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Test Your ’80s Music Knowledge

Pull on your leg warmers and take our rad quiz


spinner image Cutouts of Whitney Houston, Jon Bon and Madonna performing; surrounded by yellow, blue and purple circles with question marks in them on purple background
Getty Images (3)

The ’80s introduced us to hit songs by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi and Whitney Houston, and we could watch our favorite artists perform music videos on a new cable TV channel called MTV. Take our totally gnarly quiz to test how much you recall about ’80s tunes and the artists who made them.

Question 1 of 10

Which artist was half of the English pop duo Wham! before launching a successful solo career?

The late George Michael, who died in 2016 at the age of 53, formed Wham! with his childhood friend Andrew Ridgeley. Wham! rose to the top of the charts in the early ’80s with bops such as “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and the holiday hit “Last Christmas.” The pair parted ways in 1986 after a legendary farewell show at London’s Wembley Stadium — a year before Michael released his first solo album.

Question 2 of 10

True or false: The hit song “Every Breath You Take,” by British rock band The Police, is about a stalker who’s obsessed with a former lover.

spinner image Members of the rock band The Police standing outside; one member holding umbrella; surrounded by yellow, blue and purple circles with question marks in them on purple background
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The band’s lead singer, Sting, who plays a voyeuristic stalker in the video for the hit tune, told New Musical Express magazine that it’s “a nasty little song” that’s “about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.” The song topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for eight weeks in 1983.

Question 3 of 10

Michael Jackson first performed his signature moonwalk dance during a TV performance of what song?

In 1983, Michael Jackson performed “Billie Jean” on the TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. Because artists were supposed to perform classic Motown hits instead of new material, it almost didn’t happen. When organizers saw Jackson rehearse, however, “we just knew this was incredibly special,” producer and director Don Mischer told Yahoo! Entertainment. 

Question 4 of 10

Madonna wears her iconic pink satin dress in the music video for which hit song?

spinner image Madonna singing into microphone with arms raised in air; surrounded by yellow, blue and purple circles with question marks in them on purple background
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In the music video for her 1985 single “Material Girl,” Madonna wears a satin dress that was inspired by the pink gown Marilyn Monroe wore in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, during her performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” The dress — originally made for a TV movie about Monroe and rented for Madonna to wear in the video — was sold at auction in 2022 for $287,500.

Question 5 of 10

Which female artist topped the charts in 1983 with the song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”?

The song originally belonged to musician Robert Hazard, who recorded it as a demo in 1979. Because Hazard’s version was written from the perspective of a womanizing man, Lauper initially didn’t want to perform it. She eventually agreed on the condition that she could change some of the lyrics and sing it from a woman’s perspective.

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Question 6 of 10

While releasing solo hits such as “Another Day in Paradise,” “Sussudio” and “In the Air Tonight,” ’80s icon Phil Collins also fronted which popular band?

spinner image Phil Collins holding microphone; surrounded by yellow, blue and purple circles with question marks in them on purple background
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The original lead singer of English rock band Genesis was another ’80s icon: Peter Gabriel, whose solo hits include “Sledgehammer” and “In Your Eyes.” When Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, the band auditioned more than 400 vocalists before offering the role to drummer Phil Collins, who had provided backup vocals for Gabriel. Collins stayed with the band — even while pursuing his solo career — until 1996, and returned for a farewell tour in 2022.

Question 7 of 10

True or false: Prince’s album 1999 was the soundtrack to a film of the same name.

spinner image Prince holding guitar, behind microphone; surrounded by yellow, blue and purple circles with question marks in them on purple background
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Prince released his sixth studio album, Purple Rain, in 1984. Along with its titular track, the record spawned the timeless hits “Let’s Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U” and “When Doves Cry.” It also was the soundtrack to a movie of the same name starring Prince as a young Minneapolis musician.

Question 8 of 10

Jon Bon Jovi hails from which U.S. state?

Born in 1962 as John Bongiovi, Jon Bon Jovi grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey, and lived there with his parents while recording his first three albums — including Slippery When Wet, which featured the hits “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.”

Question 9 of 10

Which song from her 1985 self-titled debut earned Whitney Houston her first Grammy?

spinner image Whitney Houston singing into microphone; surrounded by yellow, blue and purple circles with question marks in them on purple background
Getty Images

The late artist’s debut album, Whitney Houston, contained three smash hits: the signature songs “How Will I Know” and “Greatest Love of All,” and Houston’s first single, “Saving All My Love for You.” The latter — originally recorded in 1978 by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. — won her a Grammy for best pop vocal performance by a female artist. It was Houston’s first Grammy win but not her last: She took home five more Grammys before her death in 2012.

Question 10 of 10

True or false: The late Tom Petty’s seminal album, 1989’s Full Moon Fever, was originally rejected by his label.

spinner image Tom Petty holding guitar behind microphone; surrounded by yellow, blue and purple circles with question marks in them on purple background
Getty Images

Full Moon Fever, Petty’s first solo album without his band, the Heartbreakers, features the hits “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and “Yer So Bad.” After his record label rejected it, Petty refused to budge, and instead of scrapping the album, he waited for a regime change. “I came back and I played them the same record, and they were overjoyed. It turned out to be a huge hit,” he told Esquire magazine in 2006.

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