Top 100 Songs of the 1980s (30 - 21) Quiz | Music

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Song Number 30: "Spending every dime, to keep you talking on the line, that's how it was" Destined to be a minor chart hit, this plucky song fought its way back from obscurity after it was featured on the popular American soap opera "General Hospital". It shot to number one and became the first chart topper for Patti Austin and James Ingram. Can you name this romantic ballad?

Answer: Baby, Come To Me

"Baby, Come To Me" originally appeared on Patti Austin's 1981 album "Every Home Should Have One". It peaked at number 73 in early 1982 before falling off the chart after just four weeks. Then, in late 1982, the producers of the soap opera "General Hospital" began using it as their theme song for the show's heartthrob Luke Spencer. After being off the charts for 21 weeks, the single reappeared and started its slow climb to the top of the charts where it landed for two weeks beginning on February 19th, 1983. It languished on the Hot 100 for a total of 32 weeks earning it enough points to become one of the 30 biggest hits of the decade. The song also crossed over to the Adult Contemporary Chart where it was number one for three weeks.

"We've Got Tonight" was initially a hit song for Bob Seger and was remade several years later as a top ten duet between Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton. Atlantic Starr took "Secret Lovers" to number three in 1986. "Mr. Telephone Man" was a top 40 hit for New Edition.

FUN FACT: Quincy Jones, producer of "Baby, Come to Me", had the Midas touch back in 1983. The song knocking "Baby, Come to Me" out of the top spot came from another album he produced. A little album called "Thriller". The song, none other than "Billie Jean" .

2. Song Number 29: "Living in perfect harmony. Side by side on my piano keyboard. Oh lord, why don't we?" Considered sappy by many today, this song was wildly popular back in 1982 when it flew to number one in Britain, Germany and the U.S.A. What two pop legends came together to sing about putting an end to racial infighting on the worldwide smash "Ebony and Ivory"?

Answer: Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

"Ebony and Ivory" was written by Paul McCartney and originally appeared on his 1982 album "Tug of War". The message about racial harmony and the star power of McCartney and Wonder sent the record rapidly up the charts. On April 10th, 1982, the song debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Five weeks later it hit number one and held that spot for seven consecutive weeks. It was the longest stay at number one for any Stevie Wonder record and second-most for Paul McCartney (behind the Beatles' "Hey Jude"). Such meteoric success was followed quickly by popular fatigue. The song remained in the Top 40 for a short 15 weeks. Soon after, the song was wildly parodied, most notably in a famous Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. It has since been referenced (and often derided) throughout pop culture in film, TV and even video games. In 2007 BBC radio listeners voted the song the worst duet in history.

FUN FACT: Billboard named "Ebony and Ivory" the fourth biggest single of 1982.

3. Song Number 28: " Kiss meeeee...like you just did" This husband and wife team had the number one single of 1975 with "Love Will Keep Us Together". Five years later they recaptured the weekly number one spot and the adoration of fans nationwide with this slow ballad. What song did Captain and Tennille take to the top in February of 1980?

Answer: Do That To Me One More Time

"Do That To Me One More Time" made its debut into the Top 40 on November 10th, 1979. It took three and a half months for the record to finally reach the top which it accomplished on February 16th, 1980. The song's 22 weeks in the Top 40 tied the record for the most number of weeks any song spent on the survey during the decade. In the yearend countdown for 1980, "Do That To Me One More Time" was named the fifth biggest single of the year.

"Muskrat Love" was Captain and Tennille's number four hit from 1976. The Carpenters had a number one smash with "(They Long To Be) Close To You" in 1970. Lita Ford reached number 12 with "Kiss Me Deadly" in 1989.

FUN FACT: Toni Tennille sang backup vocals on Elton John's classic "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" and Pink Floyd's album "The Wall".

4. Song Number 27: "I saw him dancing there by the record machine. He must have been about seventeen." When Joan Jett walks into the bar in this song's famous black and white video and the opening guitar licks come crashing down, you know you're in for something big. Singing what may be the hardest rocking number one song of the 80s, what smash did Joan Jett and the Blackhearts keep on top for an incredible seven weeks in 1982?

