Top 100 Songs of the 1980s (10 - 1) Quiz

Answer: Jessie's Girl

Jessie's Girl reached number one on August 1st, 1981. It took a leisurely path to the top, a long 19 weeks after debuting on the Hot 100 at number 81. It remained in the top ten for 12 weeks and on the Hot 100 for 32 weeks. Its 22 weeks in the Top 40 are tied with 3 other songs as the longest time any song spent in the Top 40 during the 1980s. It was the first of three Top 40 hits off of Springfield's platinum-selling album "Working Class Dog". Those other two singles were the number eight smash "I've Done Everythng For You" and the number twenty tune "Love Is Alright Tonite". "Jessie's Girl" became a gold record, won him a Grammy for "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" and began a several year run on the charts for the Australian teen heartthrob.

Rick Springfield was born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23rd, 1949 in Sydney, Australia. As a child of a military father, he was on the move quite a bit as a child including living in Melbourne and even England. He fronted a number of local Aussie bands in his youth such as Jordy Boys, Rock House, Zoot and Wackedy Wak. He had his first solo success in the early '70s with the Top 40 single "Speak to the Sky". At that time, his music career hit a snag which led him to take up acting where he found a number of small roles on American TV. In March of 1981 he hit the big time taking on the role of Dr. Noah Drake on the then massively popular soap opera "General Hospital". It was during the peak of his fame on the show that "Jessie's Girl" was released. His follow-up album "Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet" went all the way to number two on the album chart and spawned the number two song "Don't Talk To Strangers". He even went on to star in the feature film "Hard To Hold" in 1984. During the 1980s he racked up a total of 16 top 40 hits, but none bigger than the tenth biggest hit of the decade.

"Affair Of The Heart" was Rick Springfield's number nine hit from 1983. Michael Jackson took "Dirty Diana" to the top in the summer of 1988. "A Woman Needs Love" was a number four song for Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio in 1981.

FUN FACT: Jessie's Girl was the number one song in America the week that MTV first aired.

Answer: Another One Bites The Dust

"Another One Bites The Dust" was the third release from Queen's 1980 album "The Game". It followed the number one song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and the number 42 song "Play The Game". On August 16th, 1980, "Another One Bites The Dust" debuted on the Hot 100 at number 67 and in seven short weeks found itself on top of the pop charts where it reigned for three weeks. As a testament to its immense popularity, after the song dropped from number one it remained in the top ten for nine more weeks accruing a total of 15 weeks. It finished in the Top 40 for 21 weeks and on the Hot 100 for 31 weeks. The single was also a huge hit on the soul singles chart where it spent three weeks at number two. Its worldwide success was seen in Canada, Spain and Argentina where it also reached the top. It gave the band their only Grammy nomination, for Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal.

While most of Queen's songs were composed by singer Freddie Mercury or guitarist Brian May, "Another One Bites The Dust" was composed by bassist John Deacon. His only previous hit song was Queen's "You're My Best Friend" in 1976. The bass line of the song was inspired by Chic's number one hit "Good Times" and, according to Chic member Bernard Rogers, Deacon had spent time in the studio with Chic which likely led to the influence. Deacon under producer Mack played nearly every instrument in the song including the rhythm and lead guitars not to mention piano and bass. The finished result became an immediate hit at clubs and black radio stations while mainstream America was still listening to the first two releases.

"We Are The Champions" was a number four hit for Queen in 1978. The Rolling Stones took "Emotional Rescue" to number three in the summer of 1980. "Free Fallin'" was a number seven hit song from 1990 by Tom Petty.

FUN FACT: Queen wasn't keen on releasing "Another One Bites The Dust" as a single until receiving a recommendation by pop superstar Michael Jackson.

Answer: Call Me

"Call Me" debuted on the Hot 100 at number 80 on February 16th, 1980. It took some major leaps up the charts including a bow into the top 40 from number 61 to number 28 and then the next week jaunting up to number 12. It reached the top on April 19th and remained there for six consecutive weeks. The single totaled 13 weeks in the top ten, 19 weeks in the top 40 and 25 weeks on the Hot 100. The song's music was composed by Giorgio Moroder for the Richard Gere film "American Gigolo". His first stab at the lyrics centered on a machine man who was a mechanical lover. It wasn't until Blondie's lead singer Deborah Harry was given the song that she came up with the lyrics we now know. In only a couple of hours she recorded the vocals to Moroder's score and history was made. It went gold and became the second of the four number one hits Blondie had in America and remains their biggest hit in the states.

