Jamming to Gibberish Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

South African songwriter, Solomon Linda, published this classic song in 1939 with the title "Mbube". The original lyrics were written in Zulu. The song became an African hit.

In 1951 the American singing group The Weavers recorded a version of the song under the title "Wimoweh", because the lyrics were misheard. "Wimoweh" made the top ten of the Billboard rock and toll charts. In 1961, The Tokens added some English lyrics, tweaked the chant, and changed the title to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". It quickly became a number one hit and a rock and roll classic. Sadly, Linda had sold the rights to the song for ten shillings and received no royalties. He died penniless while performing on stage in 1962.

Answer: Elvira

Country singer Dallas Frazier wrote and released "Elvira" in 1965. The song became a modest hit. Ironically the inspiration for song was not a woman. According to Nashville music producer Ray Baker, the song was written after seeing a street in East Nashville named Elvira Avenue.

The song has been covered several times with the most successful cover being by The Oak Ridge Boys in 1978. It became one of their signature songs and reached the top spot on "Billboard's Hot Country Hits" chart. After being re-released in 1981, it won a Grammy Award for "Best Country Song by a Duo or Group".

Answer: Deck the Halls

Scottish lyricist Thomas Oliphant wrote the words to "Deck the Halls" in 1862. The melody is believed to come from a Welsh song that was traditionally sung on New Years Eve in the 1700s. With its happy lyrics and lively melody, the song has become a favorite secular Christmas carol.

In the early 1960s, recordings of the song by Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole increased its popularity and helped make the carol a permanent part of the Christmas tradition.

Answer: Tutti Fruiti

"Tutti Frutti", released in 1955, was Little Richard's first major hit. Dorothy LaBostrie, who is credited with co-writing the song with Little Richard, said the idea came when her and a friend saw a new ice cream favor, named Tutti Frutti, at their local drugstore. Music historians believe the style of the song set up a template that helped mold the distinct sound and tempo of the rock and roll genre.

Answer: Hooked on a Feeling

Prolific American songwriter Mark James wrote "Hooked on a Feeling" in 1968. The song, which explored the thrill of young love, was then recorded by his friend B.J. Thomas. The song peaked at the number five position on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Five years later the Swedish Band Blue Swede released its version of the song.

They used the "ooga chakka" chant in the song and tweaked the lyrics to remove any possible reference to drug use. Blue Swede's cover shot to the top spot in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: Bad Romance

Lady Gaga released this song in 2009. The dance-pop tune featured a hook with its memorable nonsensical lyrics. The performer explored the intense confusion that comes from being a romantic relationship that is both harmful and irresistible. It is believed that the song is autobiographical as Lady Gaga waded through the world of stardom while struggling with the impact it had on her relationships.

The song mentions three Alfred Hitchcock movies, "Psycho", "Vertigo" and "Rear Window" as the singer tries to explain what she is feeling.

The song reached the top spot on over thirty different music charts around the world.

Answer: Witch Doctor

Ross Bagdasarian, who performed under the name David Seville, wrote and released "Witch Doctor" in 1958. The song quickly became the number one song on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the US Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart. The high-pitched voice of the witch doctor singing the nonsensical words in the chorus was created by increasing the tape speeds while recording. Seville used the same technique to create Alvin and the Chipmunks, which became the songwriter's virtual band in his second number one song of 1958, "The Chipmunk Song: Christmas Don't be Late".

His animated chipmunks led to Seville having a successful career "managing" the trio in other songs, their own television show, and in other endeavors.

Answer: Camptown Races

"Camptown Races" was written in 1850 by 19th century American composer Stephen Foster. The song was made famous by The Christy Minstrels, a troupe that traveled the world performing minstrel shows. The song remained popular and was first recorded for the phonograph in 1911. Later recordings of the song including covers by Bing Crosby, Al Jolsen, and Johnny Mercer helped the song to remain popular.

Some of Foster's other famous songs include "Oh Susanah", "My Old Kentucky Home", and "Beautiful Dreamer".

Answer: Minnie the Moocher

This famous jazz song was written by Cab Calloway and Irving Mills. Calloway recorded it in 1931. It became the first jazz recording to sell over a million copies. The famous chorus with the nonsensical line "hi de hi de hi de hi" was first used, according to Calloway in his life story, at the Harlem Cotton Club, because he forgot the lyrics.

The crowd responded so positively that he added the scat singing to his performance, encouraging the audience to repeat back the lines when he sang them. He recorded the song in different genres including big band and disco versions.

In 1980, the song's popularity was rekindled when Calloway sang it in the movie "The Blues Brothers".

Answer: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Ok we ended on an easy one. While no one knows for sure the origin of the song, it is similar to a song that appeared in 1706 in an opera written by Thomas d'Urfey. Many different versions of the song have been sung over the decades. In 1917, a version of the song appeared in a WWI songbook called "Tommy Tunes".

It is possibly the first time a farmer's name was used in the song. It was Old MacDougal. This also may have been the first time that the phrase "e i e i o" was used. The more standardized version, featuring Old MacDonald, appeared in the 1920s in the US when recordings were released by the Sam Patterson Trio and by Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers.