Ten facts on music you don't know

If you're here on our website, there is no doubt that you love music and certainly have your repertoire of knowledge on the music world. But, here are ten interesting facts about the world of music that may surprise you!

1. Hans Zimmer does not have a formal background in music

That's right- the talented composer of some of our favorite childhood soundtracks, be it from the Lion King or Pirates of the Caribbean, has no formal training in music except for some piano lessons that he took as a kid.

2. Mozart sold the most CDs in 2016

Who would have thought that an 18th-century music composer would outdo modern icons like Beyonce and Adele? Universal Music Group released a box containing 200 discs each on the occasion of Mozart's 225th death anniversary. Each disc was counted as one sale; before long, it hit record sales that year.

3. Britney Spears' songs were used by the British Navy to scare off pirates

Hit tracks like 'Oops I Did It Again' and 'Baby One More Time' is used by the navy to keep Somali pirates at bay on the eastern African coast according to reports. The fun logic is that these pirates apparently have a disliking of western culture and music and would move on as quickly as possible.

4. The world's largest performing rock band had 953 musicians

This astounding record was achieved on June 16, 2016, by The Beijing Contemporary Music Academy by performing in Tianjin, China. The performance included 349 singers, 154 guitarists, 151 drummers, 100 bassists, 100 keyboard players, and 98 wind instrument players.

5. Daddy Yankee is the first Latin artist to become Number One on Spotify

You might undeniably recognize this artist from his global hit track 'Despacito' that hit record views on YouTube and is the most viewed music video online. What you might know is the Latin artist topped the Spotify charts on July 9th, 2017, and rightfully so.

6. Katy Perry once sold a gospel album

This is definitely a surprise considering that the American singer is known for her pop hits with bold themes, music, and visuals. Turns out, her debut album 'Katy Hudson' was indeed the polar opposite of the artist's current trend.

7. The Beatles once sang about Marijuana

Similar to rapper Logic's track 'Nikki' is a reference to his drug addiction and a play on nicotine, Paul McCartney admitted that the 'you' in the track 'Got to Get You into My Life' that was released as part of the 'Revolver' 1996 album is a reference to Marijuana.

8. George Strait has more Number One hits than any artist of any genre

Known widely as the King of Country Music, this artist had over sixty songs make it to the number one spot in over thirty years, something no other artist falling under any genre has ever achieved.

9. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana is actually about deodorant for girls

With over a billion views on YouTube, this song with an air of sweet youthful rebellion is actually about deodorant for girls. Katherine Hanna, a friend of Kurt Cobain's girlfriend of the time, wrote the phrase as a joke on Cobain's wall that ended up becoming the song's title.

10. 'Sweet Child O' Mine' was written in five minutes

Guns N Roses' hit track 'Sweet Child O' Mine' was written in under five minutes according to the American hard rock band's lead singer Axl Rose who wrote them down while listening to the guitar from another room. And the result? The song spent 24 whole weeks as the number-one track!