59 Fun Facts About 80s Rock

What was the first clip MTV aired when it launched on August 1, 1981?

'Video Killed the Radio Star' by the Buggles opened MTV at 12:01 a.m.; it had peaked at only No. 40 in the US but topped charts in sixteen countries.

Which AC/DC singer died in 1980, seven months after Highway to Hell?

Bon Scott died in London on February 19, 1980; the all-black cover of Back in Black, released that July, was a sign of mourning for him.

Where did AC/DC record Back in Black over seven weeks in 1980?

The Bahamas — the band cut it at Compass Point Studios in Nassau in April and May 1980, then mixed it at Electric Lady Studios in New York.

Ozzy Osbourne famously bit the head off a bat on stage in January 1982 in which city?

Des Moines, Iowa — on January 20, 1982, at Veterans Memorial Auditorium; he thought the bat was rubber and needed rabies shots afterward.

Which guitarist on Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz died in a 1982 plane crash?

Randy Rhoads died on March 19, 1982, when a small plane buzzing the tour bus crashed in Leesburg, Florida; his classical-tinged playing shaped neoclassical metal.

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm after a car crash on New Year's Eve of which year?

1984 — Allen crashed his Corvette near Sheffield on December 31, 1984; he returned with an electronic kit, and the Hysteria title nods to the media frenzy around his accident.

Which producer made Def Leppard's Pyromania and Hysteria, as well as AC/DC's Back in Black?

Mutt Lange — he produced Back in Black (1980), then Pyromania (1983), which peaked at No. 2 behind Thriller, and Hysteria (1987).

Which was Van Halen's only No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100?

'Jump' topped the Hot 100 for five weeks in 1984; its album 1984 sat at No. 2 behind Thriller, where Eddie Van Halen had played the 'Beat It' solo.

Who replaced David Lee Roth as Van Halen's singer in 1985?

Sammy Hagar, formerly of Montrose, joined in 1985 and fronted four straight No. 1 albums, starting with 5150 in 1986.

Which 1984 single became the 'Red Rocker' Sammy Hagar's signature solo song?

'I Can't Drive 55' reached only No. 26 on the Hot 100 in 1984, but heavy rock-radio play made it Sammy Hagar's signature song.

Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction holds what US sales record?

Best-selling debut album — it flopped at first, then reached No. 1 in 1988 and went 18× platinum, more than any other US debut.

Which was Guns N' Roses' only US No. 1 single?

'Sweet Child o' Mine' topped the Hot 100 in September 1988; in the UK it stalled at No. 24 until a 1989 reissue took it to No. 6.

Axl Rose and Slash's band formed in LA in 1985 from Hollywood Rose and which other group?

L.A. Guns — Tracii Guns' band merged with Hollywood Rose in March 1985; the classic lineup of Rose, Slash, Stradlin, McKagan and Adler signed with Geffen in 1986.

Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet spent how many weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200?

Eight — Slippery When Wet spent eight non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 and was Billboard's top-selling album of 1987.

Which two Bon Jovi singles from Slippery When Wet reached No. 1 on the Hot 100?

'You Give Love a Bad Name' and 'Livin' on a Prayer' both topped the Hot 100 in 1986-87; the follow-up New Jersey added two more No. 1s.

In which New Jersey town was Bon Jovi formed in 1983?

Sayreville — Jon Bon Jovi's hometown, where the band came together in 1983 after his single 'Runaway' got local radio play.

How is the title of Journey's 1981 album Escape stylised on its cover?

E5C4P3 — the number-for-letter spelling on the 1981 cover; the album topped the Billboard 200 and 'Open Arms' peaked at No. 2.

Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. produced how many top-ten singles in the US?

'Dancing in the Dark', 'I'm on Fire' and 'Glory Days' were among them, and the album was the world's best seller of 1985.

Which Springsteen album was his first to top the Billboard 200?

The River, a 1980 double album mixing party songs and ballads, was his first No. 1; Nebraska, a solo acoustic record, followed in 1982.

Which U2 album, recorded in two Irish houses in 1986, includes 'With or Without You'?

The Joshua Tree (1987) — recorded largely at Danesmoate House and Melbeach, it was meant as a 'cinematic' record evoking America's open spaces; the Edge used a prototype Infinite Guitar on the single.

U2 formed as teenagers at which Dublin school?

