Image: YouTube
About This Quiz
"I love rock and roll. So put another dime in the jukebox, baby!" If you've come to this quiz, there's a big chance you're like Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and you love rock music. When it comes to bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, can you name where they're from?
Rock music originated in the United States around the 1940s. A creation and evolution of different styles and genres, rock and roll would soon become one of the most popular music forms ever. Although it was still in its developing stages, the genre would boom into the 1960s and beyond.ÂÂ
The '60s brought classic rock bands such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. Aerosmith and Queen would appear in the 1970s. The '80s brought Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses while the '90s and 2000s introduced Oasis, Linkin Park, and Coldplay. Although rock and roll might have originated in the United States, all these bands certainly didn't! From all their countries around the world, do you know where these rock bands are from?ÂÂ
Linkin Park might be from America, but Coldplay certainly isn't! Green Day was formed in California, but you'd have to cross a border or two to find the origins of Nickelback or ABBA.
All of these groups rocked the globe, but can you pinpoint exactly where? From England to Sweden to Canada, do you know where these rock bands are from? There's only one way to find out.
Let's rock and roll!
U2:
England
Germany
Ireland
U2 has been a fabulously commercially successful band. They've also been part of a number of charity efforts.
Portugal
The Clash:
Canada
England
The Clash broke through in the US with their third album, "London Calling." They entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
Ireland
Scotland
ABBA:
Canada
Ireland
Scotland
Sweden
"ABBA" created their name out of the first letters of each of the quartet's name. It's often written with the Bs back-to-back.
Advertisement
Nickelback:
Canada
Nickelback was formed in Alberta. You're probably familiar with their biggest success, "How You Remind Me."
Israel
United States
Wales
Aerosmith:
England
Germany
United States
The all-time bestselling U.S. rock band comes from Boston. But their hard-living ways should not be seen as representative of New England values, to say the least!
Wales
Siouxsie and the Banshees:
England
Siouxsie and the Banshees are generally considered "post-punk," which can be hard to tell from "punk," if you don't really know what to listen for. Their evocatively-titled albums include "Kaleidoscope" and "A Kiss in the Dreamhouse."
Australia
Spain
United States
Advertisement
Ace of Base:
Austria
New Zealand
Norway
Sweden
Ace of Bass was a quartet from Scandinavia. You've probably heard their infectious singles "The Sign" and "All That She Wants."
Guns-N-Roses:
Australia
Canada
England
United States
Guns-N-Roses was named from the gradual merger of the groups Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns. Eventually, no original L.A. Guns members were left, but the name stuck.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive:
Canada
You're probably most familiar with their hit "Taking Care of Business." This percussive anthem to Getting It Done has been used in movie trailers and office-supplies advertising.
England
New Zealand
United States
Advertisement
The Barenaked Ladies:
Canada
The Barenaked Ladies includes bassist Jim Creeggan, who the band nicknamed "Grampa," for his unwillingness to get up once he'd sat down. Gotta love that rock-n-roll energy!
England
Scotland
United States
Scissor Sisters:
Canada
England
United States
You probably know the Scissor Sisters single "I Don't Feel Like Dancing." Which, of course, is irresistibly danceable.
Wales
The Dead Kennedys:
Australia
Germany
Scotland
United States
Okay, the name's in poor taste. But the Dead Kennedys have made a career out of opposing conventions, like their combative stance against the Parents Music Resource Center (a group opposing violent and obscene lyrics).
Advertisement
The Boomtown Rats:
Canada
England
Ireland
The Boomtown Rats were fronted by Bob Geldof. He's now better known for his humanitarian work.
Australia
Rush:
Canada
Rush has been around since the late '60s. A band with staying power, they are known for drawing on science fiction for inspiration.
Australia
New Zealand
United States
The Who:
England
The Who gained a reputation for destroying instruments and trashing hotel rooms; drummer Keith Moon was a particular offender. Unfortunately, the destructive behavior wasn't just for show, and Moon died of an overdose of medication prescribed to combat his alcohol addiction.
Australia
the United States
Ireland
Advertisement
The Cranberries:
Canada
Ireland
What's behind the name? It used to be "The Cranberry Saw Us," which seems to be following the rule that indie band names should make as little sense as possible.
