Punk Goes Pop! Who Sang The Original? Quiz

Answer: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift released "Blank Space" on her "1989" album. The single spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The angsty song got an aggressive recreation in the hands of I Prevail, a rock/metalcore band out of Michigan.

Answer: Pharrell Williams

"Happy" was released on the "Despicable Me" movie soundtrack. The single by Pharrell Williams was an uptempo hit that oozed summery vibes. Palisades released their cover on the "Punk Goes Pop, Volume 6" album. The band broke up in 2023.

Answer: Backstreet Boys

The signature song by the Backstreet Boys is "I Want It That Way" from their 1999 album "Millennium". The hit has also been a popular song to cover and use for commercials. The Austin, Texas pop punk band, Dynamite Boy, covered the song for the 2002 version of the first "Punk Goes Pop" album.

Answer: True

Of course, Michael Jackson released "Billie Jean" as the first single on "Thriller" in 1982. Breathe Carolina are from Denver, Colorado. The group specializes in using electronic beats, high energy, and a little dash of post-hardcore. Their cover of MJ's big hit was released on "Punk Goes Pop Volume 5" in 2012.

Answer: Bruno Mars

While Billy Joel did release a song called "Just The Way You Are" in the 1970s, this cover is of Bruno Mars' debut single released in 2010. The song was the lead single on his album "Doo-Wops and Hooligans". Pierce The Veil are a hardcore rock band who pumped up the energy on their cover released in 2011 on "Punk Goes Pop Volume 4".

Answer: Rihanna

"Love The Way You Lie" was released by Eminem on his 2010 album "Recovery". The song was a monster hit and dominated MTV in part due to the song and equally with the music video showcasing Rihanna on the hook. A Skylit Drive recorded their scream-o mixed with pop version in 2011 on the "Punk Goes Pop Volume 4" album.

Answer: Goyte

Goyte won the 2013 Grammy for Song Of The Year for "Somebody That I Used To Know". The song featured Kimbra and the electric music video had Goyte covered in stop motion body paint. The Florida rockers, Mayday Parade, covered the song on the "Punk Goes Pop Volume 5" album. They sped up the tempo and added more rock guitars but it's a reasonably similar cover.

Answer: Justin Bieber

Ed Sheeran and Benny Blanco wrote the song "Love Yourself" and it became a huge singer for pop star Justin Bieber in 2015. The Canadian singer used a simple arrangement with guitar and a little bit of trumpet to send the song to number one of the Billboard Hot 100. Grayscale, a Pennsylvania pop punk band, released their cover on "Punk Goes Pop Volume 7".

Answer: Iggy Azalea

"I got one less problem with you" was the memorable hook for "Problem" by Ariana Grande featuring Australian rapper Izzy Azalea. The song was the first single on Ariana's second album "My Everything". The music video was sparse but featured Ariana and Iggy in tight black dresses in front of a dance team.

The cover song by Set It Off is one of the best covers in the "Punk Goes Pop" series by amping up the aggression but keeping faithful to the original.

Answer: Adele

"When We Were Young" was Adele's follow-up single to "Hello" on her album "25" in 2015. Adele wrote the track about how quickly time flies and the fear of aging after being reunited with an old-time friend. The cover featured Juliet Simms, a prominent contestant on the television series "The Voice" along with Andy Black. Andy Black's real name is Andy Biersack and his band, Black Veil Brides, are known from their dramatic rock songs. You can find "When We Were Young" on "Punk Goes Pop Volume 7".