The Dark Side of Lyrics Trivia Quiz

Answer: Def Leppard

"Too Late for Love" was first released on Def Leppard's 1983 album "Pyromania." The song and its accompanying music video were a hit on MTV and it has been cited as being a forerunner of the 1980s melodic heavy rock bands such as Europe. Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm following a car accident on December 31st, 1984.

His left arm was severed in the accident. Surgery to reattach it was unsuccessful, so it had to be amputated. He eventually returned to drumming for Def Leppard, using a customised drum kit that allows him to drum using his left foot in place of his arm.

Answer: Pink Floyd

"Brain Damage" (often paired with the song "Eclipse" as a back to back suite) is from Pink Floyd's landmark 1973 album "The Dark Side of the Moon." "Brain Damage" has been described by primary lyricist Roger Waters as being about the mental instability of his former Pink Floyd band mate Syd Barrett.

The "Big Six of Progressive Rock" is a term used to refer to the six bands who are considered as the core acts of the genre, namely Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

Answer: Led Zeppelin

"Ramble On" is from Led Zeppelin's 1969 album "Led Zeppelin II." The song was written by lead singer Robert Plant and was inspired by Tolkien's masterpiece fantasy novel "The Lord of the Rings." Led Zeppelin also performed other songs inspired by Tolkien, notably the 1971 song "The Battle of Evermore" from their fourth studio album. Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was notorious for hard drinking and partying, a lifestyle which ultimately led to his death at the age of just 32 in 1980.

Answer: Iron Maiden

"Fear of the Dark" is from Iron Maiden's 1992 album of the same name. The song is a straightforward narrative about a man who has always had a fear of the dark, a phobia known as Nyctophobia. "Eddie the Head" has been Iron Maiden's mascot since 1980 and appears, in various guises, on the covers of all of the band's albums and on merchandise such as posters and T-shirts.

Answer: Fleetwood Mac

"The Chain" is from Fleetwood Mac's massive 1977 album "Rumours." "Rumours" became the top selling album of 1977 and is one of the highest selling albums in history. Fleetwood Mac's guitarist John McVie and keyboardist Christine McVie were married for 6 years, divorcing in 1975. Bassist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks were in a relationship prior to joining Fleetwood Mac in 1975, a relationship that continued on and off for several years.

Answer: The Eagles

"Hotel California" is from the 1976 album of the same name by The Eagles. "Hotel California" has long been renowned for its mysterious lyrics, whose true meaning has never been definitively revealed by primary lyrics writer Don Henley. In an interview for the 2013 documentary "History of the Eagles" Henley revealed that the lyrics were simply the story of "a journey from innocence to experience." Founding members Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon were from Texas, Michigan, Nebraska, and Minnesota respectively.

It wasn't until bassist Timothy B Schmit joined the band in 1977 that the Eagles had a Californian born member.

Answer: Bruce Springsteen

"Dancing in the Dark" is from Bruce Springsteen's 1984 album "Born in the USA." The song spent 4 weeks at Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in June and July 1984. The music video for "Dancing in the Dark" featured future actress Courteney Cox dancing with Springsteen on stage during a live performance of the song. "The Boss" nickname originated when Springsteen was performing on the club scene in New Jersey during the late 1960s; he was a member of a power trio called "Earth" and collected and evenly distributed the band's pay following each gig.

Answer: Queen

"The March of the Black Queen" is from Queen's 1974 album "Queen II." The song was so complicated that Queen never performed the full song live. Queen's lead singer was Freddie Mercury, who was well known for being a larger than life figure whilst on stage. Ironically, he was actually an incredibly shy and private man in his personal life. Queen's 1975 album "A Night at the Opera" is considered a masterful fusion of rock music and opera. Freddie Mercury's love of opera extended beyond Queen; in 1988 he recorded a duet album with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé.

Answer: The Beatles

"Blackbird" is a song from The Beatles' 1968 album "The Beatles" (also known as "the White Album"). Although the writing of the lyrics and music is credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the song was written and performed solely by McCartney. McCartney explained in a 2002 interview with Texas radio DJ Chris Douridas that the song is an allegory to the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

Answer: Genesis

"Keep It Dark" is from Genesis' 1981 album "Abacab." The song is an interesting tale about a man who travels to the future and finds out that the future is a bright utopia of hope and happiness, only to be forced to lie about it when he returns to the present. Genesis' original lead singer was Peter Gabriel, who was well known for wearing very elaborate costumes whilst performing with Genesis. Gabriel would wear many different costumes during each show, appearing as a variety of characters from the songs he was singing. Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, leaving the band without a recognised vocalist.

The band auditioned various vocalists before deciding that drummer Phil Collins, who had performed minor vocal parts within the Gabriel-led Genesis, had sufficient vocal talent to take over the lead singer role.