The stories behind hit songs
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The Stories Behind Hit Songs — Daily trivia Sunday, September 13, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Dolly Parton rubbed her acrylic nails together like a typewriter to write the theme for which of her films?
- ASteel Magnolias
- B9 to 5
- CRhinestone
- DStraight Talk
Show answer
9 to 5
9 to 5. The clicks made it onto the finished record, where the credits list her on vocals and nails.
Q 02Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., often mistaken for a patriotic anthem, is about a veteran of which war?
- AThe Korean War
- BWorld War II
- CThe Gulf War
- DThe Vietnam War
Show answer
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War. When Ronald Reagan hailed Springsteen's message of hope in a speech, Springsteen publicly pushed back.
Q 03Which state does Take Me Home, Country Roads celebrate, though co-writer Bill Danoff had never been there?
- AWest Virginia
- BVirginia
- CKentucky
- DTennessee
Show answer
West Virginia
West Virginia. John Denver broke his thumb in a car crash on his way to hear the song, then helped finish it that same night.
Q 04A mic meant for hearing the band talk captured which drummer's booming sound, later heard on In the Air Tonight?
- ARingo Starr
- BDon Henley
- CPhil Collins
- DDave Grohl
Show answer
Phil Collins
Phil Collins. He was drumming on Peter Gabriel's album when engineer Hugh Padgham opened that heavily compressed mic, and out came the sound.
Q 05Jack White's childhood mishearing of which charity's name gave a White Stripes stadium anthem its title?
- AThe Salvation Army
- BThe Red Cross
- CHabitat for Humanity
- DGoodwill Industries
Show answer
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, which he heard as Seven Nation Army as a boy. He'd saved the riff in case he was ever asked to write a James Bond theme.
Q 06Freddie Mercury, knowing only a few guitar chords, wrote which Queen hit in minutes in a hotel bath?
- ABohemian Rhapsody
- BWe Are the Champions
- CGood Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
- DCrazy Little Thing Called Love
Show answer
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Mercury played rhythm guitar on the record himself, and it gave Queen their first US number one.
Q 07A note Andrew Ridgeley left for his family gave George Michael which Wham! title?
- AYoung Guns (Go for It!)
- BWake Me Up Before You Go-Go
- CLast Christmas
- DWham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)
Show answer
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. Ridgeley had accidentally written 'up' twice, so he wrote 'go' twice on purpose.
Q 08Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water describes a casino fire in Montreux, sending smoke across which lake?
- ALake Como
- BLake Lucerne
- CLake Geneva
- DLake Constance
Show answer
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva. A flare fired at a Frank Zappa show started the fire, and Deep Purple, who had come to record there, made most of the album in a hotel instead.
Q 09Which Beatle, asked for a campaign song by would-be California governor Timothy Leary, came up with Come Together instead?
- APaul McCartney
- BJohn Lennon
- CGeorge Harrison
- DRingo Starr
Show answer
John Lennon
John Lennon. Leary got only a one-line chant of his slogan, 'Come together, join the party', while the full song opened Abbey Road.
Q 10Aerosmith members say Walk This Way took its title from a limping servant's gag in which Mel Brooks film?
- AThe Producers
- BBlazing Saddles
- CYoung Frankenstein
- DSpaceballs
Show answer
Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein, where Marty Feldman's Igor says it. Steven Tyler then lost his lyrics in a taxi and rewrote them on a stairwell wall.
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