Hear We Go! Trivia Quiz

Montreal-based band Bran Van 3000 was known for a handful of eclectic hits that crossed over multiple genres when they released their first couple albums, "Glee" (1997) and "Discosis" (2001), appearing on a handful of popular movie soundtracks (like "Practical Magic" and "Y tu mamá también"). "Drinking in L.A." was their first international single and, by far, their most popular, charting not only in their home country of Canada, but in much of Europe; it would hit number three on the UK Singles Chart. Notably, the outro of the song featured vocalist Stéphane Moraille singing "L.A." over and over.

Released on Canadian band The Tragically Hip's debut album, "Up to Here", back in 1989, "New Orleans is Sinking" proved to be one of their more resilient early rock hits after "Blow at High Dough", which ended up being their first RPM number one single in Canada. The difference is that "New Orleans is Sinking" was the first U.S. charting track for the band, reaching number thirty on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart in America.

Since its initial release, "New Orleans is Sinking" has remained top shelf Canadiana, being one of the top digital download releases, in Canada, from the 1980s.

The 1991 track "Walking in Memphis" was Marc Cohn's highest-regarded song, netting him a Grammy Award win for Best New Artist the year after its release. The first track off his eponymous debut album, it proved a lasting ballad, especially since it was covered by Cher to great success in 1995, and then again by country group Lonestar in 2003 as part of their greatest hits album.

Interestingly, Memphis, as a city, is one of the U.S. most popular locations to have a song written about it, likely due to it being a major city for the growth of the blues and soul genres and the home of Elvis' Graceland.

Former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello continued to hit it big when she went solo, releasing her first album in 2018 with the lead single "Havana", which found success not just in the U.S., but around the world for its Latin-inspired pop-dance beat. Cabello herself was born in Havana in 1997, and much of her solo work has had focus on bringing forth Latin influence.

After "Havana", she also found the top of the charts with Shawn Mendes in "Señorita" in 2019.

Though Fergie had a massive career as a member of the Black Eyed Peas while they broke into mainstream pop success in the 2000s, she took a detour into solo stardom (with will.i.am backing her) in 2007, releasing "The Dutchess" and the debut single "London Bridge". Fergie herself, born Stacy Ferguson, is not British and never was; she was born in California. But trust me when I say that never stopped her from leaning into the aesthetic.

"The Dutchess" also resulted in big hits like "Fergalicious", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Clumsy", and "Glamorous", all of which went Platinum in the U.S.

The town of Waterloo, found in Belgium, was the site of the famous Battle of Waterloo wherein Napoleon Bonaparte was ultimately defeated by forces led by the Duke of Wellington. The notable ABBA song by the same name, performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, made reference to this event in history.

The track would end up getting Sweden the win in the contest while ABBA would find major success, internationally, with their albums beyond that point. Their subsequent eponymous album, released a year later, included "SOS" and "Mamma Mia", amongst others.

UK indie folk artist George Ezra wrote "Budapest", which references the Hungarian capital, in his 2013 breakout single which went to number three on the UK Singles Chart, and number thirty-two (and Platinum!) on the Billboard Hot 100. Though this track might have been his biggest hit abroad, he had staying power with further singles in Europe, surpassing his chart peaks with later singles like "Paradise" and "Shotgun".

Interestingly, his debut album, "Wanted on Voyage", also had a song titled "Barcelona", if we're sticking on-theme, while his third album ("Gold Rush Kid") had "Manila".

Although the original version of this novelty song was released in 1953 by The Four Lads, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" got its biggest break in 1990 when They Might Be Giants included it on their third album, "Flood", which also featured off-kilter singles like "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Particle Man".

At the time their album was released, Istanbul had already changed its name from Constantinople more than five centuries earlier. Ah well.

While the song was created for the 1980s West End-then-Broadway musical, "Chess", "One Night in Bangkok" was sung by Murray Head as part of the concept album tied to this piece of media which, in 2025, saw a popular Broadway revival. Created by famous songwriter Tim Rice and ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, "One Night in Bangkok" saw lasting success as a single outside of the show, hitting number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and number twelve on the UK Singles Chart upon its initial release.

Gangnam, being a district of Seoul, South Korea, is a region found south of the Han River known for being pricier and more cosmopolitan than much of the rest of the metropolis, and "Gangnam Style", released by PSY in 2012, leaned into that lifestyle, turning into a colossally popular international hit and becoming (at one point) the most watched video on YouTube.

A statue of PSY's hands performing the trademark pony-riding dance moves from the video and live performances sits outside the COEX shopping centre in Gangnam, and yes, if you press the button next to it, the song plays.