Can You Name These 1980s Singers?

By: Monica Lee
Image: YouTube

About This Quiz

Well, like, if anyone like, would know, it would be like you -- if you listened to pop, rock, jazz or punk in the '80s. It was TOTALLY RADICAL to hear and see your fav artists on MTV. Like duhhhh! If you read a few song titles right now, would you be psyched to name the artist? Do it with these titles for a test run -- "Young Americans," "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" and "Get On Your Feet." Did you get David Bowie, Eurythmics, and Gloria Estefan? Right, like, that was waaaay too easy. This quiz will take you back to the songs that were so bad, from the King of Pop to the Queen of Jazz to The Spokesman of a Generation and Queen of Alt-Rock Angst.

But you can really show your smarts if you were into all kinds of music. We'll see if you can name European, Canadian and Latin-American chart-toppers as well. Don't have a cow if you get it wrong. This quiz is meant to bring back tubular times. As you know, each song brings up different memories. So, before you bounce, take this quiz and find out how choice you are. Word. 

Madonna is a seven-time Grammy Award winner and has been known as the "Queen of Pop" since the 1980s.

Michael Jackson was dubbed the "King of Pop" and was one of the most popular entertainers in the world. His "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time.

From singing as his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, to his final album, Blackstar, David Bowie's record sales made him one of the world's best-selling music artists.

George Michael, a British singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist rose to fame as a member of the music duo,, Wham!, then went on to a superstar solo career.

Annie Lennox is a Scottish singer, songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band, The Tourists, she joined Eurythmics and gained worldwide success.

Bryan Guy Adams is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, guitarist, photographer, philanthropist and activist. It's amazing he has time to give us songs like "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You."

Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. As the lead singer of Miami Sound Machine, the group had a series of hit singles, including "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You."

Elton John is one of the most highly acclaimed and successful solo artists of all time with more than 38 gold and 31 platinum or multi-platinum albums.

The dynamic leader of the Supremes, Diana Ross went on her own and became the original pop-soul solo diva by the early 1970s. There "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" for this successful singer.

After the Beatles, "Live and Let Die" was just one of the phenomenal solo hits Paul McCartney had. He is still creating new music today.

From her album, Xanadu, to her starring role in "Grease," Olivia Newton-John is an all-around star.

Robert James Smith is the lead singer, guitarist, multi instrumentalist, lyricist, and principal songwriter of the rock band, The Cure.

Celine Dion made the theme song from the film, "Titanic," a success. This Canadian-born singer has received various awards, including 12 World Music Awards, five Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, 20 Juno Awards, 45 Félix Awards and many more.

John Lennon was an English singer, songwriter, and peace activist who co-founded the Beatles. His solo career after their breakup was very successful with songs like "Instant Karma," which he wrote after he had announced his departure from the Beatles several months earlier.

Sinéad O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album, "The Lion and the Cobra." Her most popular song is "Nothing Compares To You."

Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, Gwen Stefani had three commercially successful singles that are still popular today - "What You Waiting For?" "Rich Girl," and "Hollaback Girl."

Morissette, an American-Canadian singer songwriter, has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and was dubbed the "Queen of Alt-Rock Angst" by "Rolling Stone Magazine."

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and painter who won the Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

Nena, a German singer-songwriter, actress, and comedian, rose to international fame when she re-recorded the song "99 Luftballons" in English.

Ray Charles was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer. He produced Top Ten-charting music for decades. He was often referred to as "The Genius."

Shannon, a singer of freestyle and dance-pop music is also a songwriter. "Let the Music Play" brought her the attention she deserved and sold more than a million copies.

From the 1950s to the 1980s, Ella Fitzgerald has been referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella. she had dozens of hits, including "Summertime."

Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic and Aaron Burckhard in 1987. With the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he was hailed as "the spokesman of a generation."

From "Janie's Got a Gun" to "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Steven Tyler's hits cover more than the 1980s. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band, Aerosmith.

Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter. His first release, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" became a hit in 1979.

Bobby McFerrin is a 10-time Grammy Award winner and has amazing vocal techniques such as rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmonies, scat singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and improvisational vocal percussion.

Joan Armatrading is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Her album, "Love and Affection," was a critical and commercial success, going gold in the U.K. This album also helped make her a mainstream artist and three-time Grammy nominee.

Do any of these songs ring a bell? "I Muse Aloud,","One More Color" and "Calling All Angels" were hits by Jane Siberry, a Canadian singer-songwriter.

The first African-American Miss America, Vanessa Williams is also a versatile vocalist with success on the pop, R&B and dance charts. She also recorded the Academy Award-winning song, "Colors Of The Wind" from Pocahontas.

The alternative rock band, Pixies, had front man Black Francis who sang influential songs like "Headache" and "Hang On To Your Ego." You may have discovered him in the '80s, however. he became super popular in the '90s.

This rapper and actor is Anthony Terrell Smith, better known as Tone Loc. In 1989, he came out with the hit songs "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina."

As if that distinctive bass-baritone voice and romantic image weren't enough, Barry White also won a Grammy Award three times. His two biggest hits were "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" and "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe."

Were you into the freestyle and Hi-NRG dance music of the '80s? Then you should know Stevie B, who sang such hits as "Because I Love You" and "Spring Love."

"Tom Traubert's Blues" and" Downtown Train" are just two of his top-ten hits that feature Tom Waits' distinctive musical persona with his trademark growl.

What amazing songs Warren William Zevon wrote, composed and sang! "Werewolves of London," "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" were just a few.

Singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me," this soul/R&B singer and record producer was also the lead singer of The Drifters. Ben E. King is known for his hit singles, "Stand By Me" and "Save the Last Dance for Me."

Kiss had quite an impact on the musical scene with Paul Stanley taking center stage as rhythm guitarist and singer of this popular rock band. "I Was Made For Lovin' You" and "Rock and Roll All Nite" were just two of the band's many hits.

Celia Cruz had 23 gold albums during her career. She was also awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994.

Sandra is a German pop singer who enjoyed mainstream popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s with a string of European hit singles, including "Maria Magdalena" and "Johnny Wanna Live."

The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll has won eight Grammy Awards and three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. She is the only female artist to receive concurrent Grammy nominations for pop, rock, and R&B.

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