

  5. Which composer wrote the ballet "The Nutcracker"?

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    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Also accept: Tchaikovsky

  6. Which composer wrote nine symphonies, the last of them while completely deaf?

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    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Also accept: Beethoven

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Questions and answers only

30 questions to play or host

  • Every question and answer on this page
  • Play along with automatic marking
  • Present on screen, copy or print
  • No host pack or team answer sheets
  • No picture round or tie-breakers
  • Anyone can look these questions up

How to run it

  1. Play a few seconds of the song after revealing each answer. It turns a quiz round into a singalong, which is the point.
  2. If your crowd is mixed ages, run two decade rounds rather than all five, so everyone gets one they own.
  3. For a harder round, read out a year and ask for the No.1. Check it against the Official Charts site first.