What’s in That Song?, 200 Music Trivia Questions Where the Answers Are in the Lyrics is, of course, a music trivia book. But instead of the typical “who sings this song” or “name the artist,” the answers to these trivia questions can be found in the lyrics. You know these songs; you’ve no doubt sung along to most, if not all of them. Some answers you’ll know right off, others you’ll need to replay the song in your head to get the correct answer. Use this book to test your knowledge, or have a trivia contest with your friends.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Music fans will have a blast playing What’s in That Song? The trivia book does not ask you to name the singer. It doesnot ask you to sing along and fill in the missing word(s). This book does not ask you to name that tune in a certain amount of notes. The writer and music enthusiast created questions to gauge who really knows the lyrics to top hits in the pop and rock genres. Two hundred questions, some easy and some hard, each one that will test your memory and skill to understand what these pop culture icons were singing about.
In the introduction, John Nicholas mentioned that he verified the lyrics once he settled on a song to add. It’s a good thing, too, because he discovered he’d been singing the wrong lyrics to “Bad Moon Rising” by Credence Clearwater Revival and David Bowe’s “Modern Love.” Oh, we’ve all been there: singing songs for months or years and finally realizing we have been misunderstanding the singer all along. Embarrassing but also wildly humorous.
What’s in That Song? covers a wide range of well-known artists and bands, starting with Prince with “Raspberry Beret” in question 1 and ending with “Rocket Man” by Elton John in the 200th slot. Participants will face questions testing their musical knowledge in this carefully crafted quiz book, where the answers lie somewhere in the lyrics! Example:
In “Yesterday” by The Beatles,
what does Paul McCartney need now
after realizing love is no longer an
easy game to play?
True Beatles fans will answer with ease. I was stumped, and no amount of time would make the answer magically pop into my head. I needed a partner to help me with songs before my time or ones that were not my cup of tea. The more questions I read, the more I thought about how fun it would be to play this in a pub or game night with friends and/or family.
For those who enjoy liquor, you can make this a shot game. If you miss a question, take a shot. The more liquor you consume, well, the harder it will be to recall or speak the proper answer, so pace yourself and don’t buzz in unless you genuinely believe you know the answer. For instance, in Q 89: Who are the lucky seven women that Lou Bega wants a little bit of in “Mambo No. 5”?
Those who abstain from liquor can also have fun with the trivia book. Cheers will erupt when someone buzzes in before the other team. Laughter will rain out when someone believes they know the answer but realizes they have been singing the wrong words for a long time. Let’s take “Royals” by Lorde in Q 38: What does Lorde say you can call her? Hint: It’s not green bean.
Train, Barry Manilow, Jewel, Cyndi Lauper, Grateful Dead, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffet, Journey, AC/DC, and many more recording artists will make you stop and think: Do I really know the lyrics? Put your musical knowledge to the test and have a blast with friends and family, grab a copy of What’s in That Song? today.
(The answer key can be found after the last question, along with the songs’ credit citations.)
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
Meet the Author
John Nicholas has been a copy editor and technical writer for over 20 years. He’s worked for several Fortune 500 companies, and enjoyed being a spelling bee judge and pronouncer for 15 years. One of his hobbies is listening to music, and this is his first book publication. He currently lives in the south suburbs of Chicago with his wife.
