Who didn’t love the ’80s? Even if you weren’t alive in the ’80s, what’s not to love about padded shoulders in women’s garments (which could be repositioned to other areas that actually needed padding, such as bras, LOL), addictive arcade games, gravity defying hairdos, punk fashions that left little to the imagination and women in cheerleading outfits singing about romance gone bad? Many of those things were asked about in a virtual ’80s music trivia game we played Sunday hosted by a Chicago-based host named Samantha G. (we like that she mutes everyone in the main room when questions are being asked)! We did fairly well in the game, missing only one question all night about punk music. My knowledge of punk music is pretty much just The Clash and maybe a little Sex Pistols – I can’t even name more than a couple of Ramones (yeah, I know, I know)…But if we had a perfect game it would just look suspicious, wouldn’t it? We wound up finishing in second place. Good team effort all around – Kim and I answered most of the questions quickly – but even Mike – who’s not the most knowledgeable about the ’80s music scene – chimed in on a key question in the mystery round!

Here were the questions:

1. Animals – What animal is mentioned in the title of a 1982 single that includes the lines, “In touch with the ground; I’m on the hunt, I’m after you; Smell like I sound, I’m lost in a crowd?” I joked that this singer probably smelled like a mixture of cigarette smoke, heavy cologne, booze and maybe a bit of sweat on most occasions… And maybe also smelled a little bit like Roxy Music!

2. Singers – What lead singer of the punk rock band Plasmastics, known as the “Queen of Shock Rock” and for her mohawk hairstyle, also lent her first name and middle initial to one of Bowser’s children in the Super Mario franchise? Off the radar of all of us, though OUR longtime ‘Pods teammate Brad whom was sitting at home with no Internet access (IKR), would’ve definitely helped us here! He named one of his dogs after this singer!

3. Heart – According to the title of a 1983 single by Yes, what adjective describes the heart that belongs to the singer? This song was pretty annoying and all over the airwaves when it came out, later I would learn that this band’s song “Roundabout” is far superior to this one (IMHO). But hey…every band has to have a huge hit, don’t they? If you’re a metal band with a huge hit you wind up being called a “sellout,” don’t you?

4. Albums – Who released nine albums in the 1980s, including Dirty Mind in 1980, Controversy in 1981, and Parade in 1986?

5. Beginnings – In 1981, REO Speedwagon, Journey, and The Human League all had charting singles with songs whose titles begin with what word?

6. Top Tens – What 1989 single is the only song by The Cure that reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100? I stumbled on this fact last year when I went through a brief phase of listening to songs by The Cure (which ironically give me a lift when I’m feeling down, though I can’t quite explain how that works)! Maybe listening to someone who sounds more depressed and sad than me is key?

7. Leads – With the exception of several years in the 1990s, Vince Neil has been the lead singer of what rock band since its formation in 1981?

8. Country – According to the title of a 1987 song by Randy Travis, what four-word phrase describes how long the singer is “gonna love you”? Kim’s mother was obsessed with this song so she got this easily. How many times have our mothers’ respective music obsessions helped us in trivia games? Too many to count!

9. Rap – Name two of the four artists who were nominated for, but did not win, the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance for 1989. The nominated songs were “Supersonic,” “Wild Wild West,” “Going Back to Cali,” and “Push It.”

10. Rock and Roll – The 1980 single “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” was the first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 by what singer?

Mystery – One Hit Wonders

Identify the songs by one-hit wonder artist containing these lyrics:

M1 – You’ve been around all night and that’s a little long

You think you’ve got the right but I think you’ve got it wrong

Why can’t you say goodnight so you can take me home

M2 – I’ve got a job waiting for my graduation

Fifty thou a year, buys a lot of beer

Things are going great, and they’re only getting better

M3 – Have you seen the well to doUp and down Park AvenueOn that famous thorough fareWith their noses in the air

M4 – I’ve got all the patterns down, up until the ninth key.

I’ve got Speedy on my tail, and I know it’s either him or me.

So I’m heading out the back door and in the other side;

Gonna eat the cherries up and take them all for a ride.

Mike helped us with the last one (thanks man)!

Final Category: Girls, Girls, Girls

I was hoping the question would be about the names of the strip clubs mentioned in the Motley Crue song, but alas, that was not the case

Five songs that have the word “girl” or “girls” in their titles reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1980s, higher than “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Uptown Girl.”

Name the credited artist or band for two of those five songs.

Got it, though we thought of the wrong song for one of the artists we put down (thank goodness they had more than one song with girl in the title, one of which hit #1). That was a fun way to bring a holiday weekend to a close! Unsure when we’ll be doing our next game, stay tuned… As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Wendy O. Williams!