Answer: I Love Rock 'n Roll

"I Love Rock 'n Roll" was the highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 63 on the week of February 6th, 1982. It took a quick ascent to the top from 63 to 39 to 18 to 9 to 3 for two weeks and then to number one on March 20th, 1982. It remained in the top ten for 12 weeks, 16 weeks in the top 40 and 20 weeks in the Hot 100. It was the first top 40 record for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts who followed the success of this song with their number seven remake of "Crimson and Clover". "I Love Rock 'n Roll" was itself a remake of a 1975 record by the Anglo-American band the Arrows. Joan Jett caught a performance of the song in 1976 while she was touring with the Runaways. It inspired her to remake the song first in 1979 and then more successfully in 1982. The song has since been awarded multiple honors including being named by Q magazine as one of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks and by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Song of All Time.

"I Hate Myself for Loving You" was a number eight hit for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in the fall of 1988. Van Halen took "Jump" to number one in 1984. "At Seventeen" was a number three ballad by Janis Ian in 1975.

FUN FACT: "I Love Rock 'n Roll" topped the Mainstream Rock chart for five weeks back in 1982.

5. Song Number 26: "There's a name for it, there's a phrase that fits, but whatever the reason, you do it for me" At the lowest point in her life after leaving her husband Ike, Tina Turner was destitute with only 36 cents to her name. It was this song that helped to launch her comeback as an 80s superstar and sex symbol. What record did she take all the way to number one in September of 1984?

Answer: What's Love Got To Do With It

"What's Love Got To Do With It" has become one of the most enduring classics of the 1980s. The Recording Industry Association of America put it at number 38 on its list of "Songs of the Century" and Rolling Stone named it as one of the 500 "Greatest Songs of All Time". Its humble beginnings came with its debut in the top 40 on June 23rd, 1984. It was the second release off Tina Turner's "Private Dancer" album following the number 26 success of the single "Let's Stay Together". It took a slow rise to the top where it hit number one on September 1st in its 11th week in the top 40. It rounded out its stay in the top 40 in 18 weeks and went on to be named by Billboard as the second most popular song of 1984.

"Typical Male" was a number two smash for Tina Turner in the fall of 1986. Madonna had a number one song with "Crazy For You". "How You Remind Me" was the 2001 number one tune by Nickelback.

FUN FACT: "What's Love Got To Do With It" won the Grammy Award for Record and Song of the Year of 1984.

6. Song Number 25: "I feel a million dollar when you're just in my hand" Hitting number one in the U.K. in 1983, this UB40 song took a long while before it caught on in the U.S. Five years to be exact. Do you remember the reggae-inspired classic that climbed to number one in America on October 15th, 1988?

Answer: Red Red Wine

"Red Red Wine" was first released in the United States in late 1983. It spent 15 weeks on the charts reaching number 34 on March 31st, 1984. The song resurfaced in a longer version at a dance club in Atlanta during the summer of 1988. It was added to the rotation in Atlanta and then in Phoenix before spreading like wildfire throughout the rest of the country. It raced to the top of the charts where it reigned for one week on October 15th, 1988. It amassed a total of 40 weeks on the Hot 100 between its two runs, enough to make it the 25th biggest song of the 1980s.

"Can't Help Falling In Love" reached number one for UB40 in 1993. Bobby McFerrin sang "Don't Worry Be Happy" to the top in September of 1988. "I Wanna Be Rich" was a number two hit for Calloway in 1990.

FUN FACT: "Red Red Wine" was written and originally recorded by 70s pop star Neil Diamond.

7. Song Number 24: "Girl, close your eyes, let that rhythm get into you" In the opening weeks of the 1980s, Michael Jackson gave us a hint of the tremendous impact he'd have on the pop music scene during the decade. This song spent four weeks at number one and was the biggest hit from his album "Off The Wall". Can you name this disco classic?

