Music of the 1980s Quiz

1. Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' (1982) changed music forever. Who directed its iconic music video?

1. Francis Ford Coppola
2. John Landis
3. Steven Spielberg
4. Tim Burton

2. Which 1980s genre featured big hair, spandex, face paint, and bands like Mötley Crüe, Poison, and Whitesnake?

1. Hair metal / glam metal
2. New wave
3. Prog rock
4. Punk revival

3. New Order's 'Blue Monday' (1983) is the best-selling 12-inch single of all time. It was notable partly because:

1. It featured a famous collaboration with Kraftwerk
2. It spent 26 weeks at #1 in the UK
3. It was the first UK single to be certified platinum
4. Its elaborate die-cut sleeve design cost more to manufacture than the single sold for, meaning New Order lost money on every copy

4. Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' was #1 in 1984. What label was she signed to?

1. Arista
2. Capitol
3. Columbia
4. Warner Bros / Sire Records

5. Which 1985 UK band had a #1 hit with 'Don't You Want Me' but is better remembered for defining synth-pop?

1. Culture Club
2. Duran Duran
3. Spandau Ballet
4. The Human League

6. Prince's '1999' (1982) and 'Purple Rain' (1984) made him a superstar. How many instruments did Prince reportedly play on his recordings?

1. 12
2. 5
3. Over 20
4. Over 40

7. The 1985 charity single 'We Are the World' was the US equivalent of Band Aid. Who produced it?

1. Clive Davis
2. Phil Spector
3. Quincy Jones
4. Rick Rubin

8. Cyndi Lauper's debut single 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' (1983) came from which album?

1. A Night to Remember
2. Hat Full of Stars
3. She's So Unusual
4. True Colors

9. Run-DMC's collaboration with which rock band in 1986 is considered a landmark moment in music that helped break hip-hop into mainstream rock audiences?

1. AC/DC
2. Aerosmith
3. Bon Jovi
4. Van Halen

10. Which British duo released 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' and 'Careless Whisper' in 1984?

1. Eurythmics
2. Pet Shop Boys
3. Tears for Fears
4. Wham!

11. The MTV era transformed music. Which was the first video ever played on MTV in August 1981?

1. Billie Jean — Michael Jackson
2. Eye of the Tiger — Survivor
3. Girls on Film — Duran Duran
4. Video Killed the Radio Star — The Buggles

12. Dire Straits' 'Money for Nothing' (1985) became one of the first songs to feature what digital sound?

1. Auto-Tune
2. CD-quality digital mastering on a single
3. Digital sampling
4. The first major use of digitally synthesised guitar sound (using Fairlight CMI and Synclavier)

13. Depeche Mode are one of the most successful electronic acts in history. They formed in which English town?

1. Basildon, Essex
2. Brighton
3. Manchester
4. Sheffield

14. Which 1980s band was fronted by Bono and became famous for their political activism alongside their music?

1. INXS
2. R.E.M.
3. Simple Minds
4. U2

15. Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album (1985) produced how many consecutive #1 singles — a record at the time?

1. Five
2. Four
3. Three
4. Two

16. Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)' was a UK hit in 1985. It became a global phenomenon again in which year?

1. 2000
2. 2012
3. 2019
4. 2022

17. Talking Heads, one of the most critically acclaimed new wave bands, were led by which vocalist/guitarist?

1. David Byrne
2. Elvis Costello
3. Lou Reed
4. Paul Simon

18. The 1985 Live Aid concert raised money for Ethiopian famine relief. Approximately how much did it raise?

1. £10 million
2. £150 million
3. £30 million
4. £500 million

19. Guns N' Roses' debut album 'Appetite for Destruction' (1987) became one of the best-selling albums of all time. What was its original banned cover?

1. A nuclear explosion over Los Angeles
2. A photorealistic coffin with gravestones
3. A police officer shooting a protester
4. A Robert Williams painting depicting a robot sexually assaulting a woman — replaced after public outrage

20. R.E.M. are considered one of the most important alternative bands of the 1980s. They formed in which US city?

1. Athens, Georgia
2. Boston
3. Minneapolis
4. Seattle