As you start to look back on the music from the ‘80s, you’ll likely realize there are more songs you know than you initially thought. This decade brought the hair metal, the funky tracks nobody thought would initially be popular, and bands that are still around today. How well do you know the songs from the 1980s? We have 10 opening lyrics, and it’s time to name the songs from them:
<section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3>“It's close to midnight, and something evil's lurking in the dark.”</h3><ul><li>“(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”</li><li>“Sympathy for the Devil”</li><li>“Thriller”</li><li>“Number of the Beast”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3> “We're talking away, I don't know what I'm to say.”</h3><ul><li>“Like a Virgin”</li><li>“Take on Me”</li><li>“Livin’ on a Prayer”</li><li>“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3> “Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long, I'm glad to be back.”</h3><ul><li>“Back in Black”</li><li>“Hells Bells”</li><li>“Highway to Hell”</li><li>“Thunderstruck”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3>“How does it feel to treat me like you do?”</h3><ul><li>“Time After Time”</li><li>“Everybody Wants to Rule the World”</li><li>“Blue Monday”</li><li>“Nasty”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3>“She's got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories.”</h3><ul><li>“Papa Don’t Preach”</li><li>“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”</li><li>“I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”</li><li>“Sweet Child O’ Mine”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3>“Been working so hard, I'm punching my card.”</h3><ul><li>“Another One Bites the Dust”</li><li>“Footloose”</li><li>“(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life”</li><li>“Master of Puppets”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3>“Hear the drums echoing tonight, but she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation.”</h3><ul><li>“Thriller”</li><li>“Africa”</li><li>“Livin’ on a Prayer”</li><li>“Under a Raging Moon”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3>“Are you ready? Alright. Everybody now.”</h3><ul><li>“A Kind of Magic”</li><li>“Different Drum”</li><li>“Bang the Drum All Day”</li><li>“Bicycle”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3>“Steve walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low.”</h3><ul><li>“Bohemian Rhapsody”</li><li>“I Want to Break Free”</li><li>“A Kind of Magic”</li><li>“Another One Bites the Dust”</li></ul></section><section data-block="SingleChoice"><h3>“Here we stand or here we fall, history won't care at all.”</h3><ul><li>“Who Wants to Live Forever?”</li><li>“Hammer to Fall”</li><li>“Don’t Stop Me Now”</li><li>“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”</li></ul></section>
Did you get 10/10? Make sure you share this with your friends, and then why not make a playlist with all the best music from the ‘80s?
More Music Quizzes:The Evolution of 1980s Songs
The 1980s provided a chance for technology to be integrated with tracks. Digital recordings made synth-pop rise, but there was also the chance to add drum machines and heavily processed sounds to create music that nobody had heard before.
Mixed with MTV, visual imagery was essential in creating tracks that people would remember. Think about the rise of bands like AC/DC and Queen. While they both started out in the 1970s, it was the ‘80s where some of their biggest tracks and music videos were created.
Then you got the likes of Guns N’ Roses, The Police, Bon Jovi, and Duran Duran, creating new and exciting sounds and experiences. Subgenres like glam metal and new wave became popular, and it even brought us the early days of hip-hop.
As mentioned, MTV changed everything. Up to this point, music had been mostly just for the ears. It played on radios and on stereo systems in cars or at home. Rarely would people turn on a channel to watch music videos, although they were made.
Then, MTV grew in popularity. This was the turn of wondering what the bands would do to create a visual story with the tracks, and it’s grown from there.
Just think about “I Want to Break Free” by Queen, and how they crafted a video that would end up creating controversy in the United States—a video that is now applauded.
A-ha’s “Take On Me” created a story blending comic book characters with a real-world love story. It was a story that could be understood by audiences all around the world, capturing our hearts to create a far more memorable song. “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel was another one that used clay and stop-motion to create a playful masterpiece that worked well for the quirkiness of the song.
The 1980s created a visual feast with the music, and there’s no doubt that the decade’s tracks remain popular today.
Test your music knowledge further with more quizzes from Mental Floss.
More 1980s Music: