How Much Do You Know About No. 1 Songs of the 1980s?

By: John Miller
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Much Do You Know About No. 1 Songs of the 1980s?
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About This Quiz

Drum roll, please…hold it, hold it...hit that power chord! It’s time for you to set aside this century and look back about 30 – yes, 30 – years to everyone's favorite pop songs. That’s right; it’s your chance to beat our quiz about number one hits of the '80s.

The '80s were an in-your-face time with in-your-face music, spawning glam rock, glossy pop, and legendary dancefloor tunes of all kinds. Do you remember how many number-one hits Michael Jackson generated in this decade? And do you recall how everything rock changed once Guns N’ Roses blazed into the top 10, again and again?

A guy by the name of Bon Jovi said one “prayer,” shot to the top of the charts and made an entire career based on a breakthrough debut album. The '80s spawned memorable lyrics that reverberate even today, with lines like “doves cried,” “glory of love,” and “the wind beneath my wings,” all catching our hearts and making our overly-heavy mascara streak and stain the shoulder pads on our favorite jazzercize shirts.

Do you remember the guys who had hit after hit…and it turned out that they were just lip-syncing the words? And do you know all of the lyrics to the biggest Roxette songs of the decade?

The '80s weren’t just a decade – they generated a major shift in music culture, which almost immediately descended into the madness of grunge during the '90s. Take our number one '80s hits quiz and see how much you really know about these iconic songs.

"When Doves Cry" was the No. 1-selling song of 1984. Which artist created it?
Prince
The Seagulls
Billy Ocean
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The late Price sang "When Doves Cry," and it was his first No. 1 hit. After he died in 2016, like a freed dove, the song soared back into the Top 10.

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Who sang the No. 1 hit "Rapture," which featured a nifty, newfangled rap section?
Kenny Rogers
Blondie
Dolly Parton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On 1980's "Autoamerican" album, Blondie scored a huge hit with "Rapture." The song was made even more popular by a weird, long-form music video.

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Which male-dominated band sang "Every Breath You Take," which was No. 1 for eight weeks?
The Go-Gos
The Police
The Bangles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Police, led by a guy named Sting, sang "Every Breath You Take," which was nominated for the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1983.

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Tommy and Gina have a passionate love affair in "Livin' on a Prayer," which was sung by ______.
Cyndi Lauper
Bon Jovi
Tiffany
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jon Bon Jovi and crew sang "Livin' on a Prayer," which grabbed the No. 1 spot for four weeks. It was a single from 1986's "Slippery When Wet."

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The music video showed the women in this band stomping around in a funny dance. Who sang "Walk Like an Egyptian"?
U2
Whitney Houston
The Bangles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1987, the No. 1 song of the entire year was "Walk Like an Egyptian," which is by far the best-known hit from The Bangles.

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Which teeny-bopper female singer covered Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now," and generated a No. 1song?
Tiffany
Bette Midler
Kenny Rogers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1987, Tiffany scored her biggest hit with "I Think We're Alone Now." She later found another huge hit in a cover of the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There."

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Which celebrity singer gained even bigger fame thanks to a pop hit titled "Physical"?
Chicago
Nine Inch Nails
Olivia Newton-John
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Olivia Newton-John released her 12th, yes, 12th album and found an amazing hit with "Physical." The song topped the Billboard chart for 10 weeks.

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Which decidedly non-virginal singer got even more famous with a song called "Like a Virgin"?
Britney Spears
Madonna
Mr. Mister
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1984, Madonna sang "Like a Virgin," which sparked public controversy. She also wore a white wedding dress in the sultry music video.

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Which 80s legend cut loose in 1984's "Footloose," which was used in the movie of the same name?
Kenny Loggins
Van Halen
a-Ha
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Not one, but two songs from the film "Footloose" reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. And the tune "Footloose" became one of the biggest hits by Kenny Loggins.

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In 1988, which singer said that we all gotta have "Faith"?
Roxette
George Michael
Guns N' Roses
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Faith" was the No. 1 song of all of 1988, all thanks to George Michael's breathy, dramatic delivery. It was a huge solo hit for the singer, who had just left the band Wham!

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Which 80s songstress soared along during "The Wing Beneath My Wings"?
Kim Wilde
Bette Midler
Billy Joel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bette Midler's rendition of "Wing Beneath My Wings" was made extremely famous thanks in part to the sloppy-sad movie "Beaches."

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She was a sister to the biggest hit maker of the 80s, and she had a big one, too, called "I Miss You Much."
Janet Jackson
Debbie Gibson
Billy Ocean
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Janet is Michael Jackson's sister and she sang "I Miss You Much," an upbeat, unironic love song that was No. 1 for four weeks in 1989.