Mount Temple Comprehensive — Larry Mullen Jr. posted a notice there in 1976; four years later, in March 1980, the band signed to Island Records.

The Police's only US No. 1 single, from their final album Synchronicity, was which song?

'Every Breath You Take' spent eight weeks at No. 1 in 1983 and won two Grammys; its writer has said it brings in a quarter to a third of his publishing income.

Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms was the first album to do what?

Sell a million copies on CD — the 1985 album was the first to do so, spending nine weeks at No. 1 in the US; 'Money for Nothing' won Video of the Year at the 1986 VMAs.

Which singer joined Dire Straits for 'Money for Nothing' at Live Aid, a month after its release?

Sting — he sang the 'I want my MTV' refrain on the record and joined the band for it at Wembley on 13 July 1985.

Live Aid on 13 July 1985 was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium and which US venue?

JFK Stadium in Philadelphia — an estimated 1.9 billion people in 150 nations watched the two concerts, nearly 40 percent of the world's population.

How long was Queen's Live Aid set, later voted the best rock gig of all time?

21 minutes — Queen's set began at 6:41 pm, ran six songs from 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to 'We Are the Champions', and was recreated as the climax of the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody.

Survivor wrote 'Eye of the Tiger' for Rocky III after which band refused Stallone a song?

Queen — Stallone was refused 'Another One Bites the Dust', so Survivor wrote 'Eye of the Tiger', timing the riff to the punches in the boxing footage.

Which band first recorded 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' in 1975, before Joan Jett's cover?

The Arrows, fronted by Alan Merrill, first recorded 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' in 1975; Jett saw them play it on British TV and cut her version in 1981.

Which Rush instrumental from Moving Pictures was nominated for a 1982 Grammy?

'YYZ', from 1981's Moving Pictures, takes its name and its Morse-code opening rhythm from Toronto Pearson airport's code; it lost the Grammy to the Police's 'Behind My Camel'.

Which rap group's 1986 collaboration with Aerosmith on 'Walk This Way' revived the band's career?

Run-DMC — their 1986 'Walk This Way' remake hit No. 4 on the Hot 100 and put Aerosmith back on MTV ahead of the multi-platinum Permanent Vacation (1987).

Which 1986 Beastie Boys album was the first rap record to top the Billboard 200?

Licensed to Ill, released in November 1986, hit No. 1 in March 1987 — the first rap album to do so; the trio had begun as a hardcore punk band and opened for Madonna in 1985.

Metallica's bassist Cliff Burton died in a tour-bus accident in 1986 while promoting which album?

Master of Puppets — the bus overturned near Ljungby, Sweden, on September 27, 1986; the European leg was cancelled and Jason Newsted was hired that autumn.

Metallica are considered one of the 'big four' of thrash metal alongside Slayer, Anthrax and which band?

Megadeth was founded by Dave Mustaine after Metallica fired him in 1983.

Iron Maiden's 1982 album The Number of the Beast was their first with which singer?

Bruce Dickinson, formerly of Samson, replaced Paul Di'Anno in late 1981; The Number of the Beast became Maiden's first UK No. 1 album.

Which three musicians testified against the PMRC at the 1985 Senate 'porn rock' hearing?

Dee Snider, Frank Zappa and John Denver — Zappa called the PMRC plan 'an ill-conceived piece of nonsense'; the outcome was the Parental Advisory sticker.

Prince's Purple Rain spent how many consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200?

24 — Purple Rain held No. 1 for 24 straight weeks from August 1984 to January 1985; its track 'Darling Nikki' helped provoke the PMRC and the Parental Advisory sticker.

Which was the only Pink Floyd single to reach No. 1 in both the UK and the US?

'Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)' topped both charts in late 1979 and early 1980; the 1980-81 tour built a wall across the stage, and the album became a film in 1982.

The Rolling Stones' 1981 album Tattoo You, home of 'Start Me Up', was assembled largely from what?

Feuding and touring made new sessions impossible, so producers combed the vaults for fragments dating back almost a decade.

Which Yes song became the band's only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1?

'Owner of a Lonely Heart', from 90125, topped the Hot 100 for two weeks in January 1984 and finished No. 8 on that year's year-end chart.

Talking Heads' 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense was directed by whom?

Jonathan Demme directed it over three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre in December 1983; the band raised the $1.2 million budget themselves, and the film entered the National Film Registry in 2021.

