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Quiz about 80s Music Survey for Generation Yers

80s Music Survey for Generation Y'ers Quiz

If you're Gen X or older, this quiz should be a breeze! But if you're Gen Y (as in barely legal to drink, or younger), challenge yourself with this 80s survey - one question for each year of that decade - to prove how pop savvy you are!

A multiple-choice quiz by luvinsmile. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
luvinsmile

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
191,206

Updated
Oct 22 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
9 / 10

Plays
6422

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: AmandaM (10/10), SleepyPete (10/10), Guest 72 (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Kicking it off with 1980: "Whip It" peaked at #10 in the U.S. pop charts. What was the name of the group who could "Whip it...into shape...Whip It Good"? Hint

TiVo

Grecko

En Vogue

Devo

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. 1981: "Jessie's Girl", a song about desiring forbidden fruit (namely your best friend's girlfriend), was written and released by what musician? Hint

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Hornsby

Ricky Nelson

Rick Springfield

3. 1982: Laura Branigan released what would become her biggest hit single, which reached #2 on the US Charts and #1 on the European charts. What was the name of this particular high energy song? Hint

Stephanie

Gloria

Maria

Julia

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. 1983: Although Spandau Ballet enjoyed broad success in their native UK, they became only a one-hit wonder in the U.S. with a beautiful slow ballad. What was it? Hint

True

Question

False

Answer

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. 1984: "You're the Inspiration" made the Top Ten in the U.S. Pop Charts. The group that put out this and other 80s hits shares its name with what major U.S. city? Hint

Boston

Chicago

Miami

Atlanta

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. 1985: A group named "A-Ha" hit the top of the U.S. charts with their single, "Take on Me". However, the success of this song probably was partially due to its unorthodox video. What was different about the video? Hint

It was the first to feature women in skimpy attire

It fused animation with live action video

The band appeared completely naked

The video was a photo tribute to the band, whose members had died in a freak accident

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. 1986: One of the biggest movie stars at the time decided to release a music single titled "Party All the Time". Although the song was popular enough to become a Top Ten hit that year, it clearly demonstrated the actor's lack of musical talent and sealed his fate as a one hit musical wonder. Who is this actor? Hint

Eddie Murphy

Bruce Willis

Patrick Swayze

Christopher Reeve

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. 1987: "The Final Countdown", a song with few lyrics and lots of synthesizers, was released. The song's topic? Leaving Earth, possibly with aliens, for Venus. (Weird!) Anyway, who is the geographically-named group responsible for this song? Hint

Saskatchewan

Boston

Europe

Asia

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. 1988: What primarily 1960s era group actually scored their biggest selling single ever, "Kokomo", in this year? Hint

The Beach Boys

The Monkees

The Beatles

The Rolling Stones

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. And finally, an easy question for 1989: This singer/dancer decided to take up the cause of societal reform on her "1814" album. She saw several songs from the album zoom straight to the top of the charts. Who is she? (Hint: She has a very famous brother!) Hint

Cameron Diaz

Janet Jackson

Paula Abdul

Linda Ronstadt

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 16 2024 : AmandaM: 10/10
Oct 07 2024 : SleepyPete: 10/10
Oct 07 2024 : Guest 72: 10/10
Oct 04 2024 : chianti59: 10/10
Sep 26 2024 : Guest 206: 9/10
Sep 25 2024 : blackandgreen: 8/10
Sep 25 2024 : ebanks120: 8/10
Sep 22 2024 : Guest 64: 9/10
Sep 18 2024 : Guest 68: 7/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Kicking it off with 1980: "Whip It" peaked at #10 in the U.S. pop charts. What was the name of the group who could "Whip it...into shape...Whip It Good"?

Answer: Devo

Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale formed Devo in 1972 while the two were art students at Kent State University. They peaked in mainstream pop in 1980 with "Whip It" but soon faded out of the pop music scene.

2. 1981: "Jessie's Girl", a song about desiring forbidden fruit (namely your best friend's girlfriend), was written and released by what musician?

Answer: Rick Springfield

It took years of hard work for Rick Springfield to achieve a high level of musical success, but when he did, it paid off big time. "Jesse's Girl" stayed on the U.S. Pop Charts for nearly 30 weeks in 1981.

3. 1982: Laura Branigan released what would become her biggest hit single, which reached #2 on the US Charts and #1 on the European charts. What was the name of this particular high energy song?

Answer: Gloria

After enjoying some musical success in the 1980's, Laura Branigan's life took an unfortunate turn: she dropped out of the limelight when the hits stopped coming and her husband became ill with (and eventually died of) cancer. She re-emerged in 2002 when she portrayed Janis Joplin on Broadway. Sadly, she passed away in her sleep of a brain aneurysm on August 26, 2004 at the age of 52.

4. 1983: Although Spandau Ballet enjoyed broad success in their native UK, they became only a one-hit wonder in the U.S. with a beautiful slow ballad. What was it?

Answer: True

"True" is a beautiful, slow jazz ballad that can be heard at wedding receptions everywhere!

5. 1984: "You're the Inspiration" made the Top Ten in the U.S. Pop Charts. The group that put out this and other 80s hits shares its name with what major U.S. city?

Answer: Chicago

Band member Peter Cetera and renowned songwriter and keyboardist David Foster penned and composed this love ballad. In the 37 years from 1967 (when the group first formed) to 2004, Chicago has sold 120 million records, had 20 Top Ten hits, and scored 5 No. 1 singles.

Answer: It fused animation with live action video

The video was played continuously on MTV (Music Television) and helped give the Norwegian band some exposure here in the U.S. Unfortunately, as the novelty of the video wore down, so did the popularity of the group, and A-Ha never managed to approach that level of musical success again.

Answer: Eddie Murphy

The star of such 80's blockbusters like "48 Hours" and "Beverly Hills Cop" just couldn't cut it in the studio with "Party All The Time", whose lyrics, performance, and video were extremely lightweight by industry standards. Thankfully, he quickly decided to stick to comedy and acting.

Answer: Europe

Europe was comprised of five Swedish guys: some with blonde hair, some with permed hair, and all with that stereotypical 80s look. "The Final Countdown" reached #3 on the Billboard charts in 1987.

9. 1988: What primarily 1960s era group actually scored their biggest selling single ever, "Kokomo", in this year?

Answer: The Beach Boys

The original Beach Boys were Mike Love, Al Jardine, and brothers Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson. In the 60's, they were known for such hits as "California Girls", "I Get Around", and "Help Me Rhonda". Amazingly, "Kokomo" soared to #1 in the charts 27 years after the Beach Boys had originally been formed!

Answer: Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson's album "Rhythm Nation 1814" featured such tunes as "The Knowledge" which dealt with drugs, illiteracy, and other societal ills, and "Living In a World (They Didn't Make)" which focused on the suffering of children. The album, which featured tracks such as "Alright", "Rhythm Nation", and "Miss You Much", was the first album to generate seven Top Five hits on the Billboard charts. (Oh yeah, her famous brother is...Jermaine Jackson, from those psychic commercials! Oh yeah, and that King of Pop dude...)

Source: Author luvinsmile

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