1980 KROQ Top 10 List Trivia Quiz

Answer: Train in Vain

This song was not listed as a song track on the album cover. It was a "last-minute" add to the album, and since the album artwork was being completed, there was no time to add it to the track listings on the album cover. By the way, "London Calling" was ranked number seven on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

Answer: Talking Heads

The video for "Once In a Lifetime" is as eccentric as the song. Wikipedia mentions that Toni Basil showed David Byrne videos of epilepsy sufferers, which led to all the marionette-like movements by Byrne in the video. The song was produced by Brian Eno.

The song was written by the entire group plus Eno, and was named one of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century by National Public Radio(NPR).

Answer: The Police

This song is from the album "Zenyatta Mondatta". While "De Do Do Do ,De Da Da Da" was a top ten hit in the UK (UK Singles Chart) and the USA (Billboard Hot 100), but the song that won a Grammy from the album was the instrumental "Behind My Camel".

An interesting aside: "Zenyatta Mondatta" was the only Police album not to make Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Answer: The Cars

The song "Touch and Go" is from the "Panorama" album. "Touch and Go" was the only top 40 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 weekly list in the USA from "Panorama". Some critics dismissed the album, including "Rolling Stone" magazine calling it " an out-and-out drag". Anyway it's viewed, the album and "Touch and Go" were popular with KROQ listeners in 1980.

Answer: Pink Floyd

The song is from the multi-platinum album "The Wall". The progressive rock style of this song certainly isn't the preferred genre of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and even Blue Oyster Cult.

Answer: B-52s

The song is from the B-52's second album "Wild Planet". It was vocalized by band member Cindy Wilson. Though the song didn't have much commercial success worldwide, KROQ played it often making it a popular night club dance song in L.A.

Answer: She's So Cold

This song hit number 33 on the UK Single's Chart and number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Start Me Up" is from the Stone's album "Tattoo You" released in 1981.
"Ruby Tuesday" is from the classic 60s album "Flowers".
"Brown Sugar" is from the "Sticky Fingers" album released in 1971.

Answer: Refugee

An interesting note about the "Damn the Torpedoes" album: it spent seven consecutive weeks at number two on Billboards Album Chart in the USA behind Pink Floyd's "The Wall".
"American Girl" is from the self-titled debut album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1977.
"Rock Lobster" is by the B-52s.

Answer: The Pretenders

This really highlights KROQ's eclectic nature. This may well be one of the lesser known songs from the Pretenders self-titled debut album, yet it was number two for the year on KROQ'S list. Three other songs from that album also appeared on KROQ's list, "Mystery Achievement" at number 19, "Tattooed Love Boys" at number 35, and the most commercially successful (on Billboard's Hot 100 in the USA) of the tracks from the album, "Brass in "Pocket", was number 84.

The debut album by the Pretenders went to number one in the UK during its first week on the charts.

Answer: Devo

The song was ranked number 62 on VH1's Greatest Songs of the 80s. The video was controversial, as many thought it had sadistic and masochistic overtones. This was because of the use of a whip in it. Most less conservative types just thought it was a goofy video.