60 Music Trivia Questions and Answers by Decade

1960s music trivia

• 1. Which band released the album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' in 1967? — The Beatles.
• 2. Which festival in 1969 drew around 400,000 people to a farm in New York State? — Woodstock.
• 3. Who sang 'Respect' in 1967? — Aretha Franklin.
• 4. Which Motown group was led by Diana Ross? — The Supremes.
• 5. Who wrote and sang 'Like a Rolling Stone'? — Bob Dylan.
• 6. Which band's lead singer is Mick Jagger? — The Rolling Stones.
• 7. Which guitarist famously played 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at Woodstock? — Jimi Hendrix.
• 8. What was the Beach Boys' 1966 album often called one of the greatest ever made? — Pet Sounds.

1970s music trivia

• 9. Which Queen song is nearly six minutes long and has an opera section? — Bohemian Rhapsody.
• 10. Which band released 'Rumours' in 1977? — Fleetwood Mac.
• 11. Which Swedish group won Eurovision in 1974 with 'Waterloo'? — ABBA.
• 12. Which film soundtrack made the Bee Gees disco superstars? — Saturday Night Fever.
• 13. Pink Floyd's 1973 album is called 'The Dark Side of the…'? — Moon.
• 14. Who was known as 'The King of Reggae'? — Bob Marley.
• 15. Which singer released 'Born to Run' in 1975? — Bruce Springsteen.
• 16. Which band sang 'Stairway to Heaven'? — Led Zeppelin.

1980s music trivia

• 17. What is the best-selling album of all time? — Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.
• 18. Which singer is known as the 'Queen of Pop'? — Madonna.
• 19. Which charity single was released by Band Aid in 1984? — 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'.
• 20. Which band sang 'Sweet Child O' Mine'? — Guns N' Roses.
• 21. What TV channel launched in 1981 with 'Video Killed the Radio Star'? — MTV.
• 22. Who sang 'Purple Rain'? — Prince.
• 23. Which Irish band released 'The Joshua Tree' in 1987? — U2.
• 24. Whitney Houston's 1992 hit 'I Will Always Love You' was originally written by whom? — Dolly Parton.

1990s music trivia

• 25. Which Seattle band released 'Nevermind' in 1991? — Nirvana.
• 26. How many members were in the Spice Girls? — Five.
• 27. Which singer released '...Baby One More Time' in 1998? — Britney Spears.
• 28. Which Britpop bands had a famous chart rivalry in 1995? — Oasis and Blur.
• 29. Which Celine Dion song was the theme for 'Titanic'? — My Heart Will Go On.
• 30. Which rapper released 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'? — Lauryn Hill, formerly of the Fugees.
• 31. Who sang 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'? — Nirvana, with Kurt Cobain on vocals.
• 32. Which boy band sang 'I Want It That Way'? — Backstreet Boys.

2000s music trivia

• 33. Which singer released 'Crazy in Love' featuring Jay-Z in 2003? — Beyoncé.
• 34. Which TV talent show launched Kelly Clarkson's career? — American Idol.
• 35. Which artist released 'The Marshall Mathers LP'? — Eminem.
• 36. Which Apple device launched in 2001 promising '1,000 songs in your pocket'? — The iPod.
• 37. Who sang 'Umbrella' in 2007? — Rihanna.
• 38. Which singer's debut album was called 'The Fame'? — Lady Gaga.
• 39. Which band sang 'Mr. Brightside'? — The Killers.
• 40. Amy Winehouse's 2006 album was called 'Back to…'? — Black.

2010s and 2020s music trivia

• 41. Which Adele album includes 'Rolling in the Deep'? — 21.
• 42. Which Korean song became the first YouTube video to pass one billion views? — 'Gangnam Style' by PSY.
• 43. Which singer released the album '1989'? — Taylor Swift.
• 44. Which K-pop group sang 'Dynamite' in 2020? — BTS.
• 45. Who sang 'Blinding Lights'? — The Weeknd.
• 46. Which song by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee was a 2017 global hit? — Despacito.
• 47. Which singer released 'drivers license' in 2021? — Olivia Rodrigo.
• 48. Which artist's 'Old Town Road' spent a record 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100? — Lil Nas X.

General music trivia questions

• 49. How many keys does a standard piano have? — 88.
• 50. How many strings does a standard guitar have? — Six.
• 51. What does 'forte' mean in music? — Loud.
• 52. Which composer kept writing music after losing his hearing? — Ludwig van Beethoven.
• 53. How many lines are in a musical staff? — Five.
• 54. Which instrument has pedals, pipes and stops? — The pipe organ.
• 55. Which composer wrote 'The Four Seasons'? — Antonio Vivaldi.
• 56. What is the highest standard female singing voice? — Soprano.
• 57. How many musicians play in a quartet? — Four.
• 58. Which city is called the birthplace of jazz? — New Orleans.
• 59. What is Elvis Presley's nickname? — The King of Rock and Roll.
• 60. Which instrument did Louis Armstrong famously play? — The trumpet.

Tips for a music trivia round