Finish the Lyric... With the Title Quiz

Answer: Ashes to Ashes

"Ashes to Ashes" was the lead single from David Bowie's 14th studio album "Scary Monsters". Released on 1 August 1980, the song was meant as a sequel to Bowie's "Space Oddity" (1969), whose main character, Major Tom, is revealed as floating in space after succumbing to drug addiction. This theme reflects Bowie's own struggles with drugs throughout the previous decade. At the time of release, the music video, directed by Bowie and director David Mallet, was the most expensive ever made, with Bowie portraying three different characters - a clown, an astronaut, and the inmate of a psychiatric hospital.

Boasting a rather complex structure for a relatively short song, "Ashes to Ashes" features musical influences from funk, reggae and ska - all genres that became very popular in the early '80s. Though it initially met with mixed reviews, now "Ashes to Ashes" is regarded as one of Bowie's finest songs. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the second Bowie single to do so after "Space Oddity". While it did not make it to the US Billboard Hot 100, it did chart at number 21 on the Billboard Disco Top 100.

Answer: Once in a Lifetime

Produced and co-written by Brian Eno, "Once in a Lifetime" was released in January 1981 as the lead single from "Remain in Light", the fourth studio album by New York-based band Talking Heads. The song was born of a series of jams influenced by Afrobeat music, with a repetitive, hypnotic rhythm that emphasizes guitarist/vocalist David Byrne's lyrics about the unconscious and an existential crisis - though they have also been interpreted as an indictment of consumerism. The chorus follows a call-and-response pattern reminiscent of the interaction between a preacher and its congregation.

The music video, directed by Byrne and Toni Basil (of "Mickey" fame), shows Byrne dancing alone in an empty, white room, while footage of religious rituals and smaller images of Byrne himself appear in the background. "Once in a Lifetime" reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, while the live version from the concert film "Stop Making Sense" (1984) charted at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100. The magazine "Rolling Stone" included the song in its 2021 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time",where it appears at number 28.

Answer: Tom Sawyer

The opening track from Canadian trio Rush's eighth studio album, "Moving Pictures", "Tom Sawyer" was released as a single in the US and Canada in May 1981. The song was a collaboration between the three band members and Pye Dubois, lyricist of fellow Canadian band Max Webster. Dubois' original lyrics were about a modern-day rebel whose "mind is not for rent"; drummer and lyricist Neil Peart (who sadly passed away in January 2020) added his own point of view on the difference between what people really are and how others perceive them to be.

The quintessential 80s Rush song - strongly punctuated by synthesizers, but also featuring a dynamic guitar solo by guitarist Alex Lifeson - "Tom Sawyer" quickly became a staple of the band's live performances, and a frequent presence on classic radio stations. The music video shows the band playing the song in the studio, with a snowy landscape in the background. Not released as a single in other countries, the song reached number 24 on the Canada Top Singles chart, and number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. The live version of the song from Rush's second live album "Exit... Stage Left", also released in 1981, reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart

Answer: Hungry Like the Wolf

"Hungry Like the Wolf" was the first single from Duran Duran's second studio album, "Rio". The song was released on 4 May 1982, less than a week before the album. Written by all the five members of the band, "Hungry Like the Wolf" is a catchy song with an edge, blending synth-pop with the heaviness of Andy Taylor's guitar riffs to produce a glam-rock classic for a new decade. According to Taylor, the lyrics - written by lead singer Simon LeBon - were inspired by the well-known tale of "Little Red Riding Hood".

Hugely successful in many countries, "Hungry Like the Wolf" peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, however, the song initially failed to chart upon its release in June 1982. When the music video was placed in heavy rotation by MTV, the song gained a lot of exposure, and eventually reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1983. Directed by Russell Mulcahy (known for directing the first two "Highlander" films), the video was filmed in Sri Lanka, showing the band members in exotic locales, with LeBon chasing a sexy tiger-woman through rivers and jungles.

Answer: White Wedding

Released on 23 October 1982, "White Wedding" was the second single from Billy Idol's self-titled debut album. Though reportedly inspired by the wedding of Idol's own sister (who was pregnant at the time), the song is about a man's girlfriend marrying someone else - probably because she is also pregnant, as implied by the repetition of the word "shotgun". The reference to the bride's virginity in the song's title thus comes across as ironical, reinforcing the bitter tone of the lyrics.

With sneering vocals and Steve Stevens' jangly guitar riff, "White Wedding" is probably Billy Idol's best-known song - though not his highest-charting one. It did reach number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number six on the UK Singles Chart when it was reissued in 1985. The music video, directed by David Mallet, features striking Gothic imagery - complete with candles, crosses, a barbed-wire wedding ring, and leather-clad dancers; Idol's then-girlfriend Perri Lister appears as the bride.

Answer: My City Was Gone

"My City Was Gone" was originally released on 17 September 1982 as the B-side of "Back on the Chain Gang", the first single released by The Pretenders after the death of guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, one of the band's founding members. The song would eventually appear on the band's third studio album, "Learning to Crawl" (1984). Written by lead vocalist/guitarist Chrissie Hynde, the song has a strong autobiographical content, lamenting the changes for the worse in her hometown of Akron, Ohio, and the destruction of the rural environment around the city. The song's distinctive, driving bass line is based on a riff that session bassist Tony Butler (a founding member of the Scottish band Big Country) used as a warm-up.

Besides its undeniable musical merits, "My City Was Gone" is known for more controversial reasons, as it was used as the opening theme of a talk radio show hosted by conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh from 1984 until his death in 2021. Limbaugh chose the song because of its unmistakable bass line rather than for the content of the lyrics. Legal problems ensued, but eventually Hynde agreed to allow Limbaugh to use the song.

