Welcome to my Senioritis Playlist Quiz

Answer: Dionne Warwick and Friends

This was the third version of Bert Bacharach's and Carole Bayer Sanger's "That's What Friends Are For." It was initially recorded by the Stylistics in 1975 and again by Rod Stewart in 1982. Sung by Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John, the 1986 recording raised money for AIDS research and prevention. The song spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and raised $3 million.

We sang this song at our spring concert and again at graduation. I saw my mom misting up in the audience at graduation but was more concerned with trying not to trip on stage.

Answer: Survivor

"Burning Heart" came from the "Rocky IV" soundtrack and was recorded by Survivor who spent six weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983 with "Eye of the Tiger," the theme to "Rocky III." The song reflects the movie's USA vs. USSR theme.

Answer: Wham

Written by George Michael, "I'm Your Man" was at its number three peak this week. Released six months before the duo split up and Michael became a solo artist, the song was released as a stand alone single, with a different version appearing on the group's last album, "Music from the Edge of Heaven." It was the final song played at their farewell concert at Wembley Stadium.

Answer: Stevie Nicks

At its Billboard Hot 100 peak, "Talk to Me" comes from Stevie Nicks's 1984 album "Rock a Little." Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac with her then boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham and wrote and sang the group's only Billboard Hot 100 number one song, "Dreams" which appeared on the band's multi-platinum and Grammy winning album, "Rumors." She released her first solo album, "Bella Donna," in 1981 and as of 2025 has released eight solo albums and appeared on eight albums with Fleetwood Mac.

Answer: Lionel Richie

From the 1985 movie "White Nights," (it played over the closing credits) "Say You, Say Me" spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It did not appear on the soundtrack album, though, but appeared on Richie's 1986 album, "Dancing on the Ceiling." The song was particularly successful in South Africa, spending 30 weeks on top of that country's pop chart.

Our band played the song at our spring concert. The trombone part is two pages of quarter notes, occasionally going up or down a step. There were times I regretted being the entire low brass section at my small, all-girls high school. This was one of them.

Answer: Bruce Springsteen

"My Hometown" was the seventh top ten single from Bruce Springsteen's 1984 album, "Born in the USA." In the song, the narrator drives around his hometown, telling his son about growing up amid racial strife and financial recessions, explaining why he eventually moved away. The song references the closure of the Karagheusian Rug Mill in Freehold, NJ.

Answer: Billy Ocean

Another movie song, Billy Ocean's "When the Going Gets Tough" was on the soundtrack to 1985's "The Jewel of the Nile." It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Trinidad-born Leslie Sebastian Charles moved to England with his family at age ten. Performing under the name Billy Ocean, he had hits with "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" which earned him a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1985 and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)."

Answer: Paul McCartney

The title track to the 1985 Dan Aykroyd/Chevy Chase Movie, Paul McCartney's "Spies Like Us" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and was his last US top ten until 2015's "FourFiveSeconds." The movie was originally written by Aykroyd and Dave Thomas (of "SCTV") for Aykroyd and John Belushi but was shelved after Belushi's 1982 death; it was later rewritten for Aykroyd and Chase.

It's about two novice spies being sent to the USSR at the height of the Cold War and was financially successful despite mostly negative reviews.

Answer: Dire Straits

"Walk of Life" was the third single from Dire Straits's 1985 album "Brothers in Arms" and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Mark Knopfler and inspired by a photo of a young man playing guitar in the subway. Dire Straits formed in 1977, went on hiatus 1988-1990, and disbanded in 1995. Their hits include "Sultans of Swing" and "Money for Nothing."

Answer: Stevie Wonder

At number ten, we have Stevie Wonder's second release from his 1985 album "In Square Circle". Born Stevland Hardaway Morris Judkins, Stevie Wonder was born prematurely on May 13, 1950 and lost his sight due to the high oxygen levels used in the incubators of the era. He signed a contract with Motown in 1963 and two years later, billed as Little Stevie Wonder, became the youngest solo artist (as of 2025) to have a number one Billboard hit when "Fingertips" topped the Billboard Hot 100. Wonder plays keyboards and harmonica on his records as well as singing.

Over the course of his long career, Wonder has released many now classic songs including "For Once in My Life" (1969), "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" (1970), "Superstition" (1972), "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (1973), and "Isn't She Lovely" (about his newborn daughter, 1976). As of 2005, he has won 22 Grammy Awards on 70 nominations, an Oscar for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (1984, from the movie "The Woman in Red"), and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984.