Music from the 80s - 1983 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Style Council

"Speak Like A Child" by The Style Council was released 19 March 1983. It spent eight weeks on the chart and reached number four. The Style Council were formed by Paul Weller (formerly the front man of The Jam) and keyboardist Mick Talbot. The band also included Weller's then wife Dee C Lee.

The band enjoyed considerable chart success in the UK from 1983 through to 1989. Paul Weller then went on to pursue a solo career.

Answer: "Temptation" by Heaven 17

Heaven 17 formed in Sheffield, England in the early 1980s after musicians Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware split from The Human League and recruited Glenn Gregory as their lead singer. Released on 16 April 1983, "Temptation" spent 13 weeks on the UK singles chart, peaking at number two. From the album "The Luxury Gap" which spent 36 weeks on the UK album chart and achieved a highest placing of number four. Incorrect answers: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics was released in February 1983, spent 14 weeks on the UK singles chart and reached number two. "The Cutter" by Echo and The Bunnymen was released in January, spent eight weeks on the chart and peaked at number eight. "Waterfront" by Simple Minds was released in November 1983 and reached number 13.

Answer: Orange Juice

"Rip It Up" by Orange Juice was released in February 1983, spent 11 weeks on the chart and reached number eight. The band's lead singer, Edwyn Collins later went on to enjoy a solo career.

Answer: "Breakaway" by Tracey Ullman

Comedienne Tracey Ullman made a number of forays into the UK charts in the early 80s, but this was the only one of her songs that I really liked. The first of her six singles, "Breakaway" was released in March 1983 and spent 11 weeks on the UK singles chart, peaking at number four. Info about incorrect answers: "The Story of The Blues" by Wah! (sometimes known as The Mighty Wah!, but not on this particular track) was released in December 1982 and eventually reached number three. "Drop The Pilot" by Joan Armatrading was released in February 1983, and peaked at number 11. "This Charming Man" by The Smiths was released in November 1983, spent 12 weeks on the UK singles chart and peaked at number five.

Answer: David Bowie

Taken from the album of the same name, the single "Let's Dance" by David Bowie was produced by Nile Rogers of Chic fame, giving it a rather different sound to Bowie's earlier 80s stuff. Released in the UK on 26 March 1983, "Let's Dance" spent 14 weeks on UK singles chart, three of which were at number one.

Answer: UB40

Taking their name from the number on an unemployment form, reggae band UB40 formed in Birmingham, England in the late 70s. They released their first single, "Food for Thought" in 1980 and went on to have more than 30 top 20 UK chart hits over the next 25 years. Released in August 1983, "Red Red Wine" spent 14 weeks on the UK singles chart, three of which were at number one, and was one of only two UB40 songs to dent the US top 20.

Answer: Men At Work

Released in the UK on 8 January 1983, "Down Under" spent 12 weeks on the UK singles chart, three of them at number one.

Answer: "Never Giving Up" by Sweet Dreams

"Never Giving Up" by Sweet Dreams was the British entry for Eurovision in 1983 and finished in sixth place. The group consisted of three singers, one of whom, Carrie Gray, later married British singer David Grant (see question 17) and the couple went on to be prominent on British television as vocal coaches on reality television shows. "Never Giving Up" was released as a single in the UK in April 1983 and spent seven weeks on the chart, peaking at number 21. The other answers were all British Eurovision entries in other years. "Making Your Mind Up" by Bucks Fizz was the UK entry in 1981 and our first winner since ""Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man in 1976.

After Buck Fizz's success, Great Britain then had to wait until 1997 for its next Eurovision win. "One Step Further" by Bardo was the British entry in 1982 and finished in seventh place. One of the vocalists in Bardo, Sally Ann Triplett, had also been a singer with Prima Donna, the group who were the UK's 1980 entry and whose song, "Love Enough for Two" finished in third place.

Answer: Is There Something I Should Know?

"Is There Something I Should Know?" was released in March 1983 and went straight to the top of the chart where it spent two of its nine week chart run. "Union of The Snake" was released in October 1983 and peaked at number three, while "New Moon on Monday" was released in February of the following year and made it to number nine. Both were singles taken from the album "Seven and The Ragged Tiger" which was released in December 1983, about the time that my friend Judy and I trailed all the way from Boston to Leeds on the train to see them play live and then had to leave half way through the gig in order catch the last train back to Lincolnshire! "Girls on Film" was a number two hit for Duran Duran in 1981.

Answer: Culture Club

Released in April 1983 and featuring Helen Terry on backing vocals, "Church of The Poison Mind" spent nine weeks on the UK singles chart, reaching a highest position of number two. "Karma Chameleon" was a bigger hit later in the year, but I loathe that song!

