80s Music Quiz: Guess the Song on Your TV, Buzz on Your Phone

This is the 80s quiz for when you want to play right now, not spend an hour building a playlist: movie anthems, hair metal, synth-pop and the ballads that closed every school dance. The 80s are the friendliest decade for guess-the-song games because almost every hit has an intro you can name in two seconds, and the songs are just as familiar to people who discovered them through Stranger Things and TikTok as to the ones who bought the cassettes.

How to play this quiz

1. Open this page on the big screen (smart TV browser, laptop on the TV, or a laptop) and hit "Play this quiz", then start the game. The room is created with the 80s playlist loaded.
2. Everyone scans the QR code with their phone and enters a name. Nothing to install. The first person in is the host and sets the mode and target score, from their phone or the big screen.
3. First to buzz stops the music and has 20 seconds to type the song. Get it wrong and you lose a point and sit out 3 seconds while the music keeps playing for everyone else.
4. Our pick: "Song and year" mode, first to 10. The 80s are full of songs that were hits a year or two after they came out, and that's exactly what makes placing them on your timeline fun.
5. If your group is fast, cut the time each song plays before skipping from 30 seconds to 15 or 20: 80s intros get recognized so quickly that 30 is generous. For a harder game, switch the search to title only.

Songs that can come up

Deezer maintains the playlist, so it can change. Here are some of the songs in it, among many others. For the long list of the big ones that also show up ("Billie Jean", "Take On Me", "Livin' on a Prayer"…), see our 80s songs everyone knows.

Soundtrack hits

• "Footloose" – Kenny Loggins (1984): the rockabilly guitar riff; the title song from the movie.
• "Holding Out for a Hero" – Bonnie Tyler (1984): also from Footloose; galloping keys and maximum drama.
• "Take My Breath Away" – Berlin (1986): the slow synth from Top Gun.
• "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (1987): the Dirty Dancing finale; Medley's low voice opens it.

Rock

• "Should I Stay or Should I Go" – The Clash (1982): a dry, choppy guitar riff.
• "Jump" – Van Halen (1983): yes, Van Halen with a synth riff. Released as a single in December 1983.
• "Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns N' Roses (1987): echoing guitar, then Axl's scream.
• "Pour Some Sugar on Me" – Def Leppard (1987): a spoken intro over a heavy stomp.

Pop and ballads

• "Beat It" – Michael Jackson (1983): the gong hit, then the riff.
• "I'm Still Standing" – Elton John (1983): bouncy, fast piano.
• "In the Air Tonight" – Phil Collins (1981): drum machine and a tense, empty mood. The famous drum fill comes much later — don't wait for it.
• "Fast Car" – Tracy Chapman (1988): the acoustic guitar figure. Younger players may know it from Luke Combs' country cover, but this is the original.
• "Wicked Game" – Chris Isaak (1989): reverb-soaked guitar.

Synth-pop

• "Tainted Love" – Soft Cell (1981): two synth blips, "bink bink". It's a cover of a 60s soul song by Gloria Jones.
• "Smalltown Boy" – Bronski Beat (1984): Jimmy Somerville's falsetto.
• "Forever Young" – Alphaville (1984): solemn synths, the graduation-song feel.
• "Rhythm of the Night" – DeBarge (1985): Motown pop — not the 90s Corona dance track with the same name.

Difficulty and tips to win

Easy to start, hard to win. Everyone buzzes in the first second, so a lot of rounds come down to who types the right title fastest. What trips people up:

• Long titles with brackets. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", "Don't You (Forget About Me)", "(I Just) Died in Your Arms". You don't have to type the whole thing: start typing and pick the suggestion, which only offers songs from the playlist. Just don't hesitate — you have 20 seconds.
• Repeat artists. Alphaville, a-ha, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Def Leppard, Depeche Mode, ABBA, Hall & Oates and Michael Jackson all have more than one song here. Knowing the band won't save you.
• Year traps. "Wicked Game" came out in 1989 but only took off after David Lynch used it in Wild at Heart (1990). Black Box's "Ride on Time" is a 1989 release that sounds like the 90s. In "Song and year", go by release date, not by when you first heard it.
• Same movie, same year. "Footloose" and "Holding Out for a Hero" come from the same soundtrack, so if you hold one, the other goes right next to it.

An 80s night, sorted

Here's how we run it: a warm-up to 5 points in "Song only" so nobody feels left out, then the real game to 10 in "Song and year". Loser of each game picks the next theme. If there are younger players, a rematch with the 90s songs quiz evens things out; if your crowd leans heavier, go for classic rock.

Want to run one without screens and phones? Our guide on how to host a music quiz at home covers the pen-and-paper version.

FAQ

Do we need an app or an account?

No. The game opens in the big screen's browser and phones join with a QR code. No Spotify or Deezer account needed either.

How many people can play?

A group of friends or the whole family. With a big group, play in teams with one phone per team.

Can we play without a TV?

Yes, a laptop works. Putting it on the TV just helps everyone see the scoreboard.

Is there any non-English music?

Very little. The playlist is almost entirely English-language hits, with a couple of Spanish-language anthems by Alaska y Dinarama.