Can you guess these ’80s pop hits from a single lyric?
The 1980s were a decade that took pop music seriously in the best possible way. Synthesizers, big hair, shoulder pads, and choruses designed to fill arenas. Whether you lived through it the first time or discovered it later, these songs have a way of sticking.
Ten songs. One lyric each.
Name the song and the artist before scrolling to the answer.
Song 1
“Ah, can’t you see me standing here?. I got my back against the record machine”
Answer
Jump by Van Halen (1984). Eddie Van Halen played the keyboard riff, an instrument his bandmates initially resisted. The song spent five weeks at number one and became their only chart-topper.
Song 2
“You take the grey skies out of my way. You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day”
Answer
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham! (1984). George Michael wrote it after misreading a note his bandmate Andrew Ridgeley had left for his parents. The phrase on the note was the entire inspiration.
Song 3
“Feels so good inside. When you hold me. And your heart beats. And you love me”
Answer
Like a Virgin by Madonna (1984). Written by Billy Steinberg, who based it on his own romantic experiences. Madonna performed it at the first MTV Video Music Awards, draped across a giant wedding cake, and the moment made her a superstar overnight.
Song 4
“Since you’ve gone, I’ve been lost without a trace. I dream at night, I can only see your face”
Answer
Every Breath You Take by The Police (1983). Sting wrote it in thirty minutes at Ian Fleming’s former home in Jamaica. Despite its romantic reputation, he has consistently described it as a song about obsession and surveillance.
Song 5
“Some boys take a beautiful girl. And hide her away from the rest o’ the world”
Answer
Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper (1983). Written by Robert Hazard in 1979 as a man’s perspective on women. Lauper completely reframed it, and the result became one of the defining anthems of the decade.
Song 6
“I play along with the charade. There doesn’t seem to be a reason to change”
Answer
Jesse’s Girl by Rick Springfield (1981). Springfield wrote it about a real friend and a real situation. He changed the name slightly to protect the person involved. It spent two weeks at number one and won the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
Song 7
“I bought a ticket to the world. But now I’ve come back again. Why do I find it hard to write the next line?”
Answer
True by Spandau Ballet (1983). Songwriter Gary Kemp completed it after a long dry period and was so uncertain about it that he almost did not play it for the rest of the band. It reached number one in the UK and number four in the US.
Song 8
“Didn’t hear your wicked words everyday. And you used to be so sweet I heard you say. That my love was an addiction”
Answer
Karma Chameleon by Culture Club (1983). The band’s biggest hit, spending six weeks at number one in the UK and three in the US. Boy George later said he wrote it in about twenty minutes during a tour bus ride.
Song 9
“I’ve been patient, I’ve been good. Tried to keep my hands on the table”
Answer
Physical by Olivia Newton-John (1981). It spent ten consecutive weeks at number one, the longest run at the top in nearly two decades. Radio stations in Utah, Arkansas, and Australia briefly banned it for its content.
Song 10
“So many times it happens too fast. You trade your passion for glory”
Answer
Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (1982). Written at Sylvester Stallone’s request after Queen declined to let him use Another One Bites the Dust for Rocky III. Survivor wrote it in two weeks. It spent six weeks at number one.
How did you do?
Ten for ten, and the decade is still very much alive in your memory. Fewer than six and there is a spectacular playlist waiting for you.
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