# Cool but useless music trivia **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250 "2004-08-17T15:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Marvel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marvel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvel)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/161 "2004-08-19T21:40:49Z")
The hellicopter bit at the end of Kate Bush’s “Experiment IV” came from the film The Wall. Permission for its use came from her buddy, Dave Gilmour, Pink Floyd’s guitarist and the guy who jump-started her career. Vinal printings of Hounds of Love (at least those in the US) were not black but a sort of lavender marble patern. While being very pretty, it’s a bitch to cue up during a live radio show. DJ Patty ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/162 "2004-08-19T21:47:49Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Bruce Springsteen was brought to national prominence by the same man who “discovered” Bob Dylan: John Hammond; who also “discovered” and was the brother-in-law of Benny Goodman. He had something to do with “discovering” Stevie Ray Vaughn as well (or at least getting him a recording deal) I think. Of course, SRV was pretty well known in Austin, so its hard to say “discovered”. ---
**Author:** ![High\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8797f3/32.png) [@High\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/High_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/163 "2004-08-19T22:01:01Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Ummm, this can’t be right!! > > According to the books I read, the average is less that have of that!! You are correct. But it has already been covered: see \*\*\*\*Mr. Blue Sk\*\*y’s \*\* post in this thread (#103) and my reply to #103 (#109). I believed this for a very long time. I am happy now, however, to know the truth. It amazes me that the average—you know—is less than 5cc. It just seems it would/should/could be more. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/164 "2004-08-19T22:02:17Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > The next entry in the book shows that in order to get the Beatles out of the number one slot, it took Louis Armstrong’s version of _Hello, Dolly!_ Are you sure it was Hello, Dolly? I know Armstrong kicked the Beatles down, but I thought it was with the song “What a Wonderful World”. WRT: Jim Steinman - I’m always entertained by the variety of artists who have performed his songs, from Barry Manilow and Celine Dion to Pandora’s Box, Meat Loaf, Streisand, Bonnie Tyler and Air Supply. I _PERSONALLY_ asked Meat Loaf what it was like working with Steinman, and he said, “Jimmy’s a genius. But he’s a nutcase.” Trivia-wise, the Steinman song Holding Out For A Hero, recorded by Bonnie Tyler, has the same melody as his song Stark Raving Love. Bad For Good and Nowhere Fast were combined to be the song Nowhere Fast for the Streets of Fire Soundtrack, and the song Nowhere Fast (on its own) was recorded by Meat Loaf, while Bad For Good, Surf’s Up and a host of other songs that later appeared on Meat Loaf’s Back Into Hell were originally recorded by Steinman on a solo album while he was ticked off at Meat Loaf. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/165 "2004-08-19T22:09:07Z")
Indeed, **gato** ; these days I’m a bit skittish about using the term “discovered” at all. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/166 "2004-08-19T22:20:10Z")
**Jimmy Page** plays acoustic guitar on \*\*Jackie DeShannon’s \*\* song “Don’t Turn Your Back on Me.” ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/167 "2004-08-19T22:22:23Z")
> [@kung fu lola](#): > > …Tony Ward, who was also in Madonna’s banned _Justify My Love_ video (and later fathered a child with her). Madonna’s children are by Carlos Leon and Guy Ritchie. That’s certainly not to say that Ward wasn’t at least going through the motions. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/168 "2004-08-19T22:30:15Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Might be true about the Lovin’ Spoonful, though: > > [http://www.geocities.com/temptations\_page/origins.html](http://www.geocities.com/temptations_page/origins.html) Indeed it is, Exapno. “I gave my baby a lovin’ spoonful” is a common lyric in country blues. RE: **The Mothers of Invention** - the Mother’s Day gig story may or may not be true, but it isn’t the origin of the name. They were named The Mothers of Invention out of necessity. RE: **Nothing Compares 2 U** - since when has it been trivia that a song with a txtspk title was written by Squiggle? 😃 A couple of mine own: The most covered song of all time is _Yesterday_. Over 4,000 recorded versions are known. Echo (of Echo and the Bunnymen) wasn’t a member of the band. It was the drum machine they used in the early days before they signed Pete de Freitas. Kool and the Gang were the only American artists to perform on the Live Aid charity single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/169 "2004-08-19T22:50:55Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > RE: \*\* They were named The Mothers of Invention out of necessity. There’s a really good joke here, but damned if I can make it. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/170 "2004-08-19T23:09:45Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > WRT: Jim Steinman In case you hadn’t noticed, he tends to go overboard with production. Take Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” for example. Her voice is pretty much shredded anyway, but she really tries to rupture her throat with this one. Also, it made for one weird-ass video. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/171 "2004-08-19T23:55:55Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Casey appears to have been misinformed. Back in 1984, I had a book about Billboard #1 hits of the Rock era That book is, natch, _The Billboard Book of Number One Hits_, by Fred Bronson. I have the 1985 edition. > [@](#): > > I can no longer name the songs, but one week in 1964, all five of the top five were Beatle’s records. One presumes that Lennon and McCartney wrote them (although, it is possible that two or more were covers). The week was that of April 4, 1965. The songs were “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Twist and Shout,” “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and “Please Please Me.” Only one cover. The next week the Beatles held an astounding 14 positions in the Top 100. No matter what happens in pop music today, it fades to insignificance compared to the effect the Beatles had on music and on America in 1964. The Beatles had seven number ones, five other top tens, and eight other top forty songs chart in 1964. That’s a Hall of Fame career right there. > [@](#): > > The next entry in the book shows that in order to get the Beatles out of the number one slot, it took Louis Armstrong’s version of _Hello, Dolly!