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Which famously fake group told their fans to "Blame It on the Rain"?
The Beach Boys
Milli Vanilli
Vanilla Ice
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A German pop group named Milli Vanilli had a major hit with "Blame it on the Rain." Later, it was discovered that the duo didn't sing any parts of their hit album.

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It was just "Another Day in Paradise" for which bald-headed singer in 1989?
Paula Abdul
Phil Collins
Bon Jovi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Phil Collins sang the very last No. 1 song of the entire decade, the super-depressing song called "Another Day in Paradise."

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The fashion-model-saturated video for "Addicted to Love" became a huge hit on MTV in 1986. Who sang the song?
Robert Palmer
David Bowie
Aerosmith
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Has there ever been a voice like the late Robert Palmer's? He sold lust to great effect in "Addicted to Love."

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Which R&B queen sang "That's What Friends Are For," the No. 1 song of 1986?
Sheena Easton
Dionne Warwick
Rick Astley
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"That's What Friends Are For" was actually first recorded by Rod Stewart in 1982. But Dionne Warwick made the song No. 1 in 1985.

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Unrequited love took new lows in "Jessie's Girl," which was sung in a pitch-perfect manner by which heartthrob?
Bobby Brown
Rick Springfield
Rick Astley
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rick Springfield parlayed his pop stardom into a B-movie career. But before all of that, he was famous for "Jessie's Girl."

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The blonde leader of which band sang the soaring "Listen to Your Heart," a song that is NOT about a cardiac arrest?
INXS
Roxette
New Kids on the Block
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Roxette has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide, in large part thanks to towering hits like "Listen to Your Heart." The band has four U.S. No. 1 hits to its credit.

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The music video for this song featured a half-naked model on a car hood. Which band sang "Here I Go Again"?
Whitesnake
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Guns N' Roses
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"And here I go again on my own, goin' down the only road I've ever known, like a hobo I was born to walk alone." With their crazy hairdos, Whitesnake sort of looked like hobos, too.

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Which band sang that "We Built This City" on rock 'n' roll?
Boston
Chicago
Starship
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Starship's 1985 album "Knee Deep in the Hoopla" spawned numerous hits, none bigger than "We Built This City," a song that was ostensibly about selling out ... by a band that actually did sell out.

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Which sexy duo sang the earworm titled "Islands in the Stream"?
Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
Daryl Hall and John Oates
Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was the Bee Gees who wrote "Islands in the Stream." But it was Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton who made the song inescapable in 1983.

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Which sort of creepy stalker guy is going to be "Right Here Waiting" for you?
Richard Marx
Fine Young Cannibals
Michael Jackson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On an album titled "Repeat Offender," Richard Marx sang that he'd be "Right Here Waiting." It was a worldwide hit that inspired all sorts of cover versions.

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You have to wonder … did he finally find it? Who sang "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"?
Boston
Michael Jackson
U2
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1987, U2 sang of intense longing in "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." It was the band's second straight No. 1 single, following "With or Without You."

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Which big-haired heroes are going to give you some "Bad Medicine"?
Human League
Bobby McFerrin
Bon Jovi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bon Jovi is still cranking out the hits, but in the 80s they were even bigger. "Bad Medicine" was No. 1 for two weeks in 1988.

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Which band wanted you to take your "Broken Wings" and learn to fly again?
Michael Jackson
Mr. Mister
Simple Minds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mr. Mister gained 80s icon status with an amazing string of hits. "Broken Wings" topped the charts for two weeks in 1985.

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When life is too much, which 80s star wants you to just "Roll With It"?
Tom Petty
Steve Winwood
UB40
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Steve Winwood scored numerous big hits in the 80s, but "Roll With It" was particularly successful, topping the charts for four weeks.

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Which sunglasses-wearing celebrity sang "Got My Mind Set on You"?
Mr. Mister
George Harrison
Bananarama
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

George Harrison, of Beatles fame, got even more famous thanks to his poppy hit "Got My Mind Set on You," which repeated the same chorus over and over and over and over again.

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Which city-named band sang about a beautiful woman named "Amanda"?
Chicago
Boston
Foreigner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1986, Boston finally released its ballad "Amanda," a single from a concept album named "Third Stage." The song had been recorded six years earlier but never released.

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Which 80s icons encouraged their former lovers to "Look Away"?
Chicago
Janet Jackson
Michael Damian
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"But if you see me walking by, and the tears are in my eyes, look away, baby, look away." Those were the words to Chicago's big hit, "Look Away."

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Which Peter sang the ultra-romantic ballad "Glory of Love"?
Peter Gabriel
Peter Cetera
Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"We'll live forever, knowing together that we did it all for the glory of love." So sang Peter Cetera in "Glory of Love," a major hit for the singer after he left the band Chicago.

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