It's the name of the quiz so it had to be included! British band ABC released this song in 1982 as a single from their debut album. The song reached number four in the UK and ended up being their highest ranking single in the UK. On the Billboard Hot 100 it climbed to number eighteen and on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart it hit number one.
There are four different versions or parts of the song - an album version, an acoustic instrumental part, an instrumental version and a vocal version with no orchestral overdubs.
2. "Higher Love"
Answer: Steve Winwood
"Higher Love" was co-written by Winwood and released in 1986 and was a big hit for him. It was his first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won him two Grammy Awards. One was for Record of the Year and the other was for Best Male Vocal Pop Performance.
The female vocals are performed by Chaka Khan, who also appears in the music video. The song was used following Joe Biden's victory speech after his election as United States President.
3. "I Want To Know What Love Is"
Answer: Foreigner
In 1984 Foreigner released the single "I Want To Know What Love Is" as the debut single off their fifth studio album. The song was a massive hit, hitting number one in the United States and the United Kingdom. "Rolling Stone" magazine lists it in their collection of all time greatest songs.
The power ballad includes backing vocals from the New Jersey Mass Choir, singer and Broadway star Jennifer Holliday and keyboards by Tom Bailey of the group the Thompson Twins.
4. "Looking For A New Love"
Answer: Jody Watley
"Looking For A New Love" was the first single off Jody Watley's debut album. It was released in 1987 and spent four weeks in the number two position on the Billboard Hot 100. On the R&B and Hot Dance charts it hit number one. Watley was nominated for a Grammy Award, an American Music Award and two Soul Train Music Awards for the song.
She re-recorded and re-released it in 2005 and it again reached number one on the Hot Dance chart. In doing so, she took the same song to number one in two different decades.
5. "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Answer: Joy Division
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" squeaks into the decade. It was originally recorded in 1979 then re-recorded in early 1980 and released in June 1980. The song is about singer Ian Curtis's failing relationship with his wife and his struggles with epilepsy. It was released a month after he committed suicide. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was engraved on his tombstone.
This song is consistently on Best Of lists and was named the best song of all time by "NME" in 2002.
6. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
Answer: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
I have always associated this song with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts but their 1981 version was a cover of a song initially released in 1975 by The Arrows. Joan Jett must've really liked the song because she recorded it twice - once in 1979 with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of Sex Pistols fame.
In 1981 she re-recorded it with the Blackhearts and this version soared to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the highest ranking single her and her band had. The 1981 version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.
7. "Love Shack"
Answer: B-52's
"Tin roof, rusted!" Those iconic lines are from the 1989 single "Love Shack" from the "Cosmic Thing" album. The song was in the top ten in a number of countries and was named the best song of 1989 by "Rolling Stone" magazine. That iconic "Tin Roof, Rusted!" line was originally an outtake during a jam session.
A very fun video with a RuPaul cameo accompanies this upbeat song and won the group an MTV Video Music Award.
8. "Love Is A Battlefield"
Answer: Pat Benatar
This awesome song was released in 1983 and was a big hit for Benatar. It won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. It's hard to believe that this song was originally written as a soft ballad but ended up a more upbeat dance number.
This was a departure for Benatar who mostly recorded more guitar-driven songs. There were still guitars and drums but the addition of an electronic dance beat was new for her. It paid off as this became one of her biggest hits.
9. "Modern Love"
Answer: David Bowie
David Bowie wrote and recorded the song "Modern Love" and released it as a single in 1983. The song was a success for him, reaching number two in the UK and number fourteen in the USA. The song was the opening track of the "Let's Dance" album which was not really well received by critics. "Modern Love" is definitely considered one of the stronger songs on the album and has been included in lists of the best Bowie songs.
For example, in 2016 after Bowie died "Ultimate Classic Rock" named it the eighth best Bowie song.
10. "Tainted Love"
Answer: Soft Cell
So many great 1980s songs and another cover! "Tainted Love" was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964 but the 1981 Soft Cell version brought the song success and fame. It reached number one in the UK and spent forty-three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts! VH1 had a list of the Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 1980s and this song came in at number five.
It came in at number four when ITV viewers were asked in 2015 to name their favorite 1980s tracks.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Commencing in the Author's Lounge board in October 2021, this sixty-eighth Quiz Commission ran with the simple premise of 'send any ol' title', but threw authors a wrench by restricting their category usage. These were the results.