_ Correct. “What a Wonderful World” wasn’t released until 1967 and never charted at all then. It was such a minor song that the first time I ever remember hearing it was in the soundtrack of _Good Morning Vietnam_. That brought the song onto the charts for the first time for three weeks in 1988. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/172 "2004-08-20T00:10:26Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > That book is, natch, _The Billboard Book of Number One Hits_, by Fred Bronson. I have the 1985 edition. :smack: 1985, of course. I was remembering that it was early on during my marriage, but I _should_ have remembered that I spent most of 1984 poking holes in the ocean aboard the _USS Tautog_, not buying large pop-culture lists. Also, _We Are the World_ was recorded in January of 1985. :o ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/173 "2004-08-20T02:07:46Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Head was the only singer who took 1% of the net royalites of the JCS album over the $250 offered to him. His brother is Anthony Michael Head. Anthony _Stewart_ Head. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/174 "2004-08-20T02:28:52Z")
Morbid? check these out: Ben Raleigh, co-author of the song ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’, died at the age of 83. He was cooking himself breakfast, his robe caught fire, and he burned to death. Graham Bond, who played with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker before they left to form Cream, commited suicide by jumping in front of an oncoming London Underground train. The heroin that killed Sid Vicious was scored for him by his mother. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/175 "2004-08-20T03:00:55Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > And before Morrison died, The Doors were one of many once-influential rock bands with declining record sales. Declining sales? I would be stunned if their last album with Morrison, **LA Woman** , wasn’t their biggest seller or damn close to it. It has the hits _Love Her Madly_, _LA Woman_, and _Riders on the Storm_ on it . A fair bit of Googling didn’t find any actual sales figures to back my impression, but I’d be extremely surprised if your assertion was true. One site I found said “The album was a huge Top 10 hit and monster seller”, but itself quotes no authority to back that up. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/176 "2004-08-20T03:07:25Z")
> [@AndrewT](#): > > A fair bit of Googling didn’t find any actual sales figures to back my impression, but I’d be extremely surprised if your assertion was true. One site I found said “The album was a huge Top 10 hit and monster seller”, but itself quotes no authority to back that up. According to Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums 1955-2001, it’s sold about 2 million copies as did their debut album. Two greatest hits compilations (one in 1980 and one in 1987) have sold 2 and 3 million copies respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/177 "2004-08-20T05:02:48Z")
If memory serves, Rick Derringer sang lead vocal - and played guitar - on the song _Hang On, Sloopy_, and he was all of about 15 at the time. I may be wrong on this, though. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/178 "2004-08-20T05:08:37Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > The Not Ready for Primetime Players is the ensemble of actors on SNL. (Always was, still is.) The band has always just been called The Saturday Night Live Band. In addition to Paul Shaffer and Howard Shore, another former leader of the SNL Band is G.E. Smith (who also played lead guitar in the backing band for Daryl Hall & John Oates) who was married – at one time – to SNL star Gilda Radner. They were married during the period after Gilda left SNL and before G.E. joined the band. That’s why I said, “I thought”. I quit watching SNL \…forever ago. Maybe the Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscapo era. Then Gilda met that crazy ass what’s his name right? The Willy Wonka guy, you know Richard Pryors shadow… damn, I hate it when I know something but :smack: probably a self induced mental block. The guy is just too much, think about being around him 24/7. He’d give anybody a f\*\*\*in tumor. Another piece of trivia… But first, a story. 😉 A man went into my da’s shop today trying to hustle that old 1978 SUN record “Elvis” supposedly did posthumously. The one that Shelby Singleton tried to scam the world with after Elvis died. Singleton had bought out the failing “SUN” records co. from Sam Phillips THE MAN in 1969. (Sam had his money by then and invested a lot of it into Holiday Inns) He took an old recording of Jerry Lee Lewis’s from 1961 and dubbed in an Elvis sound-alike Jimmy “Orion” Ellis into the mix. Singleton tried to pawn this off as being a legitimate recording of Elvis. An expert even supplied testimony to its authenticity. Adding fuel to the insane fires. IIRC the original cover even had a casket with Orion sitting in it dressed like Elvis. **What was the name of the album?** No cheating…off the top O’ ya head. Anybody recall the Album. 😃 \*hint- It was in a cream colored jacket and the vinyl was colored gold. (ie: another “gold” record for the KING and a fortune for SUN.) ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/179 "2004-08-20T05:53:10Z")
> [@thetruewheel](#): > > Wow, this post is like a whole self-contained world of music by the artists I’d be listening to now if I’d never discovered punk rock. (These days, I’m genuinely suspicious of any musician who appears to know too much about how to play their instument.) I’ll bet you’re also into Suzanne Vega and They Might Be Giants “You guys must be into the Eurhythmics” ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/180 "2004-08-20T06:00:40Z")
> [@Marvel](#): > > The hellicopter bit at the end of Kate Bush’s “Experiment IV” came from the film The Wall. Permission for its use came from her buddy, Dave Gilmour, Pink Floyd’s guitarist and the guy who jump-started her career. > > Vinal printings of Hounds of Love (at least those in the US) were not black but a sort of lavender marble patern. While being very pretty, it’s a bitch to cue up during a live radio show. > > DJ Patty Ha! I have two copies of that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250.md?page=10)