Odd One Out - the 80s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Smooth Criminal

The other three were all recorded by Men At Work, and were all on their highly successful debut album, "Business As Usual", originally released in 1981. The Australian quintet's second album, "Cargo" (1983), included the tunes "It's a Mistake", "Overkill", and "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive". "Smooth Criminal" was from Michael Jackson's 1987 album, "Bad".

Answer: Martha Davis

The other three were all members of The Go-Go's. Carlisle on lead vocals, Caffey and Wiedlin on guitar. The other members of the group included Kathy Valentine on bass and Gina Schock on drums. Their first three albums were "Beauty and the Beat" (1981), "Vacation" (1982), and "Talk Show" (1984). You may remember Martha Davis as lead singer for The Motels, who had early 80's hits with "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer".

Answer: Agent Provocateur

The other three were all albums by Def Leppard. "High & Dry" (1982) included the classics "Bringing on the Heartbreak" and "Let It Go". "Pyromania" (1983) included the hits "Photograph", "Foolin'", and "Rock of Ages". "Hysteria" (1987) included the hits "Love Bites" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me". "Agent Provocateur" was the 1984 album by Foreigner which included the hits "That Was Yesterday" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

Answer: Rockwell

Hard to believe, but the other three were all born with the names under which they perform. Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minnesota in 1958; it wasn't until 1993 when he started to use that weird symbol-thing as his name. He has since changed it back to Prince. Known more for his flashy dress and outrageous stage shows, Prince is quite "the artist" and can play as many as thirty different musical instruments. Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Michigan in 1958, and has become a pop icon since her self-titled debut album in 1983.

Her 1984 breakthrough album, "Like A Virgin", definitely isn't an autobiography. Tiffany Darwisch was born in 1971 in Oklahoma and had two Number One hits from her debut album, which she recorded when she was 15, and not much since. Rockwell's real name is Kenneth Gordy, son of Motown Records mogul Berry Gordy. You may remember his 1984 hit "Somebody's Watching Me", but, then again, you may not. Rockwell was the name of the band the younger Gordy performed in while in high school.

Answer: A Momentary Lapse of Reason

The other three were all albums released in the 1980's by John Cougar-Mellencamp. "American Fool" (released in 1982 under the name John Cougar) included the hits "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane". "Scarecrow" (released in 1985 under the name John Cougar Mellencamp) included the hits "Small Town" and "Rain on the Scarecrow". "The Lonesome Jubilee" (released in 1987 under the name John Mellencamp) included the hits "Paper in Fire" and "Cherry Bomb". Pink Floyd released "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" in 1987.

Answer: Dale Bozzio

The other three were all original veejays when MTV first came on the air in 1981. Nina Blackwood and J.J. Jackson were the other two. Dale Bozzio was the lead singer for the group Missing Persons. A former Playboy model, Bozzio sported platinum blonde hair with a streak of pink. And who could forget her outfit made of four platinum records and not much more, in the video for "Words"? Aye, carumba!

Answer: Madness

The other three bands were all from Australia. Midnight Oil formed in Sydney in the mid-1970's, and are best known for their tough, political brand of rock 'n' roll on songs such as "Beds are Burning", "Blue Sky Mine", and "Truganini". INXS are also from Sydney, and may be the most successful and influential band to come out of Australia since AC/DC. INXS had a string of charting hits in the 80's and 90's, until the untimely death of their lead singer, Michael Hutchence, in 1997. Icehouse is noted for their moderately successful hits, "Great Southern Land" and "Icehouse", from the album "Icehouse". Madness formed in London, England, in 1979, and have entertained audiences with their comical ska/pop stylings on tunes such as "Our House", "Baggy Trousers", "Nightboat to Cairo", and "One Step Beyond".

Answer: Tango in the Night

The other three were all albums released by Bruce Springsteen in the 1980's. "The River" (1980) included the classics "Hungry Heart", "Out in the Street", and "Cadillac Ranch". "Nebraska" (1982) included the tunes "Atlantic City" and "Open All Night". "Tunnel of Love" (1987) included "Tougher Than the Rest" and the title track. "Tango in the Night" was released by Fleetwood Mac in 1987, and included the hits "Little Lies", "Everywhere", and "Seven Wonders".

Answer: She Blinded Me With Science

The other three are all songs recorded by The Specials in the early 1980's. "A Message to You Rudy" was actually released in late 1979 on The Specials' self-titled debut album. All three of these songs were classic videos during the early days of MTV and, therefore, belong in this quiz on the 80's. "She Blinded Me With Science" was, of course, another MTV classic video and the biggest hit for Thomas Dolby, from his 1982 album "The Golden Age of Wireless".

Answer: Roland Gift

"Lies, lies, lies, yeah." Bailey, Currie and Leeway were collectively known as the Thompson Twins. I don't know if they don't know what twins are, or if they just don't know how to count. The Thompson Twins had hits in the 80's with "Hold Me Now", "Doctor, Doctor", and "Lies". Roland Gift was lead singer for the Fine Young Cannibals, whose hits included "Good Thing" and "She Drives Me Crazy", both off their album "The Raw and The Cooked", released towards the end of 1988.

Answer: Number of the Beast

The other three were all albums released by Duran Duran. Any quiz about the 80's has got to have at least one question about these cultural icons of the 1980's. "Rio" was released in 1982, and included the hits "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf". "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" was released in 1983, and included the hits "The Reflex" and "Union of the Snake". "Notorious" was released in 1986, and included the hit of the same name. "Number of the Beast" is the classic heavy metal album from 1982 by Iron Maiden which included "Run to the Hills", "Children of the Damned", and the title track.

Answer: "First time was a great time, second time was a blast. The third time I fell in love, now I hope it lasts."

The other three are all opening lines to three of Billy Idol's biggest hits. "Hey, little sister..." is from Idol's signature song "White Wedding", from his self-titled debut album from 1982. "On the floors..." is the opening line to "Dancing With Myself", also from the self-titled album. "Last night..." opens the tune "Rebel Yell", from the 1983 album of the same name. "First time was a great time..." is a lyric from those mammoths of rock 'n' roll, New Kids on the Block, from their 1988 hit, "You Got It (The Right Stuff)".

Hey, little sister, shotgun!

Answer: Elvis Costello

Bon Jovi's self-titled debut album was released in Jaunary of 1984, and included their first single, "Runaway". Guns N' Roses released their stellar debut album, "Appetite for Destruction", in 1987, but it didn't chart until 1988. Lenny Kravitz released his debut, "Let Love Rule", in 1989. Elvis Costello's debut album, "My Aim is True", was released in 1977.

Answer: The Joshua Tree

The other three were all solo projects by individual members of The Who which were released in the 80's. "Empty Glass" was released by guitarist Pete Townshend in 1980, and included the hits "Rough Boys" and "Let My Love Open the Door". "Too Late the Hero" was released by bassist John Entwistle in 1981, and included the tunes "Try Me" and "Too Late the Hero". "Under a Raging Moon" was released by vocalist Roger Daltrey in 1985, and included the hit "After the Fire". "The Joshua Tree", is, of course, the blockbuster album released by U2 in 1987, which included the hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".

Answer: Glenn Tilbrook

Aside from the fact that Glenn Tilbrook is the only British gentleman of the four named, which would also make him the odd one out, the other three all played in the Stray Cats. Setzer sang and played guitar, Rocker slapped the big bass, and Phantom banged the skins for these giants of rockabilly. Tilbrook wrote, sang, and played guitar for Squeeze, who also gained most of their notoriety in the 1980's.