Ipod Shuffle 30: 1980s Billboard Top 100 Part 5 Quiz

Answer: Aretha Franklin

Diana Ross released the album "diana" in 1980. Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of the band Chic had recently composed an entire album's worth of material for Aretha Franklin to record. Aretha passed on the project, so Motown passed the album to Diana Ross. Edwards and Rodgers had numerous conflicts with Ross over her singing, though eventually they managed to finish the album.

The record went on to be her biggest selling album.

Answer: Time

"Time" charted at Number Fifteen on the Billboard Top 100, making it one of the band's biggest singles of its career, as they are not primarily a singles band. "Time" is the first lead vocal performance of band member Eric Woolfson. The single came from "The Turn of a Friendly Card", which also had another fairly successful single "Games People Play".

Answer: Sirius

The title cut to Alan Parsons album "Eye in the Sky" hit Number Three on the Billboard Top 100 and is the band's biggest single. "Mammagamma" is an instrumental that is similar to Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall". The album cover of "Eye in the Sky" is of the Eye of Horus from ancient Egyptian culture. Both "Eye in the Sky" and "Ammonia Avenue" have been reported to be the band's biggest selling record.

I have several Billboard Playlists on my iPod. My iPod is apparently on an Alan Parsons kick; when I hit play the first song to come up on the 1981 Billboard playlist was "Time", and in 1982 "Eye in the Sky" came up immediately after I played "Time". I even deleted the "Time" question and wrote an unreleased question regarding Barry Manilow which will be used for another quiz. Then when I went to 1982 and "Eye in the Sky" played I realized it was fate that Alan Parsons got two questions on this quiz.

Answer: The Clash

"Rock the Casbah" peaked at Number Eight on the Billboard Top 100.

According to the liner notes of the box set "The Clash on Broadway", the lyrics originated when Bernie Rhodes, the band's manager, asked them "Does everything have to be as long as this rāga?" after they had recorded a long track for the album. Rāga is an Indian style music that is both lengthy and complex. Joe Strummer wrote the lyrics shortly after Rhodes made his comment.

Answer: Christie Brinkley

"Uptown Girl" is about a downtown boy wooing and ultimately winning an "uptown girl". The track peaked at Number Three in the US and was the only Number One single Billy Joel would obtain in the United Kingdom. The song appeared on the 1983 Joel album "An Innocent Man".

In 1985 Joel and Brinkley married, and were divorced in 1994. They have one child together. Since the divorce Billy Joel has stopped performing the song live in concert.

Answer: Be Near Me

ABC released for singles from their 1985 album. "Be Near Me" peaked at Number Twenty Six on the UK Singles Chat and Number Nine on the Billboard Top 100. A Here is the following information about their other two singles.

"How to Be a) Millionaire": UK: 49, U.S.: 20
"Vanity Kills" (UK: 74, U.S.: 91)

A fourth single, "Ocean Blue", did not chart in on the Billboard Top 100 but did hit Number 54 on the UK charts.

The album's cover art has varied throughout the years.

Answer: Barbara Weathers

"Always" would be Atlantic Starr's biggest hit, going to Number One on the Billboard Top 100. "Secret Lovers", a song about two married people having an affair with one another, was a duet between then new lead vocalist Barbara Weathers and David Lewis. Babara would only stick around for two albums, the 1985 "As the Band Turns" album and the 1987 "All in the Name of Love" project.

After these two albums she left the band to pursue a solo career.

Answer: And the Beat Goes On

The band formed in 1964, and had numerous hits on the Hot Black Singles List (since renamed "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" by Billboard). Their first two charting singles were in 1970 ("The Time Has Come" at Number Seventeen and "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong" at Number Six). Their last top ten hit on that chart was "Is It Good To You" at Number Seven in 1991.

"And the Beat Goes On" was Number One in 1980. Will Smith would sample the song in his 1998 single "Miami".

Answer: Allá Tu

"Make It Real" was the final of five top ten Billboard Top 100 singles that the group charted. The song came from the 1987 album "Magic". The album had six charting singles, of which three broke the Top Ten and one broke the top twenty. Two of the singles, including "Make It Real" went to Number One on the Dance chart. "Cross My Broken Heart" also appeared on the "Beverly Hills Cop II" soundtrack. These five singles were quite successful. The last single, "Anytime" only reached Number Ninety Eight on the R&B chart.

"Allá Tu" was a Spanglish version of "Make It Real", with the lyrics being sung in both Spanish and English.

Answer: I'll Be There for You

"New Jersey" holds the record for most top ten singles from a hard rock album. "I'll Be There For You" and "Bad Medicine" both went to Number One. The album's other three singles, "Living in Sin", "Born to Be My Baby", and "Lay Your Hands on Me" all broke the Top Ten. Bon Jovi were originally going to release a double album, but due to production costs the record company rejected the idea. A full album's worth of unreleased material was recorded during the "New Jersey" sessions.

Chronologically, Bon Jovi had four number one singles in the 1980s on the Billboard Top 100 in this order: "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer" from the "Slippery When Wet" album, and "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You" from "New Jersey".