In 1984, almost every time you turned on the radio (this was before MP3), you could hear the question "Who ya gonna call?" The answer was, of course, "Ghostbusters", a song written and performed by Ray Parker Jr. for the 1984 film "Ghostbusters", starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.
It seems that three college professors lose their jobs at a university in NYC, so they join up with Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) to battle the supernatural for money. When they discover a 'doorway' which will release evil, they must save the city from total destruction. "I ain't afraid of no ghost."
2. Olivia Newton John
Answer: Physical
British born Australian Olivia Newton-John released her 12th studio album, "Physical", in September 1981. One of the songs from this album was originally called "Let's Get Physical"; it was shortened to "Physical". The timing for this song could not have been better on two counts: first of all, MTV had just aired a month before, so the song got a great deal of air time; second, aerobics were just getting popular so it fit in nicely with the fitness craze.
While the video showed Newton-John working on exercising fat men, it was really simply a song about sex as in "There's nothing left to talk about unless it's horizontally"...a number one hit for ten weeks!
3. Lipps, Inc.
Answer: Funkytown
"Funkytown" by the American band Lipps, Inc. appeared on the group's debut album "Mouth to Mouth" in 1979. The lyrics for this popular disco song were, basically, "Won't you take me to Funkytown" over and over with minor variations and the line "Talk about it" repeated, with not much else to talk about. If you were wondering (and you probably were not), the Funkytown in question was New York City, according to Steven Greenburg, the song's author.
Lipps, Inc. was formed especially for this song (seriously!), with the vocals done by Cynthia Johnson.
4. Cher
Answer: Believe
"Believe" was the title song from Cher's 22nd studio album recorded in August 1998. The song took about six years in the making, including six songwriters and at least three producers. The writers were trying to create a dance song that wouldn't alienate Cher's hard core fans who were used to her rock ballads.
It was the biggest selling single in the United States in 1999. When it hit, it also broke the Beach Boys' record of 22 years between hits for "Good Vibrations" and "Kokomo", with 25 years between "Believe" and Cher's last number one hit, i.e., "Dark Lady" in 1974.
5. Keith Sweat
Answer: Twisted
"Twisted" was a single by Keith Sweat, released in 1996. It featured Kut Klose and Pretty Russ, and was the first song that appeared on his third eponymous album. The video for the song shows Sweat as a homicide detective chasing a female suspect who allegedly assassinated a police commissioner. "Twisted" spent three weeks at number one on the US R&B charts, and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2012, VH1 ranked the song at number 35 on the list of "40 Greatest R&B songs of the '90s".
6. Mariah Carey
Answer: Dreamlover
"Dreamlover" sung by Mariah Carey, was first released on July 27, 1993 on Carey's third studio album "Music Box". The video for "Dreamlover" was filmed in August 1993 in upstate New York, and featured Mariah in a carefree setting which included frolicking through a field, swimming in a pond and getting on a hot air balloon; the video also had a cameo of Mariah's dog, Jack.
The song became Carey's seventh number one hit, and spent eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. "Dreamlover" was certified platinum (over one million units in the US) on September 22, 1993 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
7. Del Shannon
Answer: Runaway
Del Shannon (1934-1990) had a big number one hit with "Runaway" (according to the Billboard Hot 100) in 1961, making his name a household word. But there's a sad story behind the last time Shannon sang his pop hit. The last show Del Shannon ever played was in Fargo, North Dakota on February 3, 1990. If that date seems familiar, it was a memorial concert for the 30th anniversary of the "day the music died", i.e, the day their plane crashed killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper".
Although the show was well-reviewed, that same week, on February 8th, Shannon's wife found his lifeless body sitting in a rocking chair with a .22 caliber gun next to him.
8. Bruno Mars
Answer: Grenade
Bruno Mars' song "Grenade" was released in 2010 on the album "Doo-Wops and Hooligans", his debut studio album. The lyrics promise "I'd catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah)/Throw my head on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah)/I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah)...But you won't do the same." The song is pretty self-explanatory, no symbolism, no hidden message; just a guy who had a relationship with a girl he loved, who no longer loves him back.
Despite the rejection, he would still die for her. IMHO, that doesn't seem like love to me.
The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 - you could even say it was explosive (sorry)!
9. Peaches & Herb
Answer: Reunited
Peaches and Herb are an R&B vocal duo, originally with Herb Fame and Francine 'Peaches" Hurd Barker (1947-2005). They were founded in 1966 and, while Herb is still the same, there have been seven different 'peaches' on their tree. The hit song "Reunited" was the second release from their 1978 album "2 Hot".
The song was a number one crossover hit on both the pop and soul charts, and spent four weeks on the R&B singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Billboard ranked it the number five song for 1979. "Reunited and it feels so good/Reunited 'cause we understood/There's one perfect fit/And, sugar, this one is it."
10. Kenny Loggins
Answer: Footloose
"Footloose" is a song written and recorded by Kenny Loggins (sans Messina), released on January 28, 1984. "Footloose" appeared in the 1984 film of the same name, starring Kevin Bacon. It spent three weeks at number one on the US billboard Hot 100, and won Grammy Award Song of the Year in 1985.
The video for the song includes several scenes from the movie, including the warehouse where Ren MacCormack, the protagonist and the rebel, 'shakes up' the people of the 'small mid-west town' of Beaumont, with his 'scandalous' dancing.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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