Interpol Lyrics Trivia Quiz

Answer: PDA

Although "PDA" never charted for Interpol, it was pushed as their first single from their debut album, "Turn on the Bright Lights", being a key fixture on their earlier EPs to that point. Released in 2002, it's iconic New York post-punk indie pop. A concert staple in spite of its lack formal success, "PDA" proved to be a gateway track for most listeners, especially after it was included in the soundtrack for the immensely popular "Rock Band 2" video game, opening awareness of the band to a broader audience.

There's something about the way the lyrics just give way to the instruments in the back half of this song that just opens to chills.

Answer: Evil

One of Interpol's most popular tracks, "Evil" was the second single to come off the band's "Antics" album, hitting radios in 2005. Considered by fans to be the epitome of Interpol's sound and lyricism, it has a lot going for it-- the bass line, the hard-hitting drums, the highs and lows.

It helps, as well, that the song was accompanied by a memorable music video featuring an animatronic puppet -- named Norman by fans -- that played reliably on MTV2 in the 2000s. Despite fans attempting to attribute meaning to the lyrics, singer Paul Banks has stated repeatedly that the Rosemary in the song is not based on a real person.

Answer: All the Rage Back Home

There's something about the "El Pintor" album (their fifth) that feels like a return to form for Interpol, bringing a polish and an assuredness that seemed to be lacking in their eponymous fourth album. "All the Rage Back Home" was the lead single from this disc, hitting number twenty-six on the Billboard US Alternative Airplay Chart upon its release in 2014. The album's first track, it's also a classic concert opener because of the way it launches into itself so fully.

And this isn't to discount the rest of "El Pintor"-- songs like "Anywhere" and "Ancient Ways" are high-tier Interpol deep cuts while "My Blue Supreme" and "Tidal Wave" find sonic grooves unlike anything in since Interpol's early days.

Answer: The Heinrich Maneuver

The lyric in question is the recurring (and first) line that shows up in "The Heinrich Maneuver", the highest-charting single that Interpol had in the United States. Peaking at number eleven on the Billboard US Alternative Airplay Chart, "The Heinrich Maneuver" kicked off the "Our Love to Admire" album release in 2007. And to note, it flowed almost seamlessly into the proceeding track (and single), "Mammoth".

The interpretation of who this Heinrich is has always been a bit up in the air. While the album liner notes allude to Heinrich being a nickname for band guitarist Dan Kessler, fans have also noted that it could be a reference to influential music theorist Heinrich Schenker.

Answer: Barricade

The sole charting single from Interpol's eponymous fourth album (released in 2010), "Barricade" topped out at number thirty-nine on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart in the U.S., managing to achieve a slot where songs like "Lights" and "Try It On", the disc's other singles, couldn't. Critically, the album as a whole wasn't as well-regarded as the band's earlier three, feeling a lot less moody.

It's not to say "Interpol" features clearer duds ("Success", "Summer Well", and "Try It On" are amongst the better tracks), but production of the album was fraught with issues that the band has since claimed were detrimental to the release.

Answer: Toni

"Toni", as a song, was the result of writing sessions held by the band members on an individual basis with all the elements brought together late in the process as a result of COVID-19. Along with the other tracks on the "The Other Side of Make-Believe" album (released in 2022), the band feels that "Toni" comes from a place of positivity, especially in the face of what was going on in the world at the time of its writing.

The result was an album that seemed to draw more sounds and instruments from their fourth album, back in 2010; "Toni" is the type of track that could stand next to the piano use in "Try It On".

"The Other Side of Make-Believe" would hit number fourteen on the UK Albums Chart and number twenty on the Billboard US Top Alternative Albums Chart.

Answer: No I in Threesome

Though "No I in Threesome" never released as a single (perhaps one of the band's bigger missed opportunities), it and "Rest My Chemistry" both received promotional music videos during "Our Love to Admire's" release window, becoming important live tracks for Interpol in spite of their not being pushed on radio. Nonetheless, "Our Love to Admire" would become the band's top-charting album release, peaking at number four on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. and number two on the UK Albums Chart.

Answer: Obstacle 1

While "PDA" was the uptempo jam off "Turn on the Bright Lights", "Obstacle 1" was the one that lasted a bit longer as a fan favourite. The band's first single to chart (topping out at number forty-one on the UK Singles Chart), "Obstacle 1" would become somewhat timeless in both Interpol's catalogue and the indie rock canon.

The track also received an early music video for the band directed by Floria Sigismondi, who by this point had already worked with Marilyn Manson and David Bowie (and would go on to do iconic works for Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, and Sam Smith.

Answer: The Rover

2018 saw the release of Interpol's sixth studio album, "Maurader" which, while it provided the more mature version of the band (who were touring the fifteenth anniversary of "Turn on the Bright Lights" at the time they wrote these tracks), stripped away some of "El Pintor's" polish in favour of tonally weightier songs. "The Rover" was the album's lead single, and as a propulsive, uptempo track, it did the trick.

It was from this point that new lead singles for Interpol stopped appearing on radio charts, partly due to the band's long-established role in the indie space and a shift in listening habits for new music. While rock music was downplayed in general, Interpol kept evolving within their own space and sound.

Answer: Slow Hands

The first single to come off of Interpol's second album, "Antics", "Slow Hands" manages to blend both the old grit from back in "Turn on the Bright Lights" with a refined and intentional polish; it's no surprise that "Antics" is one of the band's most celebrated albums.

The first of Interpol's U.S. charting singles, it would make it to number fourteen on the Billboard US Alternative Airplay Chart. Perhaps somewhat odd to say, it's also one of their most danceable tracks; it's indie rock party music, for sure.