Answer: New Year's Day

Released on 10 January 1983, over a month in advance of the album, "New Year's Day" was the lead single from "War", U2's third studio album. Though the song was originally born as a love song dedicated by lead singer Bono to his wife, it was reworked by the whole band with lyrics about the Polish Solidarity movement and its fight against totalitarian rule. Adam Clayton's powerful bass line and The Edge's piano and guitar drive the song, which also features an impassioned vocal performance by Bono.

Filmed in Sweden at the end of 1982, the music video shows the band members swathed in heavy winter clothes, playing in a snowy landscape - as well as four people on horseback (reportedly four Swedish teenage girls wearing masks) riding through a forest. "New Year's Day" became a staple of U2's live performances: a version of the song appears on their 1983 live album "Under a Blood Red Sky" (whose title was taken from one of the song's lines). The band's first international hit, it reached number ten on the UK Singles Chart and number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 - as well as number two on the Irish Singles Chart.

Answer: King of Pain

"King of Pain" was released in August 1983 as the second single from The Police's fifth and final album, "Synchronicity". However, in the UK it was released in January 1984 as the fourth single from the album. The song was written by lead singer/bassist Sting in the aftermath of his messy divorce from his first wife: its lyrics revolve around bleak, yet powerfully evoked images of pain and grief that Sting relates to his own soul at that difficult time (which also involved the band's own death throes).

Introduced by Sting's voice accompanied by piano, the song develops into a hauntingly catchy piece with a hint of the reggae influence that put The Police in the spotlight in the late 1970s. In some ways, it is the perfect complement to the worldwide hit "Every Breath You Take" a sinister celebration of jealousy and possessiveness disguised as a love song. Though not equally successful in the rest of the world, "King of Pain" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and made it to number one on the Canada Top Singles chart.

Answer: Drive

Released on 23 July 1984, "Drive" was the third single from The Cars' fifth studio album, "Heartbeat City". One of the band's best-known songs, and their highest-charting single, the song was written by vocalist/guitarist Ric Ocasek, and sung by bassist Benjamin Orr (who sadly passed away in 2000). This atmospheric, melancholy ballad about a woman's life spiraling out of control seen through the eyes of a former lover is definitely not your conventional love song, nor typical of the band's generally energetic, upbeat sound. The lush electronic keyboards emphasize Orr's warm, wistful voice, a major component of the song's timeless allure.

The deeply poignant music video, directed by Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton, starred 19-year-old Czech-born model Paulina Porizkova, who would marry Ocasek five years later. In July 1985, The Cars played "Drive" at the Philadelphia leg of "Live Aid", while at Wembley Stadium the song was played in the background of a montage of scenes from the famine in Ethiopia. The song reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, and number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: Money for Nothing

The second single from Dire Straits' fifth studio album, "Brothers in Arms", "Money for Nothing" was released on 28 June 1985. It was the band's most successful single, which saw them fully embrace the sound and aesthetics of the Eighties, with ample use of synthesizers and other electronic effects - as well as a highly recognizable guitar riff. Sting of The Police co-wrote the song with guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, also guesting on backing vocals.

In the humorous lyrics, two employees in a big-box appliance store comment on the music videos they are watching while working. The song has sparked some controversy for the use of a homophobic slur, so that some radio stations have refused to play it. Though Knopfler has often stated that the word is used in a satirical sense to reflect the attitude of the song's main character, he has occasionally altered the lyrics when playing live.

The groundbreaking music video, directed by Steven Barron, featured one of the earliest uses of 3D computer animation. "Money for Nothing" was performed by Dire Straits and Sting at Live Aid, just a couple of weeks after its release. In 1986, it won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. In terms of chart performance, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and number four on the UK Singles Chart.

Answer: Sledgehammer

Released on 14 April 1986, "Sledgehammer" was the lead single from Peter Gabriel's fifth studio album, "So", which was released about a month later. The song was Gabriel's first real foray into soul music, which had been one of the musician's favourite genres when he was a teenager - before he became famous as the frontman of progressive rock band Genesis. In keeping with the song's funky swagger, the lyrics take a much earthier direction than Gabriel's previous efforts, more concerned with social and existential issues. Indeed, Gabriel himself has stated that "Sledgehammer" is a tongue-in-cheek song about sex. The song also features a synthesized shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute.

Directed by Stephen R. Johnson (who also directed the video for "Big Time", the fourth single from "So"), the music video employed cutting-edge techniques such as claymation and stop-motion animation. Now often cited as one of the greatest music videos ever made, "Sledgehammer" won a record nine MTV Awards in 1987. It also became Gabriel's only song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while it reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.

Answer: Cult of Personality

"Cult of Personality" is the opening track of "Vivid", New York band Living Colour's debut album, released as a single (the second from the album) on 14 July 1988. Written by all four band members, the song was inspired by some lines scribbled in a notebook by guitarist Vernon Reid, which became the song's opening lines, "Look in my eyes, what do you see?/The cult of personality". The lyrics reference a number of high-profile political personalities as examples of cult of personality - some of them usually regarded as "bad", and some regarded as "good". According to Reid, the song's point was to figure out what caused people to follow such individuals so devotedly.

Driven by Reid's electrifying guitar riffs and Glover's powerful, soaring vocals, "Cult of Personality" also includes samples from famous political speeches of the 20th century. Original footage of the personalities mentioned in the song also appears in the music video, interspersed with live footage of the band. The song reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100; it also won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990.