Part of the 80s Music Chart Challenge archive — 2,800+ curated trivia questions and growing daily.
The May 17, 2026 edition of the 80s Music Chart Challenge featured 7 Billboard Hot 100 trivia questions covering Whitney Houston, The Pointer Sisters, A Flock of Seagulls, and The Church. The questions span 1981 through 1988. Topics covered include Movie Soundtracks, Producers and New Wave, with difficulty levels ranging from 3 moderate, 3 hard, 1 expert. Each question includes the correct answer and a detailed explanation covering chart positions, artist background, and production context.
This archive page preserves the daily quiz as published, with answers and explanations included.
The Whitney Houston hit "How Will I Know" was originally written for which other superstar singer?
The song was penned by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam with Janet Jackson in mind before Whitney Houston recorded it.
"Slow Hand" by The Pointer Sisters was written by which songwriting team?
"Slow Hand" was penned by Michael Clark and John Bettis, known for writing many pop hits in the era.
Which producer, known for working with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Magazine, produced A Flock of Seagulls' 1982 debut album featuring "Space Age Love Song"?
Mike Howlett, associated with OMD and Magazine, produced A Flock of Seagulls' debut album, contributing to their distinctive new wave sound.
The atmospheric "bagpipe" sound heard during the bridge of The Church’s "Under the Milky Way" was actually created by Peter Koppes using which specialized device on his guitar?
Peter Koppes used an EBow to create sustained, bagpipe-like guitar tones during the song's bridge.
Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me with Science” includes spoken exclamations by which British science popularizer?
British scientist Magnus Pyke’s eccentric voice is featured in "She Blinded Me with Science."
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band’s "Heart's on Fire" reached the charts after being featured in the training montage of which blockbuster sports film?
"Heart's on Fire" was used during the iconic training montage in "Rocky IV," helping the song gain widespread popularity.
Salt-N-Pepa’s 1987 single “Push It” is driven by which kind of beat source?
"Push It" features a distinctive, hard, mechanical pulse produced by drum machine programming, which was a popular technique in 1980s hip-hop and dance music.