How well do you think you know classic songs in the 80s? Have you ever heard about Elton John, Starship, or Heart? Lets’ travel to the era of massive hairdos and cassette players and check your knowledge with these 37 trivia 80s music quiz questions and answers.
80s Music Quiz Questions and Answers
1. How old was George Michael when he wrote the song “Careless Whisper”?
A. 17
B. 20
C. 23
2. Which singer had the hit “John Wayne is Big Leggy” in 1982?
A. Belouis Some
B. Culture Club
C. Hayzi Fantayzee
3. ZTT Records was one of the most prominent record companies in the 80s. Do you know what does ZTT stand for?
A. Zang Tuum Tumb
B. Zany Times Two
C. Zoo Too True
4. What do the following artists have in common: Linda McCartney, David Sylvian, and Nick Rhodes?
A. Amateur photographers
B. Amateur actors/actresses
C. Amateur golfers
5. There are … members in the UB40 pop band.
A. 6
B. 8
C. 10
6. Neil Arthur was the lead singer for which group?
A. China Crisis
B. Blancmange
C. Icicle Works
7. The following lyrics come from which song: “I’ll give you television. I’ll give you eyes of blue. I’ll give you men who want to rule the world”?
A. Little Red Corvette by Prince
B. China Girl by David Bowie
C. Dirty Laundry by Don Henley
8. “Guilty” was a duet hit in 1980 by Barbra Streisand and another singer. Who was him?
A. Barry Gibb
B. Neil Diamond
C. Bryan Adams
9. Part II of the song “Another brick in the wall” Pink Floyd is about which subject?
A. Family
B. School
C. War
10. What is the most successful album of INXS so far?
A. Welcome To Wherever You Are
B. Kick
C. The Swing
11. El Debarge, one of the members of the family group Debarge, has a big hit with which single in 1986?
A. Rumors
B. Let’s go all the way
C. Who’s Johnny
12. The 1985 big hit “The heat is on” by Glenn Frey appeared in which movie?
A. Beverly Hills Cop
B. Back To The Future
C. Top Gun
13. Which former Metallica member formed his metal band? And what was the band’s name?
A. Lars Ullrich – The Jets
B. Cliff Burton – Dead Milkmen
C. Dave Mustaine – Megadeth
14. “Three feet high and rising” was the debut album of which band?
A. De La Soul
B. Def Leppard
C. Kim Carnes
15. Which of the following bands didn’t have a hit in the 80s?
A. The Dream Academy
B. Backstreet Boys
C. Strawberry Switchblade
16. What was the only UK top 5 single by the Belle Stars?
A. The clapping song
B. Since yesterday
C. Sign of the times
17. Which singer started the song “Do they know it’s Christmas” by the Band Aid?
A. Paul Young
B. Bono
C. Midge Ure
18. “The first picture of you. The first picture of summer. Seeing the flowers scream their joy.” This is the lyrics from a 1983 hit by whom?
A. Kajagoogoo
B. China Crisis
C. The Lotus Eaters
19. In the 80s, Status Quo had … top 20 singles.
A. 12
B. 15
C. 18
20. Which Duran clip caused controversy with its nudity, mud-wrestling women, and hints of lesbianism?
A. Girls on film
B. Save a prayer
C. Rio
21. Which was the first single that was entirely composed of samples?
A. Pump up the volume by MARRS
B. Good life by Inner City
C. Blue monday by New Order
22. What was the only hit single by the Pookah Makes Three?
A. The way the world is
B. Take it back
C. Champagne Charlie
23. Big Audio Dynamite was formed in 1985 by which Clash member?
A. Joe Strummer
B. Mick Jones
C. Peter Hook
24. Which rapper featured on the song “I feel for you” by Chaka Khan’s?
A. Fresh Prince
B. Melle Mel
C. Chuck D
25. “Why am I playing at both Wembley and Philadelphia? Because I am mad that’s why.” In 1985, which rock star performed at both the US and UK Live Aid?
A. David Bowie
B. Phil Collins
C. Eric Clapton
26. “Big in Japan” was the debut single of which German band in 1984?
A. Ultravox
B. Alphaville
C. H2O
27. In 1984, director Jonathan Demme make a documentary about “Stop making sense” – the last major tour of which band?
A. Led Zeppelin
B. The Jam
C. Talking Heads
28. Which album of U2 featured a cover with the intense stare of a kid?
A. War
B. The Joshua Tree
C. The Unforgettable Fire
29. Which teen singer reached the number one in 1987 with the song “I think we’re alone now”?
A. Tiffany
B. Debbie Gibson
C. Alannah Myles
30. Buster Bloodvessel was the lead singer for which band?
A. Haircut 100
B. Dead or Alive
C. Bad Manners
31. Their first top 10 single in the UK chart was “To cut a long story short”, and the last one was “Through the barricades”. Do you know who they are?
A. China Crisis
B. Spandau Ballet
C. Culture Club
32. The Scandinavian band, A-ha achieved their greatest success in mid-80s with their album Hunting High and Low. Where are they from?
A. Sweden
B. Norway
C. Denmark
33. “Jump” is a very successful song by which American hard rock band?
A. Van Halen
B. Aerosmith
C. Iron Maiden
34. Which of the following is a song released in 1983 by Billy Joel?
A. Beautiful Girl
B. Uptown Girl
C. Holiday Girl
35. “Keep On Loving You” was released in the 1980 album “Hi Infidelity” by which rock band?
A. Styx
B. 38 Special
C. REO Speedwagon
36. Which of the following is a song released in 1982 by Toto?
A. Asia
B. Africa
C. America
37. “Take On Me” was released in 1985 as part of which album by a-ha?
A. True North
B. Minor Earth Major Sky
C. Hunting High and Low
How do you think about these trivia questions? Tell us your correct answers in the comment section below. If you are a big fan of music, then try this quiz about 90s music quiz, this one about 70s music or this one about 60s music.
Rebecca Frankcom
The answer to question 35 is incorrect