The most interesting pieces of pop music trivia that you know (that are 100% false)

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39. Black Metal icon Mortiis has every episode of Band of Gold on video.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:07 (twenty years ago)

40. At least 30% of all UK Top 40 hits this year were written by Tom Fletcher of McFly. These include 'Retreat' by The Rakes, 'Avalon' by Juliet and 'Lion Rip' by The Duke Spirit. Ironically, McFly's own #1, 'All About You', was a collaboration between Richard X and Guy Chambers. Tom Fletcher of McFly has yet to write a top 10 hit and can frequently be heard complaining about this in the pubs and clubs of Soho, often accusing Girls Aloud, The Cuban Boys and Kasabian of conspiring to 'freeze him out'.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:09 (twenty years ago)

41. The Twinings' adverts with Stephen Fry in were originally written to be performed by DMX.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:10 (twenty years ago)

42. When Brian Jones died, the Rolling Stones first offered his place in the band to the then-unknown Michael Palin.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:11 (twenty years ago)

43. Joey Beltram wrote the techno anthem "Energy Flash" as a gift to his mother, who was having a tough time going through menopause and wanted him to write a "fun piece of disco music that will cheer me up".

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:12 (twenty years ago)

44. The Kaiser Chiefs have been forced to call themselves The Musical Chiefs in Uganda, as Kaiser Chiefs is the name of the country's number one Football club.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

45. Dave Pearce is permanently banned from the Reading Festival after getting so drunk that he was unconscious for the whole of Saturday, then awaking to claim that he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. He then stole a van and attempted to run over Richard Hawley. Hawley opted not to press charges.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

45. Luke Vibert stood as a candidate for Fianna Fail in the last Irish elections, missing out on a seat by just 42 votes.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:17 (twenty years ago)

46. Ray Charles lost his eyesight after he and some schoolfriends attempted to emulate a famous scene from the movie Un Chien Andalou.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:18 (twenty years ago)

48. The Dropkick Murphys invited Anadin.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:19 (twenty years ago)

49. Production chores on Kajagoogoo's 1983 smash "Too Shy" were handled by Professor Julius Norwich.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

50. Bloc Party were originally going to be called The Small Faces, before drummer Matt Tong remembered that he owned a copy of 'Ogden's Nut Gone Flake'. He would later claim that he thought it was by Amen Corner.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

51. Canada's Prime Minister is the lead singer of Moist.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:24 (twenty years ago)

51. The members of Franz Ferdinand, The Bravery, The Killers, The Strokes, and Interpol are all actually incredibly lifelike Russian nesting dolls, called matryoshka, who sought to escape the limited earnings potential of the souvenir industry by forming various 'bands'.

― cdwill, Monday, 11 July 2005 22:24 (twenty years ago)

53. Cave-In and Sparta are actually the same band.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:26 (twenty years ago)

54. George W. Bush roadied for Black Oak Arkansas on their "Keep the Faith" tour of 1972.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:27 (twenty years ago)

x-post

52, sorry.

― cdwill, Monday, 11 July 2005 22:29 (twenty years ago)

55. Brody Dalle is a lesbian.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:31 (twenty years ago)

56. Buddy Holly faked his own death and emigrated to England. In a desperate attempt to cover his tracks, he formed Freddie & The Dreamers.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:34 (twenty years ago)

56. "serge gainsbourg" is actually an elaborate hoax perpetuated by european zionists. there have been numerous "serge gainsbourg"s over the years. the hoax was called off--but not revealed--after the fall of the soviet union, for reasons still unclear.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:36 (twenty years ago)

58. 'Blinded By The Light' was originally written with the intention of being the theme music for The New Avengers.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:41 (twenty years ago)

59. Phil Collins wrote that song because he saw that one guy let that other guy die.

60. Marilyn Manson is actually the actor who played the nerd on the Wonder Years.

― Kim (Kim), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:46 (twenty years ago)

61. Aerosmith wrote "Love in an Elevator" after encountering Arthur Lee on the way up to a meeting at the offices of Sony Music in New York.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:51 (twenty years ago)

7. Gwen Stefani has no idea why those Japanese women are following her around.

I couldn't read past this one because I was laughing too hard.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:51 (twenty years ago)

62. Chicago White Sox third basemen Joe Crede changed the pronounciation of his name from "creed" to "CREE-dee" in 1999, in order to avoid any unfortunate association with the Scott Stapp-led band.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:53 (twenty years ago)

i think several of these are actually true

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

Bloc Party were originally going to be called The Small Faces, before drummer Matt Tong remembered that he owned a copy of 'Ogden's Nut Gone Flake'. He would later claim that he thought it was by Amen Corner.