Answer: Rock With You

"Rock With You" climbed to the top spot on January 19th, 1980. It remained in the top ten for nine weeks, the top 40 for 19 weeks and the Hot 100 for a total of 24 weeks. It also captured number one on the R & B chart and the dance chart in 1980. It was a follow up to his number one song "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" which helped win him a Grammy Award for Best Male R & B Vocal Performance of the Year. "Rock With You" was certified as a platinum selling single and Billboard named it the fourth biggest hit of 1980.

Michael Jackson took "The Way You Make Me Feel" to number one in 1988. "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" was a number five hit for Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. George Benson had a number four smash in 1980 with "Give Me The Night".

FUN FACT: "Rock With You" was one of four singles that reached the top ten from the album "Off The Wall" which set a record for the most top tens from one album. Three years later Michael Jackson would break his own record when he sent seven singles to the top ten from the album "Thriller".

8. Song Number 23: "Hey teacher! Leave those kids alone!" I remember my buddies and I chanting this every day on our bus ride home from school. That poor bus driver! What rebellion song of sorts landed Pink Floyd on top of the pop singles chart for the first time?

Answer: Another Brick In The Wall

"Another Brick In The Wall" hit number one in the United States on March 22nd, 1980 and stayed there for four weeks. It was the 2nd of three parts found on Pink Floyd's multiplatinum album "The Wall" and has become one of the most recognizable songs in their large pantheon of classics. It was named by Billboard as the second biggest single of 1980 and earned Pink Floyd a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group. Its legacy has been maintained as evidenced by its inclusion in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

"Comfortably Numb" was another popular song on Pink Floyd's "The Wall". The Police took "Don't Stand So Close To Me" to the top ten in 1981. "School's Out" by Alice Cooper was a number seven hit in 1972.

FUN FACT: The children singing on the record were found at Islington Green School, just around the corner from the studio where Pink Floyd were recording.

9. Song Number 22: "Well, my friends, the time has come, raise the roof and have some fun" ...and celebrate the biggest solo hit in the chart career of Lionel Richie. What party song did radio stations "play on and on and on" during the fall of 1983?

Answer: All Night Long

"All Night Long (All Night)" debuted at number 63 on September 17th, 1983. Eight weeks later it jumped to number one and was the most popular song in the U.S. for four weeks. It spent 13 weeks in the top ten, 17 weeks in the top 40 and 24 weeks on the Hot 100. It was a huge cross-over smash spending 7 weeks at the top of the R & B chart and four weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart. It was the first of five top ten hits from the album "Can't Slow Down" and was a certified gold-selling single. One of the most memorable moments of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles was Lionel Richie's performance of the song at the closing ceremony.

"Dancing On The Ceiling" was a number two hit for Lionel Richie in 1986. Debarge took "Rhythm Of The Night" to number three in 1985. "Love Shack" was the number three classic by the B-52s.

FUN FACT: The music video for "All Night Long" was directed by ex-Monkee member Michael Nesmith.

10. Song Number 21: "I said to the man, 'Are you trying to tempt me? Because I came from the land of plenty'" Break out the didgeridoo and spread me some vegemite, mate. This is the song that kicked off America's fascination with all things "Down Under". Which scenario is NOT mentioned by Men At Work in their classic 1982 hit?

Answer: Watching a kangaroo chase a koala up a gum tree

"Down Under" was the follow up to Men At Work's number one single "Who Can It Be Now?". It debuted on the U.S. charts in November of 1982. Two months later it dethroned "Maneater" at number one and spent four total weeks on top. It was a worldwide smash hitting number one in the U.K., Australia and a number of other countries. Following the success of these two singles, Men At Work took home a Grammy for Best New Artist. Over the next year they scored two more top ten hits, "Overkill" and "It's A Mistake" before disappearing from the American pop chart scene.

FUN FACT: "Down Under" was the 500th single to reach number one in the United Kingdom.

Thank you so much for taking the time to play my quiz. Look for the top 20 songs of the 80s coming soon.

Source: Author bottle_rocket

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Dalgleish before going online.
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Top 100 Songs of the 1980s (30 - 21) Quiz

This quiz features ten of the 100 most popular songs in the U.S. as determined by the Billboard Hot 100 charts from the 1980s. Find out how much you know about these songs that touched and affected so many lives.

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