Boys from the 80s Trivia Quiz

Answer: "Mickey"

The 1981 studio album "Word of Mouth" was American singer Toni Basil's debut album and mostly contained covers. It produced the hit single "Mickey" (or "Hey Mickey"). This was a cover of a song called "Kitty" by English rock band Racey on their 1979 "Smash and Grab" debut album. Apart from the name change, the Racey version did not include the "Oh Mickey, you're so fine" chant. Basil's version "Mickey", released in 1982, topped the US "Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: "Axel F"

"Axel F" by German musician Harold Faltermeyer was a 1984 electronic instrumental which was in effect the theme tune for the 1984 film "Beverly Hills Cop". The track took its name from the lead character of the film who was Axel Foley, portrayed by Eddie Murphy in the original film and various sequels. "Axel F" also appeared in the soundtrack of some of these sequels. Faltermeyer also arranged the music for the 1984 film and the 1987 sequel.

Answer: "Be Good Johnny"

"Be Good Johnny" was a 1982 single from the Australian band Men at Work and was the third single from their debut album "Business as Usual" (1981). The song title is a reference to the 1958 song "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry. The song provided the opening theme song for the US version of the reality TV programme "Supernanny" (2005-2011).

Answer: "Major Tom (Coming Home)"

The 1983 single "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by German singer-songwriter Peter Schilling was part of the Neue Deutsche Well (NDW) genre of West German rock music. It was achieved success both in its original German version and its English language version.

It reached number 14 in the US "Billboard Top 100" chart and number two in the US "Dance" chart. The astronaut described in the song has been compared to David Bowie's Major Tom of the 1969 "Space Oddity" song.

Answer: "Paul Revere"

Not to be confused with the American band Paul Revere & the Raiders, formed in 1958, nor the 2023 song "Paul Revere" recorded by Noah Kahan and Gregory Alan Isakov, the American hip-hop group Beastie Boys released their own single in 1986. This was the third single from their debut album "Licensed to Ill" (1986).

The song narrates the fictional story of how the band members met. The famous name belongs to a horse in this story.

Answer: "Jacob's Ladder"

Written by the brothers Bruce and John Hornsby, the single "Jacob's Ladder" topped the US "Billboard Top 100" in 1987 for American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. This was the band's third and final chart-topping hit. Bruce Hornsby and the Range were later to produce their own version for the 1988 album "Scenes from the Southside". The song title is a reference to the Biblical story.

Answer: "Jack & Diane"

Going by the name John Cougar at the time, American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp released the single "Jack & Diane" in 1982 as the second single from his album "American Fool" (1982). The inspiration was the 1962 film "Sweet Bird of Youth", which itself was inspired by the Tennessee Williams play of the same name, although the names of the two protagonists were changed by Mellencamp from Chance and Heavenly. Those names don't roll off the tongue in the same way.

Answer: "You Can Call Me Al"

Lead single from the album "Graceland" (1988), "You Can Call Me Al" was written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, following a visit to South Africa. The story goes that Simon was at a party where he was mistakenly called Al and his then-wife was called Betty (rather than Peggy).

The lyrics reveal a bit of a mid-life crisis. It became one of his bigger solo singles, receiving a boost when the album received acclaim as well and marked a revival in his career.

Answer: "Tom Sawyer"

Canadian rock band Rush originally released "Tom Sawyer" as the opening track on the 1981 studio album "Moving Pictures". The studio version was a released as a single in the US and Canada but not in the UK. The UK release was a live version from the 1981 double live album "Exit ... Stage Left". "Tom Sawyer" is regarded as a trademark song for the band.

The song's composition was sparked by poet and lyricist Pye Dubois and a poem based on the 1876 Mark Twain novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".

Answer: "Johnny Come Home"

British pop rock band Fine Young Cannibals released "Johnny Come Home" in 1985 from their debut self-titled album (1985). With a ska rock sound, it proved to be a popular start and a dance hit. The song tells the tale of a runaway youth who finds the big city not as he expected, while the chorus expresses his parents' wish for him to return.