When MTV launched at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981, with the Buggles' “Video Killed the Radio Star,” it launched a cultural revolution that would reshape the entire music industry. Suddenly, how an artist looked mattered as much as how they sounded — and chart success became inseparable from the music video.
These questions cover the early years of MTV: the first videos, the VJs, the iconic moments, and the artists who rode the music-video wave to chart dominance. Tap Reveal Answer to test your knowledge.
MTV Trivia Questions
1. “Take On Me” by a-ha became a global breakthrough in part because of its landmark music video, which is best known for using what visual technique?
A) Claymation
B) Rotoscoped pencil-sketch/live-action blending
C) Pixel animation
D) Early CGI motion capture
2. Released in 1989 by The Cure, "Lullaby" featured a distinctive whisper vocal technique and a music video directed by Tim Pope. From which album is this song?
A) Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
B) The Head on the Door
C) Disintegration
D) Wish
3. Which television network had the greatest influence on music video exposure affecting chart success in 1989?
A) MTV
B) CMT
C) BET
D) VH1
4. Duran Duran’s visually driven U.S. breakthrough with songs such as "Rio" depended heavily on exposure from which cable channel?
A) VH1
B) MTV
C) Nickelodeon
D) BET
5. "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran are useful for understanding what early-MTV mechanism in 1983?
A) Music videos had no effect on pop identity
B) Radio success required avoiding visual branding
C) Country radio could break British new-wave acts without visual exposure
D) Video style could make a band’s glamour and travel fantasy feel inseparable from the songs
6. A-ha’s “Take On Me” had been issued earlier in another version before becoming a major U.S. hit. Which factor is most closely associated with its breakthrough success?
A) Its inclusion in Rocky IV
B) A guest vocal by Annie Lennox
C) Its innovative rotoscope-style music video
D) A remix by Arthur Baker
7. What was the first music video ever played on MTV when the channel launched on August 1, 1981?
A) Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles
B) Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel
C) Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
D) You Better Run by Pat Benatar
8. In 1989, Cher's music video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" became a major cultural controversy and was famously restricted to night-time play on MTV for being filmed where?
A) A high-security prison
B) The ruins of the Roman Colosseum
C) A Catholic cathedral
D) The deck of the USS Missouri
9. The cinematic music video for Madonna’s "Papa Don't Preach" was directed by James Foley and features which veteran character actor playing the role of her father?
A) Harvey Keitel
B) Danny Aiello
C) Dennis Farina
D) Joe Pesci
This page includes a small public sample of MTV trivia from the 80s Music Chart Challenge question bank. For 7 new questions every day — play the daily quiz.
MTV's Impact on 1980s Music
Before MTV, radio was king. After MTV, the entire pop landscape shifted. Artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Duran Duran understood the visual medium in ways that transformed their chart performance. The network also introduced a generation to genres and artists they'd never have discovered through radio alone.
Explore the complete playlist of the first 100 videos played on MTV, or read about everything that happened on MTV's first day.
Ready for More?
Dive deeper into MTV history with our editorial on the forgotten MTV hits that defined the 1980s, or start the daily quiz for 7 fresh questions every day.