Quiz yourself on these totally tubular tunes
By Sean Doorly
For some, the '80s conjure up images of Rubik's Cube, acid-washed jeans, Members Only jackets and Cabbage Patch Kids. For others, it's all about the music -- from icons like Madonna and Springsteen to hair bands like Poison and Motley Crue.
So slip on those parachute pants, straighten that skinny tie and spray your hair with Aqua Net, it's time to test your mastery of '80s music with our quiz.
1. What's the name of the lead singer of Duran Duran?
Simon Bon Bon
Simon LeBon
Simon LeBond
Simon Bond
Simon LeBon is the lead singer of Duran Duran-- the New Wave pop band from England responsible for hits like "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio" and "Save a Prayer."
2. What was the first video played on MTV?
"Lucky Star"
"Video Killed the Radio Star"
"We Got the Beat"
"You Better Run"
On Aug. 1, 1981, MTV broadcast their first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star," by The Buggles. Fun fact: "You Better Run," by Pat Benatar, was the second video to be played on MTV.
3. In 1986, thanks to The Bangles, what was America walking like?
A Physician
An Egyptian
A Pelican
A Dinosaur
"Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles was a No. 1 hit in 1987. Fun fact: Liam Sternberg, wrote the song "Walk Like an Egyptian" and the theme song for the TV show "21 Jump Street," which starred Johnny Depp. Was (Not Was) had a hit with "Walk the Dinosaur" in 1989. All this walking may explain the '80s leg warmer craze.
4. In the movie, "Say Anything," what song blares out of the boom box held up by John Cusack's character?
"Shock the Monkey"
"In Your Eyes"
"Big Time"
"Don't Give Up"
Peter Gabriel's song "In Your Eyes" helps John Cusack's character Lloyd Dobler win the heart of the girl of his dreams. "Shock the Monkey," "Big Time" and "Don't Give Up" are also songs by Gabriel.
5. What year were CDs first introduced in America?
1982
1983
1984
1985
CDs were introduced to America in the spring of 1983. Philips and Sony developed the technology in 1979.
6. Which future "Friends" star did Bruce Springsteen pull up on stage in one of his music videos?
Courteney Cox
Jennifer Aniston
Matt LeBlanc
David Schwimmer
In 1984, Courteney Cox was the lucky gal plucked from the audience to dance with "The Boss" in his video, "Dancing in the Dark."
7. What football team was responsible for the song, "The Super Bowl Shuffle"?
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
William "Refrigerator" Perry, Jim McMahon, Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan of the Chicago Bears lent their vocal talents to this novelty hit in 1985. The Bears shuffled their way to victory at Super Bowl XX in 1986.
8. "We Got the Beat" was a hit for what '80s all-girl group?
Bananarama
Go-Go's
The Bangles
The Go-Go's album, Beauty and the Beat, featuring the hit song "We Got the Beat", 'was released in the summer of 1981. The album held the No. 1 on the charts for six weeks.
9. Britney Spears has Christina Aguilera-- who was Debbie Gibson's pop rival in the '80s?
Brandi
Tiffany
Lola
Tanya
At the tail end of the '80's, these two bubble gum pop princesses ruled the charts with songs like Gibson's "Only In My Dreams" and "Shake Your Love" and Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" and "All This Time."
10. Van Halen loved the '80s so much, they named an album after one year in the decade. Which year?
1982
1983
1984
1985
1984 was Van Halen's sixth studio album. It's was only 33 minutes in length, but was packed with hits like "Panama" and "Jump." This was also the last album with charismatic frontman David Lee Roth.
11. What's the name of Poison's drummer?
Tommy Lee
Tico Torres
Rikki Rockett
Rick Allen
Rikki Rocket is Poison's drummer. As for the other drummers -- Tommy Lee drummed for Motley Crue until he left the band in 2000, Tico Torres drums for Bon Jovi and Rick Allen drums for Def Leppard.
12. What's Madonna's real name?
Mary Louise Chicone
Madonna DaVinci
Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone
All true-blue fans know the material girl's real name is Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. She was born on Aug. 16, 1958 in Bay City, Mich.
13. In 1986, Run D.M.C. had a hit with a remake of a song from what classic rock group?
The Rolling Stones
Aerosmith
The Beatles
Boston
In 1986, Run D.M.C. had a top-five hit with a remake of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way." The popularity of Run D.M.C.'s cover helped Aerosmith stage a comeback. They released Permanent Vacation in 1987, which spawned a number of hits.
14. What's Jenny's number?
867-9309
877-4309
867-5309
877-5309
In 1982, the band Tommy Tutone released the song "867-5309/Jenny." 867-5309 was the phone number of the parents of a girl who band member Tommy Heath had met in a nightclub. People across the country who had this number had to change it because of the
rash of prank phone calls of people looking for "Jenny."
15. The band "Men at Work" is from?
Australia
New Zealand
England
Ireland
The five lads from "the land down under" burst on the music scene in 1981 with their debut album "Business as Usual." The album contained the hit songs "Who Can It Be Now," "Down Under" and "Overkill." Men at Work won a Grammy for Best New Group in 1982.
16. What Huey Lewis & the News song was a No. 1 hit in 1985, and was featured in the movie "Back to the Future"?
"Heart and Soul"
"Heart of Rock and Roll"
"Do you Believe in Love"
"Power of Love"
1985 was a good year for Huey Lewis & the News. The band opened the 1985 Grammy Awards, their album Sports was certified multiplatinum and "Power of Love" was their first No. 1 song. The song was featured in the movie "Back to the Future" and it was nominated for an Oscar.
17. What did singer Corey Hart need to wear at night?
Retainer
Sunglasses
Leg warmers
Parachute pants
Canadian pop star Corey Hart had a top-20 hit in 1983 with his catchy pop tune "Sunglasses at Night." Sunglasses were popular in the '80s -- in 1986, Timbuk 3 had a hit with their song "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades."
18. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds was featured in what '80s movie?
"St. Elmo's Fire"
"Sixteen Candles"
"The Breakfast Club"
"Pretty in Pink"
The song was featured in the 1985 movie "The Breakfast Club," which starred members of the "Brat Pack"-- Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson.
19. What was Robert Palmer's only No. 1 hit on the American pop singles chart?
"Simply Irresistible"
"Addicted to Love"
"Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)"
"Some Like It Hot"
In 1985, Robert Palmer scored his only No. 1 hit with the song "Addicted to Love." The song was made famous by the music video featuring blank-faced and beautiful models pretending to play instruments behind Palmer.
20. Which is not a song by Cyndi Lauper?
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
"Time After Time"
"She's So Unusual"
"True Colors"
She's So Unusual isn't a song -- it's the title of Cyndi Lauper's debut album. It sold 5 million copies and scored four top-10 hits, including "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time."