How many of these ’80s songs can you name based on just the lyrics?
Music from the 1980s is at a distinct disadvantage as compared to music from a previous decade, such as the 1960s. Music from that period is beloved by Boomers and has had extra decades to infiltrate the minds of radio listeners worldwide.
Songs from the 1980s have had considerably less time to inculcate themselves into the brains of the masses, but now that we’re 40 years on, some of that stuff is getting as well-known as the oldies. If you agree, then test your acumen by seeing how many of these 15 songs from the Reagan decade you can identify by the lyrical snippet we’ve chosen.
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Hint No. 1
Image Credit: Amazon.
Answer: ‘Africa’ by Toto (1982)
This song is catchy and it’s not hard to understand why it was a hit when released. Having said that, its inexplicably durable popularity in the 21st century is a mystery science will never solve, even if given endless time and infinite resources.
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Hint No. 2
Image Credit: Wikipedia.
Answer: ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ by Guns N’ Roses (1987)
This is another song that has endured long beyond its expected expiration date, for reasons we cannot fathom. Is it because people like to do the Axl Rose swaying hips as depicted in the music video when they’re drunk and the song comes on the radio?
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Hint No. 3
Image Credit: Wikipedia.
Answer: ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey (1981)
When that opening piano riff starts, stuff some cotton in your ears to protect them from all the people who will start screaming along to the lyrics. “The Sopranos” was a wonderful show, but David Chase owes us an apology for making this song mega-popular all over again.
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Hint. No. 4
Image Credit: Amazon.com.
Answer: ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson (1982)
From the immortal “Thriller” album, “Billie Jean” is just another classic on an album packed to the rafters with classics. People will still be listening to it 1,000 years from now, and a copy of it should probably be sent into space as a gift for the Martians.
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Hint No. 5
Image Credit: Marco Maas / Wikimedia Commons.
Answer: ‘Summer of ’69’ by Bryan Adams (1985)
Anyone who grew up with MTV in the early 1980s will remember this one, and that’s not a good thing. By the way, did Adams ever get past that whole “bat eating” Tweetstorm thing that got him in trouble at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic?
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Hint No. 6
Image Credit: Amazon.com.
Answer: ‘White Wedding’ by Billy Idol (1982)
Another staple of early MTV, it’s hard to hear this song’s title without sneering or repeating the song’s title in Billy Idol’s stylized voice. The video was great, too. Honestly, everything about this song has aged very well. Kudos, Mr. Idol!
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Hint No. 7
Image Credit: Amazon.
Answer: ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ by Bonnie Tyler (1983)
If you can’t recognize this song from that quote, then we would like to congratulate you for waking up from your 40-year coma. If you do recognize it, we apologize for the earworm we just infected you with, and which will take a full 24 hours to leave you.
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Hint No. 8
Image Credit: Amazon.com.
Answer: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston (1987)
At the time when this song came out, it was hard to believe someone this wholesome could sing a line so tawdry. We know better now, but it’s a simple fact that Whitney Houston could sing the heck out of just about anything, including this song.
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Hint No. 9
Image Credit: Wikipedia.
Answer: ‘Maneater’ by Hall & Oates (1982)
We wonder if saying, “Leave me alone, I’m a family man” will work as a way to get the “Maneater” away from you. Either way, this is an incredibly goofy song, but it’s endearing-goofy as opposed to irritating-goofy, so we don’t mind.
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Hint No. 10
Image Credit: Amazon.com.
Answer: ‘Mr. Roboto’ by Styx (1983)
Styx got tired of being a hard rock band, so they destroyed their own careers by making the “Kilroy Was Here” album. Dennis DeYoung, who came up with the entire concept album, is so hated by his former bandmates for it that he’s been kept from rejoining the group that he co-founded.
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Hint No. 11
Image Credit: Amazon.com.
Answer: ‘Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car’ by Billy Ocean (1988)
Billy Ocean had several major hits in the 1980s, such as “Caribbean Queen” and this song, which hit number one in the US. We’re happy for him, but didn’t he know about the dangers of hitchhiking?
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Hint No. 12
Image Credit: Amazon.com.
Answer: ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’ by Duran Duran (1982)
Duran Duran may not have been aware that animals other than wolves also get hungry. At the same time, “Hungry Like the Flounder” just doesn’t have the same ring to it, so we’ll let that go.
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Hint No. 13
Image Credit: Amazon.com.
Answer: ‘Don’t You Want Me’ by The Human League (1981)
Initially, there was some resistance to new wave music, but it was hard to maintain when a song like this came on the radio. Forty-plus years later, it still completely slaps, and it remains the Human League’s best song. FACT.
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Hint No. 14
Image Credit: Amazon.com.
Answer: ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ by Bon Jovi (1986)
Before Jon Bon Jovi decided he was a public servant and champion of the downtrodden, he was writing stupid garbage like this, and we were a lot happier about it. Bon Jovi has remained popular and their singer has changed with the times admirably, but we liked it better when he was just a hair metal dude.
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Hint No. 15
Image Credit: Amazon.
Answer: ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ by the Scorpions (1984)
We can’t tell if this German band benefits or suffers from the fact that English is not their first language. It’s very unlikely that any native English speaker would ever write a lyric like the nugget we chose as a clue, but maybe that’s a tragedy and we should thank the Scorpions for correcting it?
Image Credit: The Smiths/YouTube.
How did you do?
Fifteen songs, fifteen chances to prove that the decade of big hair and bigger guitar solos left a permanent mark on your memory. If you got them all, congratulations. Your brain is apparently a very fine jukebox. If you missed a few, no judgment. Some of these songs deserved to be forgotten. The fact that they weren’t is either a triumph of pop music or a cautionary tale about how the human mind works. Possibly both.
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Related:
- 7 popular songs you didn’t know were written by other artists
- 14 songs from 1968: Can you name them from just one line?
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