Can You Name the Pop Song If We Give You a Few Lyrics?

ENTERTAINMENT

By: Jane Andrews

7 Min Quiz

Image: RCA Records Label

About This Quiz

There's nothing quite as uplifting as an inspiring power ballad when you're feeling down, or as energizing as a fast-tempo dance tune when you're working out. And when you can't get out of bed after a soul-crushing break-up, those rousing I'm-over-you tracks can come to the rescue.

In these ways (and many more), pop music has the power to touch everyone. Songs of this genre dominate the U.S. Hot 100 Billboard chart for a reason — the radio is playing them nonstop, and a record number of Americans are buying, downloading, or streaming them. From prolific pop icons like Madonna, Britney and Beyoncé to lesser-known artists who top the charts with one or two infectious tunes, these talented performers know how to get hundreds of thousands of people on their feet. They also have a knack for dropping catchy singles to which we all end up knowing the words, whether we like it or not.

Are you one of those people who always has a pop song playing in their head? If so, we have a feeling you'll nail this quiz. It features lyrics from some of the most popular songs of the last few decades. Can you guess each one correctly? It's time to do your hair toss, check your nails and find out!

Which Madonna song are these lyrics from? "Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone. I hear you call my name and it feels like home."

Off Madonna's fourth studio album of the same name, "Like a Prayer" was received widespread acclaim from critics when it was released in 1989. It reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks in a row.

Advertisement

"It's close to midnight, something evil's lurking in the dark. Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart." Do you recognize this well-known pop song from the '80s?

Released in 1982, "Thriller" by Michael Jackson is one of the best-selling singles of all time. In 1983, Jackson won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Male for the song. He also won a Grammy for the album as a whole.

Advertisement

Which 2010 pop song asks the question, "Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again?"

Katy Perry co-wrote and performed this single off her third studio album, "Teenage Dream." The song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and won an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.

Advertisement

Which of the following Whitney Houston songs features the lyrics, "I need a man who'll take a chance on a love that burns hot enough to last. So when the night falls, my lonely heart calls"?

This 1987 pop hit was the first single from Houston's second album, "Whitney." The song became the star's fourth consecutive No.1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, selling over 1 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Advertisement

Can you tell us the Britney song these lyrics are from? "It's getting late to give you up. I took a sip from my devil's cup. Slowly, it's taking over me."

From Britney Spears' fourth album, "In the Zone," this infectious song hit the U.S. airwaves in 2003. The meg star received her first and only Grammy Award to date for the song in the Best Dance Recording category.

Advertisement

"Up in the club, just broke up, I'm doing my own little thing. You decided to dip, but now you wanna trip, 'cause another brother noticed me." What 2008 hit features these fun words?

This song is from Beyonce's third studio album, "I Am... Sasha Fierce." It won three Grammy Awards in 2010, including Song of the Year. It also topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for four non-consecutive weeks.

Advertisement

Can you name this early aughts boy band song? "Every little thing I do never seems enough for you. You don't want to lose it again, but I'm not like them."

Released in 2000, this NSYNC hit was the second single off the band's second studio album, "No Strings Attached." Unbelievably, the song was NSYNC's only No.1 song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Advertisement

Which sad 2010 love song includes the lyrics, "The scars of your love remind me of us. They keep me thinking that we almost had it all"?

This was English singer-songwriter Adele's first No.1 single in the United States, and it remained at the top spot for seven weeks. The song also went to No.1 in 10 other countries.

Advertisement

"I never miss a beat. I'm lightning on my feet. And that's what they don't see." Do you know the 2014 tune that these lines are from?

This single is from Taylor Swifts fifth studio album, "1989." It debuted at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and won the award for Favorite Song at the 2015 "People's Choice Awards."

Advertisement

Can you name the 1999 song with the lyrics, "I feel like I've been locked up tight, for a century of lonely nights, waiting for someone to release me"?

Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" was one of the most popular summer songs of 1999. It reached No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts and stayed there for five consecutive weeks.

Advertisement

Do you recognize these Demi Lovato lyrics? "You can take everything I have. You can break everything I am. Like I'm made of glass. Like I'm made of paper."

Off Lovato's third studio album, "Unbroken," this 2011 power ballad debuted at No.10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also sold 176,000 paid digital downloads in the first week of release in the United States, which was a sales record for Lovato.

Advertisement

Do you recognize this Lady Gaga song? "My mama told me when I was young, we are all born superstars. She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on in the glass of her boudoir."

"Born This Way" debuted at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when it was released in 2011. The song held the top spot for six weeks and became the fastest-selling song in iTunes history.

Advertisement

Can you name the catchy 2011 song that features these lyrics? "I threw a wish in the well. Don't ask me, I'll never tell. I looked at you as it fell. And now you're in my way."

This single by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen spent nine consecutive weeks at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was also nominated for two Grammy Awards and named Song of the Year by MTV.

Advertisement

Which 2017 song includes, "The club isn't the best place to find a lover. So the bar is where I go. Me and my friends at the table doing shots. Drinking fast and then we talk slow."

Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No.1 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 charts. This made it the best-performing song of 2017 in the U.S.

Advertisement

"One taught me love. One taught me patience. And one taught me pain. Now, I'm so amazing." Can you guess this pop song from 2019?

"Thank U, Next" debuted at the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and was Ariana Grande's first No.1 single. The song also broke a record on Spotify for receiving the most streams in a single day by a female artist.

Advertisement

Do you know which 1999 song says, "No, I don't want your number. No, I don't want to give you mine and no, I don't want to meet you nowhere. No, I don't want none of your time"?

"No Scrubs" became TLC's third No.1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts. It stayed in the top position for four weeks and became the second-biggest U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single of 1999.

Advertisement

What popular 2005 song features these fierce lyrics? "I heard that you were talking s**t and you didn't think that I would hear it. People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up."

Released in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" is off Gwen Stefani's debut solo album, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." It became one of the most popular songs of the year, as well as the first digital download to sell 1 million copies.

Advertisement

"I know you know that I made those mistakes maybe once or twice. By once or twice I mean maybe a couple of hundred times." Which Justin Bieber song features these lyrics?

Released in 2015, "Sorry" spent three weeks at the No.1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also became one of the best-selling digital music releases in history with more than 10 million in U.S. sales in 2016.

Advertisement

Which 2013 dance song says, "We've come too far to give up who we are. So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars."

This song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk features vocals by Pharrell Williams. It won Grammy Awards for both Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year.

Advertisement

"So you're a tough guy. Like it really rough guy. Just can't get enough guy. Chest always so puffed guy." Do you know this 2019 hit?

The fifth single from Billie Eilish's debut studio album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?," "Bad Guy" won two Grammy Awards in 2020, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Advertisement

The lyrics "I do my hair toss, check my nails. Baby how you feelin'?" are from which catchy Lizzo song?

While this song was originally released in 2016, it didn't become a chart-topping hit until it was re-released for radio in 2019 and peaked at No.3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Advertisement

Which 2018 tune features the lyrics, "Gave love 'bout a hundred tries. Just running from the demons in your mind. Then I took yours and made 'em mine. I didn't notice 'cause my love was blind"?

"Without Me" became Halsey's first No.1 song on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 Chart as a lead artist. It was also the No.1-selling song in the U.S. for six weeks on the Digital Songs chart.

Advertisement

How about the line, "Said the air is thick, it's smellin' right. So you pass to the left, then you sail to the right." Which up-tempo early aughts pop song is it from?

This 2003 song is from Justin Timberlake's debut solo album, "Justified." It reached No.5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and was was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Advertisement

"Don't you ever say I just walked away. I will always want you. I can't live a lie, running for my life. I will always want you." Which 2013 hit are these lyrics from?