I think this is my new favorite.

― Cunga (Cunga), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:00 (twenty years ago)

63. The 'keyboard sound' on Saint Etienne's version of 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' was actually a looped sample of Pete Wiggs honking the horn of his Citroen BX outside Neil Tennant's house at 3AM on Christmas morning 1987 in a mildly petty act of revenge for the Pet Shop Boys having kept 'Fairytale Of New York' off the Christmas number one. However, Tennant was not home at the time, and Wiggs therefore decided to incorporate the sound in one of his records "just so the bastard knew." To date, Neil Tennant has never knowingly listened to a Saint Etienne record.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:04 (twenty years ago)

64. Britney Spears was enrolling at Notre Dame the same fall as I was (I subsequently heard the same thing about Miami of Ohio and Oberlin, so that nicked it).

65. "Fire and Rain" was about how James Taylor's girlfriend died in a fiery plane crash.

66. Billy Corgan played the little kid on that robot girl sitcom "Small Wonder."

― PB, Monday, 11 July 2005 23:09 (twenty years ago)

67. The working title of Blur's "Song 2", was "Mr. Robinson's Day Trip In a Jumbo Jet".

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

68. Billy Corgan played the robot girl on the sitcom "Small Wonder."

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NEW WINNER IS MICHAEL DADDINO

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:11 (twenty years ago)

69. George W. Bush listens to Sigur Ros.

― PB, Monday, 11 July 2005 23:14 (twenty years ago)

70. Rock 'n roll is still strictly outlawed in Liechtenstein on the grounds that The Rubettes were shit.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:18 (twenty years ago)

71. Kraftwerk had originally intended to write a song about the Giro D'Italia (NOT the Tour de France). However, the idea was scrapped following a series of band-only meetings during which the foursome realized that none of them could speak a word of Italian.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:28 (twenty years ago)

72. Pavements first UK gig took place at The Working Men's Club in Stoke, according to eye witness reports they were watched by a crowd of six. One of the crowd is said to have described them as "a bit noisy". Stephen Malkmus later explained this odd venue choice in a 1998 Select interview with the words; "y'know it was like what The Fall did."

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:29 (twenty years ago)

72. A defective typewriter at the Capitol Records head office is to blame for the Beach Boys' inability to spearhead the "Smurf Music" craze.

73. Geir Hongro is the Seventh Beatle.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:30 (twenty years ago)

74. In a 2004 poll the readers of Scandinavian music magazine Yo! Yo! Hot Pop Boys! voted lo fi king Daniel Johnston the 23rd hottest man in the history of pop.

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:32 (twenty years ago)

75. The Flaming Lips, sans Wayne Coyne, are the Residents. Coyne doesn't know.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:37 (twenty years ago)

76. Van Morrison only started making music in the hope that he would one day be famous enough to go out with Sandie Shaw.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:37 (twenty years ago)

77. Your favourite band are Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:39 (twenty years ago)

78. The original version of "Scenario (Remix)" featured eight MCs, with the verse from a 13 year old Roy Carroll being cut due to reasons of length.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:41 (twenty years ago)

79. According to a secret newsletter that was leaked to the blogosphere in February 2005, Godspeed You! Black Emperor will change their name to Godspeed, You Black: Emperor the night before the next winter solstice.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:46 (twenty years ago)

80. An unnamed member of Girls Aloud baffingly insists on writing the groups to write it as "Girls Allowed". This has resulted in a number of financial mishaps. The annonymous member is unrepentant claiming; "I always was against the name, the lacklusture punning was what did for Hear'Say." Adding mysteriously "It is only my correct use of the English language that prevents us from sliding down a slippery slope that ends with us fobbing sob stories to Frank Skinner."