ZZ Top's 1983 breakthrough album Eliminator took its title from a term used in which sport?

Drag racing — an 'eliminator' is a knockout-round class; the name also went on Billy Gibbons's customised 1933 Ford coupe, star of the 'Gimme All Your Lovin'' and 'Sharp Dressed Man' videos.

The Traveling Wilburys formed in 1988 to record which song as a George Harrison B-side?

'Handle with Care' was cut in April 1988 as a B-side for Harrison's 'This Is Love'; the label thought it too good to bury, and the five half-brother pseudonyms followed. Orbison died that December.

MCA initially refused to release which 1989 Tom Petty solo album, believing it had no hits?

Full Moon Fever, co-produced by Jeff Lynne, was first turned down by MCA; released in April 1989, it yielded 'Free Fallin'' and 'I Won't Back Down' and went 5× platinum.

R.E.M. formed in 1980 in which college town?

Athens, Georgia — the band played its first show there in April 1980 at a friend's birthday party in a converted church; 'The One I Love' became their first top-10 hit in 1987.

Which independent label released The Smiths' 1984 debut album?

Rough Trade — Geoff Travis's London indie signed the band in 1983 and released The Smiths in February 1984; it reached No. 2 in the UK.

Which Cure single from 1989's Disintegration reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100?

'Lovesong', written for Robert Smith's new wife Mary, peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in October 1989, the Cure's highest US chart placing.

Which Pixies album from 1989 became a touchstone for Nirvana and 90s alternative rock?

Doolittle, released in April 1989 with 'Here Comes Your Man' and 'Monkey Gone to Heaven', showcased the loud-quiet-loud dynamics Kurt Cobain said he copied for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.

Which Apple co-founder bankrolled the 1982 and 1983 US Festivals?

Steve Wozniak, wanting the '80s to be more community-minded than the 'Me Decade', poured millions of his own money into both festivals in San Bernardino County and hired Bill Graham to help stage them.

Which city was chosen in 1986 as the permanent home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Cleveland — chosen in May 1986, partly on the strength of DJ Alan Freed's 1950s 'rock and roll' broadcasts there; I. M. Pei's lakefront museum opened in September 1995.

Foreigner's 1981 album 4 spent how many weeks at No. 1 in the US?

Ten — 4 held the Billboard 200 top spot for ten weeks in 1981, driven by 'Urgent', 'Waiting for a Girl Like You' and 'Juke Box Hero'.

Which INXS single from Kick reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100?

'Need You Tonight' topped the Hot 100 in January 1988, the first of four top-10 singles from Kick, which went six-times platinum in the US.

Phil Collins's 'In the Air Tonight' peaked at what position on the Billboard Hot 100?

No. 19 — the 1981 single stalled there on the Hot 100 despite reaching No. 2 in the UK and heavy rotation on the newly launched MTV.

Which Faith No More single reached No. 9 in the US in 1990 after Mike Patton joined?

'Epic' climbed to No. 9 in September 1990, pushing The Real Thing to platinum; the band had earlier been called Sharp Young Men and Faith. No Man.

Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell, still charting through the 80s, was written entirely by whom?

It grew out of Neverland, a futuristic rock take on Peter Pan; Todd Rundgren produced it.

Pat Benatar's 1980 album Crimes of Passion was kept from No. 1 in the US by which record?

Double Fantasy — Crimes of Passion sat at No. 2 for five weeks behind John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album, then earned Benatar her first Grammy, for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Which Huey Lewis and the News album from 1983 hit No. 1 and produced four US top-ten singles?

Sports reached No. 1 in June 1984 and finished that year as Billboard's No. 2 album behind Thriller, eventually going 7× platinum.

How many singles from Bryan Adams's Reckless (1984) reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100?

Six — 'Run to You', 'Somebody', 'Heaven', 'Summer of '69', 'One Night Love Affair' and 'It's Only Love' all reached the top 20; the album came out on his 25th birthday, November 5, 1984.

Before going solo, Billy Idol fronted which London punk band?

Idol left the band Chelsea after a few weeks and co-founded Generation X with Tony James; it was among the first punk bands on Top of the Pops.

Which 1983 album was the first Kiss released after the band dropped its makeup?

The unmasked era lasted until the original lineup reunited in makeup in 1996; Lick It Up's videos won the band a new MTV audience.