This song from Miley Cyrus's fourth studio album, "Bangerz," became the singer's first No.1 single on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 chart. It fell from the top spot after two weeks but returned to No.1 nine weeks later.

Advertisement

Which 2016 song features the lament, "You used to call me on my cellphone, late night when you need my love"?

Drake's catchy "Hotline Bling" peaked at No.2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song won two Grammy Awards in 2017 for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance, and it featured a wildly popular video that inspired many memes.

Advertisement

What about this 2003 Beyonce hit? "It's the way that you know what I thought I knew. It's the beat my heart skips when I'm with you. But I still don't understand just how your love can do what no one else can."

Off Beyoncé's first solo album, "Dangerously in Love," this song spent eight consecutive weeks at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was her first No.1 single as a solo artist.

Advertisement

"But you didn't have to cut me off. Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing. And I don't even need your love. But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough." Which 2011 song are these lyrics from?

Written and performed by Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, "Somebody That I Used to Know" reached No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained there for eight consecutive weeks.

Advertisement

What 2011 song says, "So get in the car we can ride it. Wherever you want get inside it. And you want to steer, but I'm shifting gear."

This pop hit by Maroon 5 features Christina Aguilera. The song reached No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and spent 10 weeks in the top three. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Advertisement

How about these Backstreet Boys lyrics? "Tell me why? Ain't nothin' but a heartache. Tell me why? Ain't nothin' but a mistake."

Now one of the Backstreet Boys' signature songs, "I Want It That Way" was the first single from the boy band's third studio album, "Millennium." It was nominated for three Grammy Awards.

Advertisement

Do you know which song features the line, "I'm so 3008, you so 2000 and late"?

Released in 2009, this song was The Black Eyed Peas' first No.1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It held the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks and became the second longest-running single at No.1 that year.

Advertisement

"Oh, when you walk by every night, talkin' sweet and lookin' fine, I get kinda hectic inside." Can you name this time-tested Mariah Carey hit?

When "Fantasy" was released in 1995, it became the second song in Billboard history — and the first by a female — to debut at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson was the first.

Advertisement

"Tonight, we are young. So let's set the world on fire. We can burn brighter than the sun." Which 2011 song are these lyrics from?

This song by American band Fun spent six consecutive weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became the first song to have seven weeks of digital sales exceeding of 300,000 , a record previously held by Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie."

Advertisement

Can you name this 2007 Rhianna song? "You have my heart, and we'll never be worlds apart. Maybe in magazines, but you'll still be my star."

Off Rhianna's third studio album, "Good Girl Gone Bad," this single spent seven consecutive weeks at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became the second best-performing single of 2007 behind Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable."

Advertisement

"Love can touch us one time and last for a lifetime. And never let go 'til we're gone." Do you recognize these late '90s pop ballad lyrics?

Performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On" served as the main theme song for the blockbuster 1997 film, "Titanic." It's one of the best-selling singles of all time and became the second-best-selling single by a female artist in history.

Advertisement

Which 2013 song has the lyrics, "If you can't hear what I'm trying to say, if you can't read from the same page, maybe I'm going deaf. Maybe I'm going blind. Maybe I'm out of my mind."

This Robin Thicke Song, which also features Pharrell Williams and rapper T.I., became the longest-running No.1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single of 2013. It spent 12 weeks at the top of the chart.

Advertisement

Explore More Quizzes

About HowStuffWorks Play

How much do you know about dinosaurs? What is an octane rating? And how do you use a proper noun? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks Play is here to help. Our award-winning website offers reliable, easy-to-understand explanations about how the world works. From fun quizzes that bring joy to your day, to compelling photography and fascinating lists, HowStuffWorks Play offers something for everyone. Sometimes we explain how stuff works, other times, we ask you, but we’re always exploring in the name of fun! Because learning is fun, so stick with us!