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:49 (twenty years ago)

81. Howard Jones would like to get to know you well.

― elwisty (elwisty), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:50 (twenty years ago)

82. Haddaway is the majority shareholder in Yates' Wine Bars.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:58 (twenty years ago)

83. Aphex Twin is really just Paul McCartney's horticulturist, taking the piss. All Aphex Twin records are just Macca screwing around.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 00:17 (twenty years ago)

84. Aphex Twin is actually an octet.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 00:29 (twenty years ago)

85. "We are the World," despite being one of the best-selling records of its time, never hit #1 in the U.S., having the misfortune of being released during Scritti Politti's thirteen-week reign on the top of the charts with "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)"

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 00:52 (twenty years ago)

86. Aretha Franklin is 35% nachos.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 00:58 (twenty years ago)

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TLC originally recorded their hit as "No Bustas", which began "A busta is a guy that thinks he's fly, also known as a scrub" but re-wrote it following advice from Busta Rhymes, who pointed out that "busta" didn't rhyme with anything.

― kinder, Tuesday, 19 November 2024 22:04 (one year ago)

The Stranglers’ “Golden Brown” was originally a campaign song for Gordon Brown in his first stand for MP from Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

― Booger Swamp Road (Boring, Maryland), Friday, 22 November 2024 15:10 (one year ago)

three months pass...

like the rolling stones have their great lost profanely titled opus cocksucker blues, so too does one exist in the annals of king crimson: 1978's the perineum of swirling delight.

― Constance Mischievous (Austin), Sunday, 16 March 2025 18:53 (one year ago)

As a young adult, Kayleigh Rose Amstutz (aka Chappell Roan) spent a balmy August at a performing and songwriting summer camp in Branson Missouri. As a result, she has a lifelong misunderstanding of the phase 'camp' and how it applies to her musical oeuvre.
Whenever the adjective camp is applied to her output, she assumes people are talking about the similarity to her performances at summer camp and will readily agree. This has caused a few misunderstandings but as both are tonally similar, not as many as you would think.

― my opinionation (Hamildan), Monday, 17 March 2025 15:43 (one year ago)

three weeks pass...

David Bowie attempted to disavow his "Thin White Duck" persona, saying: "It was a really fowl time for me [...] I was totally quacking up. I could barely stay afloat in that period of my life, and left others holding the bill."

― uptight subreddit mod™ (morrisp), Friday, 11 April 2025 04:08 (one year ago)

five months pass...

In Thin Lizzy's hit song "The Boys are Back in Town," the town in question is Boise, Idaho. The original lyric was "the boys are back in Boise."

Which is odd because none of the Irishmen had ever been to Boise at the time of the song's composition.

― the banana of evil (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, 6 October 2025 23:32 (eight months ago)

Bruce Springsteen is responsible for 0.3% of global carbon emissions since the Industrial Revolution

― rob, Tuesday, 7 October 2025 19:06 (eight months ago)

four weeks pass...

If you were to listen to one Guided by Voices/Robert Pollard song per day, Bob would keep up and you would never finish.

― Hideous Lump, Tuesday, 4 November 2025 21:34 (seven months ago)

^is this false, tho?

― dentist looking too comfortable singing the blues (hardcore dilettante), Saturday, 8 November 2025 02:54 (seven months ago)

two months pass...

Carly Simon spent 1971 obsessively playtesting Atari's upcoming arcade smash Pong, and in her downtime was inspired to write the song You're So Vain, including the withering line "I bet you think that Pong is about you". Simon later reluctantly replaced this line with a confusingly self-referential alternate lyric after risk-averse creator Allan Alcorn reached out to advise her that there were no circumstances in which Pong could ever be about anything.

― Sgt. Biscuits, Sunday, 18 January 2026 21:36 (five months ago)

Awesome fact, Sergeant.

It's interesting that so many of her biggest hits started out as odes to video games.

For example, I heard that the song "Anticipation" was originally called "A New Playstation."

― calmer chameleon (Ye Mad Puffin), Sunday, 18 January 2026 22:16 (five months ago)

two months pass...

Nudie Suits, the wonderfully colorful and gaudy western getups worn by many Country stars from the midcentury onwards, were named in reference to the colorful and gaudy forms of the mollusk order of Nudibranch, which Porter Wagoner was studying while working towards a marine biology degree before his singing career took off.

― bendy, Wednesday, 15 April 2026 14:08 (two months ago)

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