80s Anthem Quiz: Who Sang It? (1)

[A] Prince | Purple One recorded every instrument himself without using bass. This minimalist masterpiece topped charts while proving less really can mean more in pop music.

[B] Twisted Sister | Dee Snider's anti-authority anthem borrowed from Christmas carol hilariously. Mark Metcalf reprised Animal House role in video making rebellion genuinely comedic and accessible.

[B] Bonnie Tyler | Jim Steinman's seven-minute opus got edited for radio mercifully. Bonnie's raspy desperation and those literal eclipse metaphors created karaoke's most dramatic selection.

[B] R.E.M. | Michael Stipe's stream-of-consciousness lyrics listed cultural references rapidly. College rock's breakthrough hit proved alternative bands could create sing-along anthems accidentally.

[D] Salt-N-Pepa | Hurby Azor's B-side became accidental smash about sexual empowerment. Queens duo proved female rappers could discuss desire while maintaining complete control narratively.

[A] Def Leppard | Sheffield rockers mixed metal with pop sensibility perfectly. Producer Mutt Lange crafted those layered harmonies that made strippers and soccer moms equally happy.

[D] Prince | Purple genius used car metaphor for one-night stand creatively. Lisa Coleman's keyboards and Prince's falsetto made Minneapolis sound internationally influential overnight basically.

[A] Night Ranger | Drummer Kelly Keagy wrote about his sister Christy's growing up. Those power ballad drums and soaring guitar solo defined prom slow dances everywhere.

[A] Prince | Parade album's minimalist funk showcased falsetto and guitar mastery equally. That "kiss" sound effect and sparse arrangement proved Prince could dominate using less.

[C] Phil Collins | Urban legend claims it's about watching someone drown. Actually Phil processed divorce pain through drum machines and atmospheric production creating ultimate breakup anthem.

[C] Wang Chung | British duo's nonsense chorus commanded worldwide party participation immediately. Jack Hues and Nick Feldman proved "wang chung" meant whatever dancers wanted basically.

[C] Men at Work | Colin Hay's Scottish-Australian vocals celebrated Vegemite sandwiches internationally. Greg Ham's flute borrowed from "Kookaburra" causing expensive copyright lawsuit decades later unfortunately.

[C] Loverboy | Canadian rockers' red leather pants matched working-class party anthem perfectly. Mike Reno's vocals and Paul Dean's guitar celebrated Friday night freedom universally forever.

[C] Joan Jett & The Blackhearts | Arrows' original disappeared until Joan's version conquered everything. That hand-clap beat and sneering attitude made rock's ultimate jukebox selection permanently.

[C] Whitney Houston | Narada Michael Walden produced this bubbly perfection showcasing Whitney's range. Her vocal acrobatics made every other singer question their career choices and practice harder.

[D] Rolling Stones | Tattoo You's lead single proved Stones still relevant somehow. Keith's open-G tuning and Mick's rooster strut launched Windows 95 eventually bizarrely enough.

[D] Beastie Boys | Three Jewish kids parodied party culture becoming what they mocked. Rick Rubin's metal guitars meeting hip-hop beats created template for decades afterward.

[A] Robert Palmer | Identical models in Nagel-inspired video became MTV iconic immediately. Bernard Edwards' production and Palmer's blue-eyed soul made addiction metaphor irresistibly catchy forever.

[A] Journey | Small town girl meets city boy on midnight train going anywhere. Steve Perry's vocals and Jonathan Cain's keyboards created karaoke's most murdered song ever.

[C] ABC | Martin Fry's Sheffield sophistication met Trevor Horn's production wizardry perfectly. Those orchestral stabs and romantic yearning defined new romantic movement's commercial peak moment.

[D] Michael Jackson | That bassline changed everything when Quincy Jones produced it. Michael moonwalked into history wearing one glove and revolutionizing music videos forever with this track.

[C] The Bangles | Liam Sternberg wrote this watching people maintain balance on ferry. The sideways dance moves and hieroglyphic hand gestures conquered MTV and wedding receptions worldwide.

[B] Guns N' Roses | Axl's Indiana naivety meets LA's seedy underbelly viciously here. Slash's talk-box intro and serpentine riff defined danger in Sunset Strip hair metal.

[C] Soft Cell | Marc Almond transformed Gloria Jones's Northern Soul obscurity into synth-pop gold. That electronic heartbeat and dramatic vocals created goth club immortality forever.

[A] Cyndi Lauper | Robert Hazard's original was from male perspective completely different. Cyndi transformed it into feminist anthem with her mom appearing in the revolutionary video.

[D] Blondie | Giorgio Moroder's production met Debbie Harry's ice-cool delivery perfectly. Richard Gere's American Gigolo soundtrack placement made new wave sophisticated and dangerous simultaneously.

[A] A-ha | Norwegian trio's pencil-sketch video took four months animating rotoscope. That falsetto chorus note reaches heights that shatter glasses and teenage hearts equally effectively.

[C] Gary Numan | Former punk discovered Moog synthesizer changing everything about himself completely. That android persona and mechanical rhythm established British electronic music's cold future.

[D] Dexy's Midnight Runners | Kevin Rowland's overalls and fiddle breakdown created Celtic soul magic. That tempo change midway through keeps dance floors confused but eternally entertained since 1982.

[C] Bananarama | Three friends' harmonies captured urban heatwave misery perfectly. Stock Aitken Waterman's production machine hadn't arrived yet but this proved girl groups still mattered.