England
Wales
The Guess Who:
Andorra
Canada
The Guess Who were in their prime in the 1960s and 70s. Is it ironic that one of their biggest hits is "American Woman?"
United States
Wales
The Waterboys:
Australia
Canada
Scotland
Though they have some Irish members, The Waterboys are from Edinburgh, and were founded by a Scotsman named -- wait for it! -- Mike Scott. Can you get more Scottish than that?
Sweden
Advertisement
The Bee Gees:
Australia
England
New Zealand
Both #1 and #2
The Gibbs brothers were born on Great Britain's Isle of Man, lived in Manchester, and finally moved to Queensland, Australia. That's where they started making music.
Rage Against the Machine:
Australia
England
United States
As their name suggests, their music was angry and political. In the mood for something lighter? Try "Lounge Against the Machine", an album which gives hardcore songs the lounge-music treatment.
Wales
AC/DC:
Australia
Poll ten Americans and probably seven or eight will think this hard-rocking band is from the U.S. Hey, America doesn't have a stranglehold on metal!
Canada
Sweden
United States
Advertisement
INXS:
Australia
Australian band INXS lost their charismatic lead singer, Michael Hutchence, in 1997. They went back to making music after a year's hiatus, but never regained their former prominence.
England
United States
Sweden
Led Zeppelin:
Australia
Canada
England
This seminal hard-rock group was born in the UK. Their most famous hit is "Stairway to Heaven," (also known as "That Song That Disturbs the Crap Out of You But You Can't Put Your Finger on Why")
United States
The Pogues:
England
Though their name is Gaelic and their influences Irish, the Pogues were formed in London by British-born musicians. Things are not always what they seem!
Ireland
Scotland
United States
Advertisement
Herman's Hermits:
Canada
England
This band started out as "Herman and the Hermits" before shortening their name. Is there a "Herman" in the band? Of course not!
Scotland
United States
The Dropkick Murphys:
Canada
Ireland
Scotland
United States
The Dropkick Murphys are a Boston-based band. They have strong Irish-American roots, which is probably why their song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" was included in the Irish-mob movie "The Departed."
Arcade Fire:
Canada
Fun fact: Arcade Fire scored the movie "Her," in which Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with his computer's operating system. (Maybe you have to see it to sympathize.)
England
Ireland
Norway
Advertisement
Thin Lizzy:
Australia
England
Ireland
A number of "Irish" bands don't actually come from Ireland, but rather London or Boston, with musicians drawing on their Irish family backgrounds and cultural influences. Not so for Thin Lizzy, which was formed in Dublin, Ireland.
Russia
A-ha:
Australia
Austria
Norway
Okay, A-ha is a bit of a two-hit wonder. But their video for their first single "Take on Me," with its creative mix of black-and-white pencil animation and live action, deserves a shoutout here.
Spain
Allman Brothers:
Australia
Canada
Great Britain
United States
The Allman Brothers was founded by a pair of brothers, Duane and Gregg Allman. But Duane died in 1972, not long after the band's 1969 formation, so the "Brothers" name is mostly a homage.
Advertisement
Genesis:
Canada
England
Fun fact: The group's first album, "From Genesis to Revelation," tanked because record store owners mistakenly placed it in the "gospel/religious" section. This is why you need help from marketing people, rockers!
United States
Scotland
Silverchair:
Australia
Silverchair is an Australian band that struggled with success; its lead singer Daniel Johns developed anorexia as a result of anxiety. The band took a three-year break in the 2000s and has returned to "indefinite" hiatus as of the present day.
Germany
Ireland
Scotland
Roxette:
Morocco
Spain
Sweden
Fun fact: Many American listeners don't realize that Roxette's most successful single, "It Must Have Been Love," was originally a Christmas-themed song. Those references were taken out for its use in 1990's "Pretty Woman," which was not set at Christmas time.
United States
Advertisement
The Red Hot Chili Pipers:
Austria
England
Norway
Scotland
Psych! Okay, they're not a rock band, but this name was so witty that we had to include it. The Red Hot Chili Pipers bill themselves as the "Most Famous Bagpipe Band on the Planet!"
You Got:
/35
YouTube