Q 01/05

Which pop group had to ask a Swedish fish-canning company for permission to share its name?

A) Roxette

B) ABBA

C) A-ha

D) Europe

Answer · why

B) ABBA

ABBA is also the name of a Swedish seafood canner, so the group negotiated for the rights to it. The firm agreed as long as the singers did nothing to...

Q 02/05

Which hard rock band took its name from a label on the Young brothers' sister's sewing machine?

A) Motörhead

B) Scorpions

C) Whitesnake

D) AC/DC

Answer · why

D) AC/DC

AC/DC was printed on the power adapter of Margaret Young's sewing machine. Her brothers Malcolm and Angus felt the electrical symbol captured the raw ...

Q 03/05

Which Southern rock band's name mocks a Florida gym teacher who enforced a rule against long hair?

A) Lynyrd Skynyrd

B) The Allman Brothers Band

C) Molly Hatchet

D) The Marshall Tucker Band

Answer · why

A) Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd is a respelling of Leonard Skinner, the P.E. teacher at the band's Jacksonville high school. Years later he made peace with them and in...

Q 04/05

Which band's name is said to come from a quip by two members of the Who that a supergroup would flop?

A) Deep Purple

B) Iron Butterfly

C) Led Zeppelin

D) Uriah Heep

Answer · why

C) Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin reworks "lead balloon", the flop Keith Moon and John Entwistle are said to have predicted. The band dropped the "a" so nobody would say "...

Q 05/05

Which Canadian rock band's name came from the change its bassist handed customers at Starbucks?

A) Three Days Grace

B) Barenaked Ladies

C) Nickelback

D) Simple Plan

Answer · why

C) Nickelback

Nickelback echoes Mike Kroeger's line at the till: "Here's your nickel back." The group had started out playing other people's songs under the name Vi...