2000s

Question 1

In “Song of Home” this Belfast bluesman is sailing home from Maine, then sailing home from Spain – did he get lost?

Answer 1

Van Morrison

Question 2

Elvis Presley got his 18th number-one single in the United Kingdom 25 years after his death thanks to a remix of what song that was featured heavily in a Nike advertising campaign for the 2002 World Cup?

Answer 2

A Little Less Conversation

Question 3

The title of a Frida Kahlo painting inspired the 3-word name of this 2008 No. 1 hit by a British group.

Answer 3

Viva La Vida (Coldplay)

Question 4

What hip hop group was 2 Chainz part of before going solo?

Answer 4

Playaz Circle

Question 5

Tori Amos’s 2001 album Strange Little Girls is made up of songs originally written and performed by men, but reinterpreted from the perspectives of twelve different female personae created by Amos for each song. Along with covers of songs by such disparate artists as Joe Jackson, Neil Young, Tom Waits, and Slayer, it also contains a bizarre and ironic version of what controversial horrorcore track by Eminem?

Answer 5

‘97 Bonnie And Clyde

Question 6

Well before she briefly channeled Edith Piaf on the big screen, in what 2009 #2 US hit does the artist break into French for a portion of the bridge, informing the song’s subject, “J’veux ton amour, et je veux ta revanche”?

Answer 6

Pokerface

Question 7

What 2005 Kanye single samples a 1971 James Bond movie theme?

Answer 7

Diamonds from Sierra Leone

Question 8

On a Saturday, she was lip-syncing. Ashlee Simpson described her Saturday Night Live lip-syncing fiasco thusly: “I feel so bad! My band started playing the wrong song, and I didn’t know what to do, so I thought I’d do a hoedown.” What is the title of this “wrong song” – a major hit in 2004 and Simpson’s highest-charting pop single?

Answer 8

Pieces of Me

Question 9

Few celebrity feuds are as epic as the 2004 showdown between Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan. Like many teen feuds, it started with a love triangle. Name the 2000s pop singer and “It Boy” who dated Duff, then Lohan, then Duff again, launching one of the greatest rivalries of our times.

Answer 9

Aaron Carter

Question 10

Name the childhood friend of Britney Spears to whom she was married for 55 hours in 2004 (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and who shares his name with a sitcom star from the 90s.

Answer 10

Jason Alexander

Question 11

Which three pop queens were the center of attention after their onstage kisses – one of which was infamous and the other of which was barely noticed – made headlines worldwide after a 2003 award show?

Answer 11

Madonna, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera

Question 12

Kanye West’s “Touch The Sky” centers around a sample of what 1970 soul song?

Answer 12

Curtis Mayfield - “Move On Up”

Question 13

An infamous “wardrobe malfunction” from Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake during the 2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show quickly overshadowed the other performers as well as what became a last-second thriller between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers. Name one of the other three male solo artists who also headlined the halftime show.

Answer 13

Nelly, Kid Rock, P. Diddy

Question 14

In 2005, modern jazz artists James Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Ali Jackson, and Reginald Veal released Gold Sounds, an album of jazz interpretations of the songbook of which indie rock band?

Answer 14

Pavement

Question 15

The 2009 compilation Dark Was the Night, featuring songs by such artists as Bon Iver, Spoon, My Morning Jacket, Dirty Projectors, and David Byrne, was a charity album benefiting what HIV/AIDS awareness organization? Said organization has helped produce dozens of other compilation albums over the decades; the first of which was a 1990 collection of Cole Porter covers.

Answer 15

Red Hot Organization

Question 16

Oh me, oh my! Often associated with the “New Weird America” genre, and described as both freak folk and psychedelic folk, name the prolific Venezuelan American artist who cameoed in “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist”, and whose “Lover” can be heard on said film’s soundtrack.

Answer 16

Devendra Banhart

Question 17

This Dallas-based “choral rock” band, which counts Annie Clark among its many dozens of former members, is known for its visual trademark of performing in matching uniforms. These have included black military uniforms, winter parkas, and, most notably, white choir robes.

Answer 17

The Polyphonic Spree

Question 18

What band, known for such albums as Black Sheep Boy and The Stage Names, takes its name from the body of water pictured here?

Answer 18

Okkervil River

Question 19

Perhaps most famous for a 2004 mashup album of hazy legality, this artist born Brian Burton has been a part of collaborative duos with artists including Sparklehorse, James Mercer, and MF DOOM.

Answer 19

Danger Mouse

Question 20

A dancer, reality TV star, and TikTok/YouTube personality with the last name of Siwa and the recording artist who reached #1 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart in 2004, at age 13, with “Leave (Get Out)” share what nickname?

Answer 20

JoJo

Question 21

Winning a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song in 2006, what Kanye West song, the lead single for his album “Late Registration”, features a sample of the song “Diamonds are Forever” by Shirley Bassey?

Answer 21

Diamonds From Sierra Leone

Question 22

In 2008, Foo Fighters released a statement expressing their disappointment at John McCain’s presidential campaign for using one of their songs without obtaining permission for it. The band noted that they were especially disappointed because “[the song] was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential” and they felt its use in the context of the McCain campaign tarnished that sentiment. Name the song.

Answer 22

My Hero