Whose big dance hit was "Headhunter"?
Answer
Front 242
18 New Wave Trivia Questions with Answers
18 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
New Wave trivia covers the stylish, synthesizer-driven music that emerged from late-1970s punk and post-punk scenes and became a major force in the 1980s. Questions may range from the dance-floor impact of “Headhunter” to the Talking Heads album featuring “Burning Down the House,” while also exploring The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, The Pretenders, and Ultravox.
The topic suits music game nights, pub quizzes, decade-themed parties, and classroom discussions of popular music history. It rewards both song recognition and deeper knowledge of changing lineups, marriages, chart performance, influential albums, and the artists who helped move alternative sounds into the mainstream.
Who did the Pretender's Chrissie Hynde marry in 1984?
Answer
Jim Kerr
Which Talking Heads LP had their first Top 10 hit "Burning Down The House"?
Answer
Speaking In Tongues
Which popular music performer or group recorded the song "Late Bar"?
Answer
Duran Duran
Which New Wave group was fronted by the respected Midge Ure?
Answer
Ultravox
Which album by The Cure was the first to feature Jason Cooper?
Answer
Wild Mood Swings
What was the name of The Cure's debut album?
Answer
Three Imaginary Boys
What was The Cure's first #1 album in the U.K.?
Answer
Wish
What songwriting duo is the backbone of the British band Squeeze?
Answer
Difford & Tilbrook
What is Patty Smyth's husband's name?
Answer
John McEnroe
What ground breaking band was The Grid's Dave Ball a member of?
Answer
Soft Cell
British ska/New Wave band English Beat, formerly The Beat, split up after which 1982 LP?
Answer
Special Beat Service
New Wave trivia — quick answers
What are good New Wave trivia questions?
Strong New Wave trivia questions connect songs with performers, albums with landmark singles, and musicians with their groups. A well-rounded quiz can include Talking Heads, The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Ultravox, The Pretenders, Depeche Mode, and other artists whose music blended rock, punk attitude, pop hooks, and electronic textures.
How hard is New Wave trivia?
New Wave trivia is moderate to difficult. Many players recognize major songs and bands, but questions about album chronology, chart dates, personnel changes, and less-famous tracks require specialist listening knowledge. It works well when an accessible song question is paired with a more detailed music-history question.
Who recorded the New Wave hit “Headhunter”?
“Headhunter” was recorded by Front 242, the Belgian electronic body music group formed in Aarschot in 1981. Released in 1988, the track became one of the band’s best-known songs and helped define the harder, club-oriented edge associated with electronic New Wave and EBM.
Which Talking Heads album included “Burning Down the House”?
“Burning Down the House” appears on Speaking in Tongues, Talking Heads’ fifth studio album, released in 1983. The song became the group’s first and only U.S. Top 10 single, while the album continued their blend of art rock, funk, world-music influences, and danceable New Wave.
Which New Wave group was fronted by Midge Ure?
Midge Ure co-fronted Ultravox during the band’s most commercially successful period. He joined in 1979 and supplied vocals, guitar, and songwriting on influential tracks including “Vienna” and “Dancing with Tears in My Eyes.” Ure also co-wrote and performed on the charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”