About This Quiz
Music is universal, and many songs have come out over the years that have become important to entire generations of people. Test your musical chops and see if you know when the hits came out with this HowStuffWorksQuiz!This 1983 single was one of Bowie's most successful singles, off of an album which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. It earned Bowie a Grammy nomination in 1984.
This international hit was released in 2000. This song topped charts in over a dozen countries and remains one of the top-selling singles of all time.
This 2011 smash hit featured Christina Aguilera. It was Maroon 5's first No. 1 hit in four years and Aguilera's first hit in a decade.
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When originally released in 1992, this song underperformed. When rereleased in 1993 it became a global hit.
More than two billion people around the world watched Elton John sing this song at Princess Diana's funeral. It was No. 1 for 14 weeks in 1997 and sold more than 33 million copies.
This song, released in 1989, spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. It features vocals by David Crosby.
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This song was released in 1976. It was inspired by the struggle the band faced wanting to play rock music in clubs at the height of the disco era.
Carly Simon has never revealed who the subject of this 1973 song is. Many people have thought it's Mick Jagger, who sings backup vocals on the chart topper.
"Wonderwall" was released in 1995. It topped charts around the world. It is a highly popular song and numerous artists have covered it, including Cat Power.
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This was the biggest of all of Mariah Carey's 18 No. 1 hits. It charted for a total of 43 weeks.
This song by MC Hammer was co-written by Rick James. It charted in several countries and won numerous awards.
"Billie Jean" was No. 1 for seven weeks in 1983. Many people don't know that this smash hit song was recorded in one take.
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A number of artists covered this Motown song, including Gladys Knight and the Pips and the Isley Brothers. It was Marvin Gaye's version that went straight to No. 1.
This song topped the Hot 100 Chart for four weeks in 2010. It established Bruno Mars as a strong solo artist.
The pair recorded this duet together on an island in the West Indies. It spent seven weeks as a No.1 hit in 1982.
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This chart topper was No. 1 for seven weeks in 1982. It was a song originally written by Jane Hooker and Alan Merrill, responding to the Rolling Stones' song "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)."
Kanye originally wrote this song from a female point of view, for a female rapper who rejected it. He took the rejected song, rewrote it for himself, featured Jamie Foxx, and it became his first No. 1 hit in 2005.
This song spent nine weeks as a No. 1 hit in 2010. It was the longest-running debut single for a lead artist in years.
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This song was a No.1 hit for four weeks in 1978. It played in the trailer for the film "Saturday Night Fever."
This song was No. 1 on the Billboard chart for six weeks. Blige did not pay much attention to the charts and was shocked to learn that her song was doing so well.
This song was the theme for the movie "American Gigolo." It was Billboard's No. 1 song of 1980.
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This single went to No. 1 in 1992. It charted again following Whitney Houston's death in 2012.
In 2012 this catchy pop song was No. 1 for nine weeks. Carly Rae Jepson is the most successful hitmaking "Idol" finalist of all time, as she came in third place during the fifth season of "Canadian Idol."
This was The Beatles' breakout song in the U.S. While they had already sold millions of records in the U.K., "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was given a spin for the first time by a Washington, D.C. DJ. The rest is history.
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Nickelback is one of the most-mocked acts out there. Despite this, it spent four weeks as a chart-topping band in 2001.
This 1980 chart topper was written by Queen bassist John Deacon. Many of the band's other hits were written by Freddie Mercury and Brian May.
This massively successful single cemented Adele as one of the modern greats of music. It was No. 1 for seven weeks in 2011.
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This minimalistic duet with Kimbra has a unique and powerful song. It was the second song ever by a Belgian artist to take the No. 1 spot.
This song had its heyday in 1983. While many people consider it a love song, it is actually from the perspective of an obsessive and jealous stalker.
This song was No. 1 for nine weeks in 1968. At just over seve minutes, it's the longest song to ever hold the top spot.
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To date, the "Thriller" album is the best-selling album worldwide of all time. It was released in 1982 and by 1984 had sold about 65 million copies.
The single topped charts in over 20 countries and was certified platinum. Globally it sold over seven million copies.
Bjork broke through in the 1990s with several commercially successful songs and an avant-garde aesthetic. This song charted in both the U.S. and U.K.
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This Shania Twain song peaked at No. 2 in 1988. It spent an impressive 42 weeks on the Hot 100 chart.