Answer: Jo Boxers

Released on the 21st of May (my birthday!), "Just Got Lucky" spent nine weeks on the UK singles chart and achieved a highest position of number seven. Jo Boxers were a British band with an American lead singer. "Just Got Lucky" was their second top ten hit in the UK, but subsequent singles were less successful and the band split up in 1985.

Answer: Big Country

Released in February 1983, "Fields of Fire (400 miles)" spent 12 weeks on the UK singles chart and reached number ten. Big Country were a rock band from Scotland who managed to make their electric guitars sound a bit like bag pipes. Lead singer Stuart Adamson tragically took his own life in 2001, aged 43.

Answer: Phil Collins

Phil Collins' version of the old Supremes hit "You Can't Hurry Love" was actually released in the UK in December of the previous year but its 16 week chart run overlapped into the new year and it spent two weeks at number one in January 1983.

Answer: Tears For Fears

"Pale Shelter" was released 30 April 1983 and spent eight weeks on the UK singles chart, peaking at number five. From the album "The Hurting", which spent 65 weeks on the UK album charts and reached number one.

Answer: Flash and The Pan

Flash and The Pan were a duo from Australia. Another song that was released on my 16th birthday, "Waiting For A Train" spent 11 weeks on the UK singles chart and peaked at number seven.

Answer: "This Charming Man" by The Smiths

Formed in Manchester, England in the early 1980s, The Smiths were, and still are, very highly regarded. I have to be honest and say that, at the time; I just didn't 'get' The Smiths. However, having been reintroduced to them some years later I now think that some of their stuff is completely fab! "This Charming Man" was released in November 1983.

It spent 12 weeks on the UK singles chart and peaked at number five. "Double Dutch" by Malcolm McLaren was released in July 1983, spent 13 weeks on the UK singles chart and reached number three. "Temptation" by Heaven 17 spent 13 weeks on the UK singles chart in 1983, peaking at number two. "Right By Your Side" by Eurythmics was released in November 1983 and reached number 10.

Answer: David Grant

David Grant first found fame in the early 1980s as the singer with the group Lynx, who had a hit single called "Intuition" in 1981. David then had a brief solo career, releasing a number of singles including "Stop and Go", released in April 1983. The single spent nine weeks on the UK chart and reached number 19. David Grant also had two hits as a duo with singer Jaki Graham in the mid 80s and worked as a session singer for a number of other artists before he and his wife Carrie became well known as celebrity vocal coaches.

Answer: Roman Holiday

"Don't Try To Stop It" by Roman Holiday was released in July 1983, spent nine weeks on the UK singles chart and reached number 14. The band was allegedly 'discovered' by Boy George from Culture Club and appear to have released only two albums before disappearing into obscurity.

Answer: Level 42

"The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)" by Level 42 was released in July 1983, spent 12 weeks on the UK singles chart and reached number ten. Level 42 were from the Isle of Wight, which is just off the south coast of England, and enjoyed chart success in the UK for approximately ten years.

Answer: Madness

Madness were the singles band of the 80s and the only other artist to spend more weeks on the UK singles chart during that decade was Shakin' Stevens. "Wings of a Dove" was released in August 1983, spent ten weeks on the UK singles chart and reached number two.

Answer: "Oblivious" by Aztec Camera

"Oblivious" by Aztec Camera was released in the UK twice in 1983. When it came out in April of that year it spent six weeks on the singles chart, but only reached number 47. Re-released in November, "Oblivious" spent a further 11 weeks on the chart and reached number 18.
The incorrect answers were all also hits in 1983.

Answer: Yes

Yes had been around for years and had been releasing albums since 1970. They released very few singles in the UK, but "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was released in November of 1983 and spent nine weeks on the chart, peaking at number eight.

Answer: The Cure

"Love Cats" by The Cure was released at the end of October 1983, spent 11 weeks on the UK singles chart and reached number seven.

Answer: Thompson Twins

"Love On Your Side" was the first top 20 hit for the Thompson Twins, whose previous single release "Lies" had only managed number 67 the previous year. "Love On Your Side" was released in January 1983 and spent 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at number nine. Thompson Twins released three other singles later in the year; "Watching" only managed number 33 but "We Are Detective" and "Doctor Doctor" were both top ten hits.

Answer: "Blue Monday" by New Order

I don't know how many times "Blue Monday" has been out altogether, but its first foray into the top 40 was as a result of this, its second release in March 1983. The song spent an astonishing 38 weeks on the UK singles chart, peaking at number nine and was the biggest selling 12" single ever. Unfortunately, the packaging for the single was so expensive that neither the band nor their record label (the legendary Factory Records run by Tony Wilson) made any profit. A later re-mixed, re-issue of this single in 1988 made it to number three. "Blue Monday" is seven-and-a-half minutes long and at the time of its release in 1983 it was the longest song ever to chart in the UK.

Thank you for playing my quiz. I'll try not to make any more that are quite this long!
All information about chart placing used in this quiz comes from the 19th edition of 'The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and Albums".