1986 was the year music broke its own rules. Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" demolished the wall between rap and rock, becoming one of the most important collaborations in music history. The Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill became the first rap album to top the Billboard 200.
Whitney Houston was unstoppable, scoring hit after hit from her self-titled debut. Peter Gabriel released So, featuring "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes"—both driven by groundbreaking music videos. Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet made arena rock bigger than ever.
Janet Jackson stepped out of her family's shadow with Control, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Genesis scored their first US #1 with "Invisible Touch." Metallica released Master of Puppets, now considered one of the greatest metal albums ever made.
From Robert Palmer's iconic "Addicted to Love" video to Berlin's Top Gun ballad "Take My Breath Away," from Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" to Falco's German-language chart-topper "Rock Me Amadeus," 1986 proved that the decade's musical ambitions knew no limits.
This trivia quiz covers 1986 from every angle: Whitney Houston's record-setting Hot 100 runs, the chart-topping movie soundtracks from Top Gun and Pretty in Pink, the rap-rock crossover moment, and the album tracks that critics consider the year's best. Questions draw from Billboard peak positions, RIAA certifications, Grammy nominations, and the producer credits that shaped the year's biggest songs. Difficulty ranges from accessible warm-ups about the songs everyone knows to expert-level questions on chart stats and behind-the-boards details that only dedicated 80s music fans will nail.
Test yourself with 15 multiple-choice questions about the music of 1986.
1. Which Whitney Houston single spent the most weeks at #1 in 1986?
A) How Will I Know
B) Greatest Love of All
C) Saving All My Love for You
D) I Wanna Dance with Somebody
2. Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" is from which album that also produced "In Your Eyes"?
A) Peter Gabriel III
B) Security
C) So
D) Us
3. Which Bon Jovi album, released in 1986, sold over 30 million copies worldwide?
A) 7800° Fahrenheit
B) Slippery When Wet
C) New Jersey
D) Keep the Faith
4. Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" was featured in which 1986 blockbuster film?
A) Ferris Bueller's Day Off
B) The Karate Kid Part II
C) Top Gun
D) Aliens
5. Which Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith collaboration became a landmark rock-rap crossover hit?
A) It's Tricky
B) My Adidas
C) Walk This Way
D) King of Rock
6. The Bangles had a #1 hit in 1986 written by Prince. What was it?
A) Walk Like an Egyptian
B) Eternal Flame
C) Manic Monday
D) In Your Room
7. Which Genesis single became their first US #1 hit in 1986?
A) Land of Confusion
B) Invisible Touch
C) Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
D) In Too Deep
8. Janet Jackson's breakthrough album "Control" was produced by which duo?
A) Babyface and L.A. Reid
B) Teddy Riley and Gene Griffin
C) Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
D) Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton
9. Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" music video was famous for what visual?
A) Animated characters
B) Identical model "band members"
C) Split-screen effects
D) Black-and-white film noir style
10. Which Beastie Boys debut album became the first rap album to top the Billboard 200?
A) Paul's Boutique
B) Licensed to Ill
C) Check Your Head
D) Ill Communication
11. Steve Winwood had his biggest solo hit in 1986 with which song?
A) While You See a Chance
B) Valerie
C) Higher Love
D) Roll with It
12. Which charity concert, held in June 1986, raised awareness for Amnesty International?
A) Farm Aid
B) Live Aid II
C) A Conspiracy of Hope
D) Band Aid
13. Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder recorded which 1986 charity hit?
A) We Are the World
B) That's What Friends Are For
C) Do They Know It's Christmas?
D) Hands Across America
14. Which Metallica album, released in 1986, is considered a thrash metal masterpiece?
A) Kill 'Em All
B) Ride the Lightning
C) Master of Puppets
D) ...And Justice for All
15. Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus" was the first German-language single to reach #1 in the US. What nationality was Falco?
A) German
B) Swiss
C) Austrian
D) Dutch