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Eighties Music References Trivia Quiz

The 1980's music scene is not usually associated with literary, scientific or classical music inspiration, but see if you can connect these songs with their historical roots.

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

Author
Beanster

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
215,165

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1849

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Originally released in 1980 and re-recorded in 1986, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by The Police is about temptation and forbidden love between a schoolteacher and his student. The song references a famous book containing similar themes by this Russian author. Hint

Leo Tolstoy

Vladimir Nabokov

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Maxim Gorky

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Question 2 of 10

2. The Police also sang about the principle of synchronicity, which refers to the alignment of universal forces with the life experiences of an individual, as described by this European psychologist. Hint

Jean-Paul Sartre

Carl Jung

Sigmund Freud

Jean Piaget

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Question 3 of 10

3. Love and Rockets used the image of a train in this 1986 song to depict a subtle spiritual energy that, according to Yogic tradition, is the supreme intelligence behind yogic awakening and enlightenment. Hint

Ball of Confusion

Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)

So Alive

Kundalini Express

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Question 4 of 10

4. When U2 sang, "I waited patiently for the Lord/He inclined and heard my cry" in this song, they were inspired by which Biblical Psalm? Hint

In God's Country

Pride (In the Name of Love)

Gloria

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Question 5 of 10

5. In the 1989 song "No Myth", Michael Penn asked, "What if I was Heathcliff?". He was referring to the romantic hero from this famous novel. Hint

Sons and Lovers

Tender is the Night

Wuthering Heights

The Age of Innocence

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Question 6 of 10

6. This song by The Cure was inspired by a scene in Albert Camus' 1942 book "L'Etranger" (or "The Stranger") in which the main character thinks about the emptiness of life following the murder of a man on a beach. Hint

Boys Don't Cry

Fascination Street

In Between Days

Killing an Arab

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Question 7 of 10

7. In this 1986 song, The Smiths' Morrissey allows a friend to steal lines from poets Keats and Yeates while taking the celebrated Oscar Wilde for his own side. Hint

Bigmouth Strikes Again

Shoplifters of the World Unite

How Soon Is Now?

Cemetry Gates

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Question 8 of 10

8. Siobhan Fahey was a member of this 1980's all-girl band before taking the title from a Smiths song ("Shakespeare's Sister") as the name of her new group. Hint

Bananarama

The Flirts

The Bangles

The Go-Go's

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Question 9 of 10

9. Falco was a 1980's Austrian-born musician singing about an 18th century Austrian-born musician in this song, which hit number one on the US charts. Hint

Der Kommissar

Rock Me Amadeus

Vienna Calling

Roll Over Beethoven

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Question 10 of 10

10. The Clash's Mick Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite in 1984 and BAD released the single "E=MC2", maybe the best dance song titled after a physics formula. The equation was developed by Albert Einstein, who is best known for formulating the following: Hint

Bernoulli's principle

Quadratic equation

Doppler effect

General theory of relativity

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Vladimir Nabokov

Nabokov's controversial "Lolita" has influenced pop culture in countless ways, from at least two movies based on the novel to references such as "Long Island Lolita", which the tabloid press dubbed the underage Amy Fisher in an infamous 1992 case.

Answer: Carl Jung

Jung believed that many experiences perceived as coincidences actually reflect a more subtle alignment of multiple forces. Or in Sting's words, "A connecting principle/Linked to the invisible/Almost imperceptible/Something inexpressible".

Answer: Kundalini Express

The Sanskrit term Kundalini is often associated with a coiled snake, whose unfolding corresponds to the spiritual journey that takes place through yoga and meditation.

4. When U2 sang, "I waited patiently for the Lord/He inclined and heard my cry" in this song, they were inspired by which Biblical Psalm?

Answer: 40

Bono revealed that this song was created in about 40 minutes as the final track for the album "War". The corresponding New American Standard Bible translation of Psalm 40 reads, "I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.".

5. In the 1989 song "No Myth", Michael Penn asked, "What if I was Heathcliff?". He was referring to the romantic hero from this famous novel.

Answer: Wuthering Heights

Michael Penn is the brother of actors Christopher and Sean Penn. Sir Laurence Olivier played Heathcliff in the film version of the unforgettable "Wuthering Heights", which was Emily Bronte's only novel.

Answer: Killing an Arab

"Killing an Arab" was released in 1979 and included in the 1986 compilation, "Standing on a Beach". The band issued statements stressing that this was NOT a racist song, although they could hardly have been surprised that certain groups would use it that way.

7. In this 1986 song, The Smiths' Morrissey allows a friend to steal lines from poets Keats and Yeates while taking the celebrated Oscar Wilde for his own side.

Answer: Cemetry Gates

Morrissey was introduced to Wilde's writing by his mother at the age of eight. Inspired guitar from Johnny Marr, poetic references, graveyard imagery and anti-plagiarism messages - all in one song! While many may disagree, there's a reason why British music paper NME named The Smiths the most influential band of the past fifty years in 2002, just ahead of the Beatles.

8. Siobhan Fahey was a member of this 1980's all-girl band before taking the title from a Smiths song ("Shakespeare's Sister") as the name of her new group.

Answer: Bananarama

Fahey, who married David Stewart of Eurythmics, formed Shakespears Sister in 1988 with modest success. Although the name was taken from a Smiths single, the term was used much earlier in a Virginia Woolf essay about whether a woman with as much talent as a man would have the same opportunities and support available to her to be able to produce the same level of artistic work.

9. Falco was a 1980's Austrian-born musician singing about an 18th century Austrian-born musician in this song, which hit number one on the US charts.

Answer: Rock Me Amadeus

This song was inspired in part by the Oscar-winning film "Amadeus" about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The film's spectacular score was performed by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. Falco was not featured on the film's soundtrack.

Answer: General theory of relativity

This song was on the album "This is Big Audio Dynamite", one of the great underappreciated albums of the 1980's. It also featured the song "Medicine Show", which included ground-breaking sampling from the Clint Eastwood film classic, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

Source: Author Beanster

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