Deborah Harry was born in Miami, Florida on July 1st, 1945 and moved to New Jersey after being adopted at three months. Her early days saw her work as a barmaid, a beautician and even a Playboy bunny. In the 1970s she joined the new wave band the Stilettoes. It was there she met Chris Stein and, when the Stilettoes disbanded, the two co-founded the group Angel and the Snakes which evolved into Blondie. Blondie was very popular in the underground clubs including New York's famous CBGBs. As part of the new wave movement in the U.S., Blondie scored a surprise success with their first pop chart hit "Heart Of Glass" which reached number one in the spring of 1979. In 1981 they reached the top two more times with "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture". While Blondie never repeated that kind of success in the U.S., Deborah Harry discovered renown in another field: movies. She had prominent roles in David Cronenberg's "Videodrome" and John Waters' " Hairspray".

"Cover Me" was a number seven hit for Bruce Springsteen in 1984. Joni Mitchell took "Help Me" to number seven in 1974. "S.O.S" reached number 15 for Abba in 1975.

FUN FACT: "Call Me" was originally offered to Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks who turned it down.

Answer: Centerfold

"Centerfold" debuted on the Hot 100 on November 7, 1981 at number 70. It slowly scaled the charts until it hit the top by knocking out "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" on February 6th, 1982. "Centerfold" remained in the top ten for 12 weeks, the top 40 for 20 weeks and the Hot 100 for 25 weeks. The single went gold in the United States and was a success throughout the world, hitting number three in the U.K. and number one in Australia. It was the first release from their number one album "Freeze-Frame" which also produced the number four hit of the same name.

The J. Geils Band had six previous top forty hits prior to "Centerfold" spanning over ten years. Their highest charting single during that period was "Must of Got Lost" which reached number 12 in 1975. The J. Geils Band began as a three member group until they were joined by drummer Stephen Jo Bladd and singer Peter Wolf in 1967. Initially known as the J. Geils Blues Band, they dropped "Blues" from their name soon after they added keyboardist Seth Justman to the group in 1968. As a rock n' roll band with R & B roots, the J. Geils Band signed with Atlantic Records and had moderate success with three top 40 hits. Switching to EMI in 1978, the band scored three more top 40 hits before hitting big with "Centerfold". In the fall of 1983, Peter Wolf left the band to go solo and had the number 12 hit "Lights Out" in 1984 and the number one Mainstream Rock hit "Come As You Are" in 1987.

"Photograph" was a number 12 hit in 1983. The Police took "Don't Stand So Close To Me" to number ten in the spring of 1981.

FUN FACT: In 2008, "Centerfold" was number 52 on Billboard's list of All Time Top Songs of the Hot 100.

Answer: Eye Of The Tiger

"Eye Of The Tiger" debuted in the top 40 at number 19 on June 26th, 1982 and raced to number one four weeks later. In the wake of the release of the Sylvester Stallone movie "Rocky III" in May, the movie held fast to the number one spot for six weeks, remained in the top ten for a very long 15 weeks and stayed on the Hot 100 for a total of 25 weeks. The single went double platinum and wound up the year as Billboard's second most popular song. It was released from the album of the same name which was number two on the album chart for four weeks. The song crossed over to the mainstream rock chart where it held the top for five weeks. A worldwide hit, "Eye Of The Tiger" reached number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia. To cap off a phenomenal year, Survivor was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Original Song", losing to the "An Officer and a Gentleman" tune "Up Where We Belong".

Survivor formed in 1978 as a trio made up of keyboardist Jim Peterik, lead guitarist Frank Sullivan and singer David Bicker. Up to that time, only Jim Peterik had a modicum of success as lead singer for the Ides of March who took the single "Vehicle" to number two in 1970. In 1981, bassist Stephen Ellis and drummer Marc Droubay joined the Chicago-based band. That same year they released the album "Premonition" which only peaked at number 82 spawning the top 40 single "Poor Man's Son". After listening to this album and wanting a title song for his movie, Sylvester Stallone gave the band an early cut of the film to base a song on. Inspired by a line in the film, Survivor wrote "Eye of The Tiger" and with the song's release became hugely successful. They hit the top ten four more times in the 1980's. In 1985, they reached number eight with "High On You" and number four with "The Search Is Over". Their last top ten hit was "Is This Love" which reached number nine in early 1987.

"Burning Heart" was Survivor's number two hit from "Rocky IV" in 1986. Peter Cetera took "Glory Of Love" to number one in the summer of 1986. "The Streak" is a novelty hit by Ray Stevens which spent a surprising three weeks on top in May of 1974.

FUN FACT: "Eye Of The Tiger" earned Survivor a Grammy for "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal".

Answer: Flashdance

"Flashdance...What A Feeling" debuted on the Hot 100 on April 2nd, 1983 and crashed into the top 40 two weeks later on the same weekend the movie opened in America. It reached the top on May 28th and stayed there for 6 weeks. It spent 14 weeks in the top ten, 20 weeks in the top 40 and 25 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100. The movie soundtrack was also wildly successful, knocking Michael Jackson's "Thriller" from the top spot for two weeks and going platinum six times over. In the United States, the song went to number one on the Dance Club Play chart, to number two on the Hot Black Singles chart and to number four on the Adult Contemporary Singles chart. Around the world it reached number one in Canada, Japan, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Holland and Switzerland.

