Song for Someone Trivia Quiz

Answer: Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress and model who became an iconic sex symbol of the fifties and sixties. Originally born Norma Jeane Mortenson, she married early and moved with her husband to California where she was discovered as a model. She then made the transition into acting and gained fame as a blonde bombshell. She tragically passed away from a drug overdose on August 4, 1962.

"Candle in the Wind" is a song by Elton John and his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin and was written eleven years after Monroe's death. The song is about how Monroe's candle burned so brightly and then was suddenly extinguished, and, according to Bernie Taupin, she became "a picture frozen in time".

Answer: Don McLean

Don McLean is an American singer and songwriter who himself wrote a song about the deaths of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, immortalized in the words of the song "American Pie". He also wrote the song "Vincent" about the life of Vincent van Gogh.

When at a concert by Don McLean, singer Lori Lieberman teamed up with Norman Gimbel to write the words to "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and they got Charles Fox to do the melody. Though Lieberman recorded the song first, it reached no. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 when Roberta Flack recorded it. It also re-reached no. 1 when the Fugees had their 1997 cover of the song. Both the Fugees and Flack won Grammys for their versions.

Answer: Andy Kaufman

Andy Kaufman was an American comic entertainer (who always hated being called a comedian) who passed away in 1984. He was only 35 years old at the time and he passed away from lung cancer. He was able to portray a variety of different characters like Latka Gravas which was a regular on the sitcom "Taxi".

The band REM is credited for writing the song "Man on the Moon" and it very quickly became one of their best-known and best-liked songs. It was originally written for the 1999 movie of the same name which starred Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman. The reference to the 'man on the moon' is to the rumour that the moon landings were a hoax, similar to when people believed that Kaufman faked his own death as an elaborate hoax.

Answer: Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop was the lead vocalist for the band "The Stooges" and became known as the Godfather of Punk for his contributions to music. Iggy Pop was born James Newell Osterberg Jr. in Michigan, USA, and began his musical education at a young age. He got the nickname "Iggy" from one of the first bands he was with, the Iguanas. As a performer, he became infamous for acts of mutilation on stage.

David Bowie was a longtime admirer of Iggy Pop and re-recorded many of his songs with great success. Bowie also collaborated with Iggy Pop on several albums. This relationship led Bowie to write "The Jean Genie", though the title is a reference to the controversial French writer Jean Genet.

Answer: Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is often said to be one of the most successful songwriters of all time, in addition to his very successful music career. He was one of the first artists to use an amp for his music. As a writer, he explored many themes ranging from literary references to political (and often antiwar) themes. He, himself wrote songs about other people like Rubin Carter, Prince Philip, Jesse James, and Shakespeare, to name a few.

Simon & Garfunkel were a very successful folk duo - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Their song "The Boxer" was off of their fifth (and last) studio album "Bridge over Troubled Water". Though Paul Simon later maintained that the song was autobiographical, the lyrics themselves reference different things about the life of Bob Dylan and are also influenced by the Bible. Dylan himself covered the song in 1970.

Answer: Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett was an English singer-songwriter who was one of the founders of the psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. He was with the band for around three years but his influence was massive. He became addicted to drugs and had severe mental health problems so the band chose to part ways with him in 1968. Though he never released new music with the band (some previously unreleased singles were later released), he remained close with the members. He passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2006 at the age of 60.

In 1975, the remaining members of Pink Floyd wrote "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" as a nine-part tribute to their former bandmate. It was released on the album "Wish You Were Here". During one of the recordings of the song, Syd Barrett showed up at the studio however, his appearance had drastically changed and nobody recognized him, something that later moved Roger Waters to tears.

Answer: Vince Neil

Vince Neil was the lead singer for the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. He started the band along with Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Mick Mars; the band went to have a very successful tenure over the years, despite some tumultuous times.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler was inspired by Vince Neil for the song "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" after he mistook Neil for a woman when he was with his band at a bar. He also noticed how often the members of Mötley Crüe would use the term "dude" in reference to one another, and this became part of the song as well. As a song, "Dude (Looks Like a Lady) topped out at no. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: Pattie Boyd

Pattie Boyd is an English photographer and a former model. Her modelling career was at its peak in the 1960s and this got her noticed by many people, including George Harrison of the Beatles. They were married in 1966 and divorced in 1977. She then married Harrison's friend Eric Clapton in 1979 with whom she stayed until 1989. She married Rod Weston in 2015.

Pattie Boyd inspired at least seven songs between those two musician husbands of hers. "I Need You", "If I Needed Someone", "Something", and "For You Blue" were all written by Harrison for Boyd, and "Layla", "Bell Bottom Blues", and "Wonderful Tonight" were all written by Clapton. "Layla", however, was released on Derek and the Dominoes' 1970 album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" while she was married to Harrison! Talk about awkward...

Answer: James Dean

James Dean was an American actor who was best known for his film "Rebel Without a Cause". He died tragically in a California car crash in 1955 after being involved in street racing for most of his adult life. He was the first actor to receive an Academy Award posthumously for his role in "East of Eden".

The English alt-rock band Suede released their second studio album "Dog Man Star" in 1994. Many of the songs on the album were heavily influenced by songwriter Brett Anderson's drug use, and "Daddy's Speeding" was no exception. The song references James Dean meeting Anderson and the song increases in tempo until the 'car crash' part of the song, referencing Dean's untimely death.

Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the main leaders of the US Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. His dream and leadership inspired a nonviolent protest of the unfair conditions that the Blacks were living under all over the United States and especially in the south. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray, a tragic act of violence that cut short the visionary's life.

This is one of my favourite U2 songs off of their album "The Unforgettable Fire". The song was originally a criticism in reference to American pride in their military strength, however, Bono rewrote parts of the song to reflect on the more important issue of the civil rights movement. He has often apologized for writing the line "early morning, April 4..." as the shooting of Dr. King happened in the evening. In concert Bono will often change the words to reflect this. Backup vocals on the recording were done by Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders.