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Some Wacky 70s and 80s Tunes Trivia Quiz

Here's some more wacky lyrics to tickle your memory with. These are from the late 1970s and the decade of the 1980s. I give you the lyrics, you give me the song title and artist.

A multiple-choice quiz by sunshine7. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
sunshine7

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
125,679

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
8271

Last 3 plays: Guest 50 (14/15), kimmage (13/15), Guest 38 (3/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. "Here comes a stingray,
There goes a manta-ray,
In walked a jelly fish,
There goes a dog-fish,
Chased by a cat-fish,
In flew a sea robin,
Watch out for that piranha,
There goes a narwhal,
Here comes a Bikini Whale!"
Hint

"Sailing" by Christopher Cross

"Should I See" by Frozen Ghost

"Maneater" by Darrel Hall & John Oates

"Rock Lobster" by B52s

NEXT>

Question 2 of 15

2. "I remember searching for the perfect words,
I was hoping you might change your mind,
I remember a soldier sleeping next to me..."
Hint

"The Metro" by Berlin

"If I Turn You Away" by Vicki Moss

"Self Control" by Laura Branigan

"Could've Been" by Tiffany

NEXT>

Question 3 of 15

3. "Do I wanna go out with a lion's roar,
Huh, yea, I wanna go south and get me some more,
Hey, they say that a stitch in time saves nine,
They say I better stop, or I'll go blind"
Hint

"In Your Room" by Bangles

"She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper

"Foolish Beat" by Debbie Gibson

"Dangerous" by Roxette

NEXT>

Question 4 of 15

4. "Cause when love is gone, there's always justice.
And when justice is gone, there's always force.
And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!"

Hint

"Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler

"Mary's Prayer" by Danny Wilson

"O Superman" by Laurie Anderson

"Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell

NEXT>

Question 5 of 15

5. "Do I have to catch you out, to know what's on your mind?
Well Cleopatra died for Egypt, what a waste of time.
The white ones and red ones, and some you can't disguise.
Twisted truth and half the news, can't hide it in your eyes."

Hint

"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club

"Lies" by The Thompson Twins

"Out of Touch" by Darrell Hall & John Oates

"The Look" by Roxette

NEXT>

Question 6 of 15

6. "You always burn the roast,
And you drop the dishes too.
You iron my new shirt,
And you burn a hole right through."
Hint

"Carrie" by Europe

"Can't We Try" by Dan Hill with Vonda Sheppard

"Ricky" by "Weird" Al Yankovic

"Helene" by Rosh Voisine

NEXT>

Question 7 of 15

7. "No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women,
No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it's dark,
Everyone around me is a total stranger,
Everyone avoids me like a psyched lone-ranger..." Hint

"Turning Japanese" by The Vapors

"You May Be Right" by Billy Joel

"If I had a Rocket Launcher" by Bruce Cockburn

"Living in America" by James Brown

NEXT>

Question 8 of 15

8. "Last night I had the strangest dream,
I sailed away to China, in a little rowboat to find ya,
And you said you had to get your laundry cleaned..."
Hint

"Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder

"Pop Goes the World" by Men Without Hats

"China Girl" by David Bowie

"To Live and Die in L.A." by Wang Chung

NEXT>

Question 9 of 15

9. "You ask yourself,
When will my time come,
Has it all been said and done,
I know I'll leave when its my time to go,
'Til then I'll carry on with what I know."
Hint

"Destination Unknown" by Missing Persons

"Dream On" by Blvd

"It's My Life" by Talk Talk

"That was Yesterday" by Foreigner

NEXT>

Question 10 of 15

10. "That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane, Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn..." Hint

"It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)" by REM

"Voices Carry" by Til Tuesday

"We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel

"Air Waves" by Thomas Dolby

NEXT>

Question 11 of 15

11. "I don't see you guys rating,
The kind of mate I'm contemplating,
I'd let you watch, I would invite you,
But the queens we use would not excite you..."

Hint

"A-E-I-O-U, and Sometimes Y" by EBN-OZN

"Space Age Love Song" by A Flock of Seagulls

"E=MC2(square)" by Big Audio Dynamite

"One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head

NEXT>

Question 12 of 15

12. "And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack,
And you may find yourself in another part of the world,
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile,
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful
wife,
And you may ask yourself,
Well...How did I get here?"
Hint

"Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads

"Fantasy" by Aldo Nova

"The Damned Don't Cry" by Visage

"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by Smiths

NEXT>

Question 13 of 15

13. "Last idea to cross her mind,
Had something to do with where to find,
A pair of jeans to fit her butt,
And where to get her toenails cut."

Hint

"Valley Girl" by Frank Zappa

"Angelia" by Richard Marx

"18 and Life" by Skid Row

"Girls on Film" by Duran Duran

NEXT>

Question 14 of 15

14. "Hans plays with Lotte, Lotte plays with Jane,
Jane plays with Willi, Willi is happy again,
Suki plays with Leo, Sacha plays with Britt,
Adolf builds a bonfire, Enrico plays with it."
Hint

"Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

"Games Without Frontiers" by Peter Gabriel

"Voices of Babylon" by The Outfield

"Russians" by Sting

NEXT>

Question 15 of 15

15. "Singing in the subway,
Shuffle with a shoe shine,
Fix me a molotov,
I'm on the headline,
Wanna be a gun slinger,
Don't be a rock singer,
Eenie meenie mynie moe,
Tell me where you wanna go..."
Hint

"Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads

"Radio Free Europe" by REM

"Roam" by B52s

"Pop Muzik" by M

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 22 2024 : Guest 50: 14/15
Oct 21 2024 : kimmage: 13/15
Oct 17 2024 : Guest 38: 3/15
Oct 15 2024 : Guest 24: 15/15
Oct 14 2024 : Guest 81: 11/15
Oct 13 2024 : GeoffMacknish: 3/15
Sep 29 2024 : Guest 76: 8/15
Sep 27 2024 : Guest 172: 10/15
Sep 27 2024 : Guest 98: 6/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Here comes a stingray, There goes a manta-ray, In walked a jelly fish, There goes a dog-fish, Chased by a cat-fish, In flew a sea robin, Watch out for that piranha, There goes a narwhal, Here comes a Bikini Whale!"

Answer: "Rock Lobster" by B52s

The B52's, a New Wave band who's members hail from Athens, Georgia, made the charts with this song in 1979. This is considered one of the best dance songs ever. The B52's are known for their campy 50's appearance and witty, fun lyrics.

2. "I remember searching for the perfect words, I was hoping you might change your mind, I remember a soldier sleeping next to me..."

Answer: "The Metro" by Berlin

This song arrived on the charts in 1982 from Berlin's album "Non Album Tracks." Lead singer Terry Nunn and her band make up Berlin. As late as 1999, they were touring across the USA and Europe.

3. "Do I wanna go out with a lion's roar, Huh, yea, I wanna go south and get me some more, Hey, they say that a stitch in time saves nine, They say I better stop, or I'll go blind"

Answer: "She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper

This playful song appeared on the charts in 1983. Cyndi Lauper is from a humble background. She grew up in Brooklyn, the child of a single mother who waited on tables to pay the bills. Her first hit was "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." In the video of this first hit, you will find her mother who played the part of...(of course!) her mother.

4. "Cause when love is gone, there's always justice. And when justice is gone, there's always force. And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom!"

Answer: "O Superman" by Laurie Anderson

This song is a personal favorite of mine. It came out in 1982 and derives from Laurie Anderson's album "Big Science." She is a well-known post-punk, technorock, performance artist. Now how's that for a job title?

5. "Do I have to catch you out, to know what's on your mind? Well Cleopatra died for Egypt, what a waste of time. The white ones and red ones, and some you can't disguise. Twisted truth and half the news, can't hide it in your eyes."

Answer: "Lies" by The Thompson Twins

The Thompson Twins are composed of singer/songwriter/synthesist Tom Bailey, lyricist/percussionist/singer/songwriter Alannah Currie, and keyboardist/singer/songwriter Joe Leeway. "Lies" appeared in 1983 off of their "Side Kicks" album. According to band member Alannah Currie, "We formed the group to make something completely different using synthesizers and drum machines--using technology. We were pretty much making the sort of strange music that would really separate us from the others.

There was also this feeling that pop music was just starting to happen again.

It was so exciting and seemed to spit in the face of rock-and-roll, which the three of us felt was a good thing. We were breaking down the whole idea of rock-and-roll simply by using the available technology to make records."

6. "You always burn the roast, And you drop the dishes too. You iron my new shirt, And you burn a hole right through."

Answer: "Ricky" by "Weird" Al Yankovic

"Weird" Al Yankovic, the Prince of Parodies in the comedy music business, released this song in 1983. It is a parody of the long running "I Love Lucy" television show starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, to the tune of Toni Basil's "Mickey".

7. "No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women, No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it's dark, Everyone around me is a total stranger, Everyone avoids me like a psyched lone-ranger..."

Answer: "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors

This was a 1980 one-hit wonder for this British New Wave band. Some controversy surrounds the lyrics of this song as listeners speculated on possible sexual connotations. No one seems to really know what this song is about. Maybe it's just a simple fascination with Japan.

8. "Last night I had the strangest dream, I sailed away to China, in a little rowboat to find ya, And you said you had to get your laundry cleaned..."

Answer: "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder

Matthew Wilder got his start as a folk musician in New York's Greenwich Village. He also supported himself by singing in commercials for Honda and Maxwell House coffee. In 1984 he debuted this song and says about it: "The song was a gift to myself. I didn't have the support of anyone in the business." Unfortunately, fame quickly left him and he is now content to work behind the scenes as a music producer.

9. "You ask yourself, When will my time come, Has it all been said and done, I know I'll leave when its my time to go, 'Til then I'll carry on with what I know."

Answer: "Destination Unknown" by Missing Persons

This song hit the charts in 1982. The musicians in Missing Persons came together out of their association with Frank Zappa. Singer Dale Bozzio was a playboy bunny before her venture into music. After many commercial and critical album failures, the group disbanded in 1986.

10. "That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane, Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn..."

Answer: "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)" by REM

The band REM hail from Athens, Georgia. They started as a college radio band in 1980 who quickly gathered a strong local following. They became better known after they opened for The Police in Atlanta.

11. "I don't see you guys rating, The kind of mate I'm contemplating, I'd let you watch, I would invite you, But the queens we use would not excite you..."

Answer: "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head

This song is lifted from a musical stage play called "Chess." "One Night in Bangkok" relates a cold-war parable taking place over a chess board, as Russians battled the West for the world title. Interestingly enough, the play "Chess" was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, both of ABBA fame. Along with Andersson and Ulvaeus, renown lyricist Tim Rice helped write the words to this song. "Chess" wasn't as well received by the public as this song that came out of it.

12. "And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack, And you may find yourself in another part of the world, And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile, And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife, And you may ask yourself, Well...How did I get here?"

Answer: "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads

Talking Heads is perhaps the most critically acclaimed band of the Post Punk era. They even made a concert movie called "Stop Making Sense" which was well received by the public. However, the group broke up in 1991.

13. "Last idea to cross her mind, Had something to do with where to find, A pair of jeans to fit her butt, And where to get her toenails cut."

Answer: "Valley Girl" by Frank Zappa

This song was released by Barking Pumpkin Records in 1983. Frank Zappa was known as a versatile arranger, songwriter, and musician. He was expert at fusing classical and jazz forms with rock. Moon Unit Zappa, the Valley Girl voice, is Frank's daughter. Sadly, Frank Zappa passed away on December 3, 1993.

14. "Hans plays with Lotte, Lotte plays with Jane, Jane plays with Willi, Willi is happy again, Suki plays with Leo, Sacha plays with Britt, Adolf builds a bonfire, Enrico plays with it."

Answer: "Games Without Frontiers" by Peter Gabriel

When the Band "Genesis" formed in 1965, Peter Gabriel was one of the original members. In 1975 he elected to leave "Genesis" for a solo career. He has done well in this venture, providing such hits as "Shock The Monkey", "Sledgehammer," and "In Your Eyes."

15. "Singing in the subway, Shuffle with a shoe shine, Fix me a molotov, I'm on the headline, Wanna be a gun slinger, Don't be a rock singer, Eenie meenie mynie moe, Tell me where you wanna go..."

Answer: "Pop Muzik" by M

Robin Scott is the person behind the name of "M." M virtually disappeared after 1983 when his recording studio, MCA, did not agree with the direction of Scott's music and refused to release his final album, strangely and appropriately titled, "Famous Last Words." In 1989, a re-release of "Pop Muzik" made it into the UK's top ten.

Source: Author sunshine7

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