Irene Cara was born in the Bronx, New York on March 18th, 1959. Born into a family of performers, she was enrolled by her mother in dancing and singing lessons at an early age. She made her Broadway debut at the age of eight in 1967's "Maggie Flynn" co-starring Shirley Jones. During the 1970s she appeared in a number of films and TV projects, most notably the TV mini-series "Roots:The Next Generation" where she played Bertha Palmer, the woman who would become Alex Haley's grandmother in real life. It was her appearance, however, in the 1980 film "Fame" which lifted her to stardom. Besides singing the title song, she also sang "Out Here on My Own" which peaked at number 19. Three years later she co-wrote and recorded "Flashdance...What A Feeling" which became her biggest hit. The song was nominated for "Record of the Year" and won Cara a Grammy for "Best Pop Vocal Performance". She also took home an Oscar and Golden Globe in 1984 for "Best Original Song".

Irene Cara's "Fame" reached number four in 1980. "Footloose" was a number one hit for Kenny Loggins in 1984. Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There" was featured in "Free Willy" in 1993.

FUN FACT: "Flashdance" is the biggest hit of the 1980's not to mention its title during the song.

Answer: Every Breath You Take

"Every Breath You Take" was one of just a handful of songs during the 1980s to debut on the Hot 100 in the top 40 when it appeared on the chart at number 36 on June 4th, 1983. It catapulted to number 25 the following week and then moved to 14 to 4 to 3 before reaching number one in its sixth week on July 9th. It stayed at number one for an incredible eight week run, 13 weeks in the top ten, 20 weeks in the top 40 and a total of 22 weeks on the Hot 100. It was the first release from the Police's mega-hit album "Synchronicity" which remained on top for 17 weeks and went platinum eight times. "Every Breath You Take" earned the Police a Grammy for "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal". Its enduring legacy was solidified by placing at number 84 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The Police formed in England in 1977. The group at the time consisted of singer/songwriter/bass player Sting (Gordon Sumner), drummer Stewart Copeland, and guitarist Henri Padovani. Andy Summers joined as a second guitarist but Padovani soon left the group which left the group a trio again. Their first album in the United States was called "Outlandos d'Amour" and reached number 23 on Billboard's album chart. It produced the band's first top 40 hit and perhaps their signature song, "Roxanne", which hit number 32. They followed with the album "Reggatta de Blanc" which produced the band's first U.K. number one "Message in a Bottle", a song which failed to crack the U.S. top forty. In late 1980 they released the top five album "Zenyatta Mondatta" which produced two top ten hits, "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" and "Don't Stand So Close To Me". In 1981 the album "Ghost in the Machine" spent six weeks at number two, went triple platinum and spawned the number three song "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic". After the hugely successful "Synchronicity" and a highly popular tour, the band pursued solo projects and failed to record any more albums as a group in the 1980s. Only Sting found his way back to the pop charts with a string of top forty songs during the mid to late 1980s.

"Wrapped Around Your Finger" was a number eight hit for the Police in 1984. Kim Wilde took "You Keep Me Hangin' On" to number one in 1987. "I Will Always Love You" reached number one in a version by Whitney Houston in 1992.

FUN FACT: The song's memorable black-and-white video won MTV's first cinematography award.

Answer: Diana Ross and Lionel Richie

"Endless Love" splashed on to the Hot 100 at number 54 on July 11th, 1981. In its sixth week it took the reigns of the number one spot from "Jessie's Girl" and wouldn't let go until "Arthur's Theme" wrestled away the crown on October 17th. It remained in the top ten for 13 weeks, the top forty for 19 weeks and the Hot 100 for 27 weeks. Losing out by a slim margin, it was named the second biggest hit of 1981 and became the most successful song for either Diana Ross or Lionel Richie. It was a top ten hit across Europe reaching number seven on the U.K. chart and spending four weeks on top in Australia. Despite coming from the movie of the same name which flopped, "Endless Love" went platinum selling over two million copies. It was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Original Song" in 1982.

Lionel Richie was eager to write a song for a motion picture when he met up with producer Jon Peters and director Franco Zeffirelli who were looking for a song for their film "Endless Love". Initially written by Richie as an instrumental, the song had lyrics added to it at the request of the director. It was then suggested that it be made a duet with Diana Ross. However, Ross had just recently left Motown for RCA but the labels agreed to allow her to record this one song.

