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1980s Music Potpourri Trivia Quiz

If you think you know your 80s music, especially MTV, then this quiz is for you. So get that cranium ready and have some fun.

A multiple-choice quiz by cementhed. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
cementhed

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
317,244

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1213

Last 3 plays: Guest 67 (7/10), Guest 24 (3/10), Guest 67 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This 70s glam band made a comeback of sorts in the 80s, thanks to MTV, with the video "Run Runaway". Who is it? Hint

Sweet

Status Quo

Slade

New York Dolls

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Question 2 of 10

2. Although April Wine got their start in the late 60s, they didn't really make it big until this ballad was released in 1981. What was that ballad? Hint

Almost Paradise

Young Hearts

Magnet and Steel

Just Between You and Me

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Question 3 of 10

3. What song that originally charted in 1961 hit the charts again in 1986 due to its inclusion in a movie soundtrack? Hint

Some Kind of Wonderful

Hit The Road Jack

Blue Moon

Stand By Me

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Question 4 of 10

4. This diminutive diva was a staple of the early MTV era and would go on the have an astonishing 15 top 40 songs on the Billboard charts in the United States. Who is this dynamo? Hint

Patty Smyth

Stevie Nicks

Pat Benatar

Kim Carnes

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Question 5 of 10

5. Although they got their start in 1983, what band didn't make their first video until 1989? Hint

Van Halen

Anthrax

Metallica

Slayer

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Question 6 of 10

6. This former soap stud made it to number one on the Billboard Top 20 in the USA in 1981. Who was that soapy person? Hint

Rick Springfield

David Hasselhoff

Jack Wagner

Michael Damien

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Question 7 of 10

7. Russ Ballard had a minor MTV video hit with "Voices" from 1984, but what 70s AOR style band was he with? Hint

Utopia

King Crimson

Yes

Argent

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Question 8 of 10

8. What band won for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance at the 1989 Grammy Awards? Hint

Metallica

Megadeth

Jethro Tull

Dio

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Question 9 of 10

9. MTV's first ever game show launched back in 1987. Do you remember it? Hint

Singled Out

The Blame Game

Lip Service

Remote Control

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Question 10 of 10

10. This former member of Thin Lizzy would go on to have a fine career with the band Ultravox thanks in part to the song "Vienna". Who is he? Hint

Gary Moore

Midge Ure

Brian Robertson

Snowy White

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 03 2024 : Guest 67: 7/10
Sep 28 2024 : Guest 24: 3/10
Sep 25 2024 : Guest 67: 5/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This 70s glam band made a comeback of sorts in the 80s, thanks to MTV, with the video "Run Runaway". Who is it?

Answer: Slade

From Slades 1984 album "Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply". This video, along with the video of "My Oh My", rekindled interest in the band. Plus, in 1984, Quiet Riot and Mama's Boys covered Slades "Mama Weer All Crazee Now".

2. Although April Wine got their start in the late 60s, they didn't really make it big until this ballad was released in 1981. What was that ballad?

Answer: Just Between You and Me

April Wine actually got started in 1969 and had some success in the late 70s with "Roller" and "I Like To Rock". It was 1981 though that the band broke out with the LP "Nature of the Beast" which would also include "Sign of the Gypsy Queen".

3. What song that originally charted in 1961 hit the charts again in 1986 due to its inclusion in a movie soundtrack?

Answer: Stand By Me

From the movie of the same name, Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" hit the charts again 25 years after first doing so. This song would be covered many times over, most notably by John Lennon and Maurice White from Earth, Wind and Fire.

4. This diminutive diva was a staple of the early MTV era and would go on the have an astonishing 15 top 40 songs on the Billboard charts in the United States. Who is this dynamo?

Answer: Pat Benatar

Bursting onto the music scene in 1980, Pat Andrzejewski, a.k.a Pat Benatar, would be a darling of MTV. Of her top 40 Billboard hits, three of them would hit the top ten in the USA!

5. Although they got their start in 1983, what band didn't make their first video until 1989?

Answer: Metallica

With footage from the movie "Johnny Got His Gun" interspersed with the band playing, Metallica made their first video eerie and memorable, appropriatley entitled "One".

6. This former soap stud made it to number one on the Billboard Top 20 in the USA in 1981. Who was that soapy person?

Answer: Rick Springfield

Nine years after his first Billboard Top 20 hit in the USA with "Speak To The Sky" in 1972, Rick Springfield made it to number one on that chart again with the infectious "Jessie's Girl" in 1981.

7. Russ Ballard had a minor MTV video hit with "Voices" from 1984, but what 70s AOR style band was he with?

Answer: Argent

Ballard was the lead singer and guitarist with Argent from "Hold Your Head Up" fame. A prolific songwriter, he has penned hits for such acts as Rainbow, Hot Chocolate and Three Dog Night to name just a few.

8. What band won for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance at the 1989 Grammy Awards?

Answer: Jethro Tull

Still a head scratcher, and not a head banger to this day, Jethro Tull's "Crest of a Knave" won that first time award. In fact the band didnt even attend the event, sure that Metallica was going to win. Go figure.

9. MTV's first ever game show launched back in 1987. Do you remember it?

Answer: Remote Control

Lasting for five years, "Remote Control", hosted by Ken Ober, was the first original non-musical program that MTV offered.

10. This former member of Thin Lizzy would go on to have a fine career with the band Ultravox thanks in part to the song "Vienna". Who is he?

Answer: Midge Ure

Believe it or not, Midge Ure took over guitar duties in Thin Lizzy after Gary Moore left in 1979. He did not stay long, leaving the band in 1980 to form the new wave group Ultravox. Ure also would co-produce Live Aid, Band Aid and Live 8 with Bob Geldof.

Source: Author cementhed

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ralzzz before going online.
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