Conflicting schedules between the two stars nearly doomed the project as neither could be in L.A. at the same time to record. The compromise occurred when Ross was playing Lake Tahoe, Nevada and Richie was able to meet her in Reno, about an hour away from Tahoe by car. They booked studio time at 3 a.m. allowing Ross to arrive after her show. According to Richie, she didn't even have the lyrics at that point, just the melody. He told Dick Clark, "At 3:30 in the morning we started singing. At five o'clock in the morning we had 'Endless Love' down on tape."

Deniece Williams and Johnny Mathis sang the number one tune, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" in 1978. "You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)" was the biggest hit for the husband and wife duo of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Mariah Carey sang a remake of "Endless Love" but with Luther Vandross not Freddy Jackson in 1994 which peaked at number two.

FUN FACT: A huge crossover hit, "Endless Love" reached number one on the R & B chart (seven weeks) and the Adult Contemporary chart (three weeks).

Answer: Bette Davis Eyes

"Bette Davis Eyes" made a modest debut on the Hot 100 at number 80 on March 28th, 1981. After a few weeks on the chart, it caught fire and made a leap from number five to number one in its seventh week on the chart. It held the top for five weeks before being dethroned by the "Medley" by Stars On 45. In quite a surprise move, it regained the top spot the following week and added four more weeks to its number one tally, quite an impressive feat at the time. Its 14 weeks in the top ten, 20 weeks in the top 40 and 26 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 resulted in its being crowned the number one song of 1981. It was a worldwide smash hitting the top in over 20 countries including Italy, Germany and Australia. The song was released from Kim Carnes' album "Mistaken Identity" which spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard's album chart and was certified platinum.

"Bette Davis Eyes" was written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon. While lyric writer Weiss has never revealed publicly the inspiration for the song, she has admitted that the Bette Davis aspect came from seeing her in "an old movie called 'Jezebel'. The way she looked back then with the white hair." She brought it to DeShannon and the two of them worked on the music. After cutting some verses, the song was recorded and released on DeShannon's album "New Arrangement" in 1975.

Bette Davis wasn't aware of the song until it was brought to her attention by her grandson who had heard it on the radio. Flattered by the song, Davis sent Carnes and songwriters Weiss and DeShannon a note telling them how much she appreciated being made "a part of modern times".

Kim Carnes was born in Los Angeles, California on July 20th, 1945. She began writing songs at an early age and her first big break occurred in 1978 when she was signed to EMI-America which produced her first solo Hot 100 single "It Hurts So Bad" which reached number 56 in March of 1979. Her first top ten came the following year with the Kenny Rogers duet "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer" which peaked at number four. Two months later she hit the top ten again with the remake "More Love". Following "Bette Davis Eyes" her success leveled off and her highest charting songs were the number 15 hits "What About Me?" in 1984 and "Crazy In The Night (Barking At Airplanes)" in 1985.

"Voyeur" was a number 29 hit for Carnes in 1982. The Manhattan Transfer released a version of "Boy From New York City" which reached number eight in August of 1981. Donna Summer had a number one hit with "Bad Girls" in the summer of 1979.

FUN FACT: "Bette Davis Eyes" won both the Grammy for "Song of the Year" and "Record of the Year" in 1982.

Answer: Animal

"Physical" first appeared on the Hot 100 on October 3rd, 1981 as the week's highest debut at number 66. Despite the radio ban, the song muscled its way up the chart due in large part to an outpouring of record buyers snapping up the single. After catapulting from number 14 to number three, the song began its ten week run at the top on November 21st, 1981 and didn't fall from its pinnacle until it was dislodged by "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" on January 30th, 1982. It remained in the top ten for 15 weeks, in the top forty for 21 weeks and on the Hot 100 for 26 weeks. The song's impact was heard around the world with multiple week stays at number one in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States, it sold over two million copies, earning a platinum award by the Recording Industry Association of America. It was the first release from the album of the same name which peaked at number six and went double platinum. That album also spawned the top five hit "Make A Move On Me". As a testament to its legacy, in 2008, "Physical" was ranked number six on Billboard's list of All Time Top Songs of the Hot 100.

The song was accompanied by a popular music video which itself caused some controversy. The video featured Newton-John in workout gear trying to encourage a group of overweight men to exercise more. Hoping her words and sexual innuendoes might hasten their progress, she is amazed to see them transform before her eyes into muscled studs. However, in the video's twist ending, it becomes apparent that the men who have ignored her the whole time are more into each other than her. This caused quite a stir at the time and some stations including MTV often showed the video with the end lopped off. However, it didn't deter "Physical" from winning one of only two Grammy's ever awarded for best "Video of the Year" in 1983.

FUN FACT: Steve Lukather from the band Toto performed the famous guitar solo heard during the bridge.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been so encouraging and patient during this series of quizzes. I really appreciate all the comments and I hope you enjoyed this stroll down memory lane as much as I did putting it together!