Test Your Music IQ With This Quiz on the History of Pop

In 1994, R&B vocal quartet Boyz II Men hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I’ll Make Love To You,” spending 14 weeks at the top of the chart. It was only knocked off when the band released their next single, “On Bended Knee,” making Boyz II Men one of the few artists that have ever replaced themselves at No. 1 – Elvis Presley and the Beatles being the only other acts to have achieved the feat.

“Ticket to Ride” was initially a hit record for the Beatles in 1965, but Richard Carpenter reworked the upbeat song into a ballad and released it with his sister, Karen, on vocals in 1969. Their version reached No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. The brother-sister duo went on the have three No. 1 singles — (They Long To Be) Close To You (1970), Top Of The World (1973), Please Mr. Postman (1974) — and a chart-topping album, “The Singles: 1969-1973.”

In 1969, singer-songwriter Maurice White formed the Salty Peppers with keyboardist Don Whitehead and singer Wade Flemons in Chicago. They had a minor hit with “La la time” before White decided to move to Los Angeles and reform the band as Earth, Wind & Fire. The new group found success in the mid-1970s with their bold fusion of funk, pop, and disco resulting in hits such as “September,” “Boogie Wonderland,” and “After the Love has Gone.”

Over the course of his career, Barry Manilow has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide. In 1974, he debuted “Mandy,” the lead single off his second album, “Barry Manilow II.” The song was originally written and recorded by New Zealand singer Scott English in 1971 as “Brandy." The name was changed to “Mandy” when Manilow released the song to differentiate it from the Looking Glass hit “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).” "Mandy" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Janet Jackson, Barbra Streisand, and Bruce Springsteen have released a No. 1 album every decade since 1980. Jackson’s No. 1 albums include “Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814” (1989), “janet.” (1993), “All For You” (2001), and “Unbreakable” (2015). “The Broadway Album” (1985), “Back To Broadway” (1993), “Love is the Answer” (2009), and “Partners” (2014) were among Streisand’s top sellers. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band reached No. 1 with “Born in the U.S.A. (1984), “Greatest Hits” (1995), “The Rising” (2002), and “Wrecking Ball” (2012), among other albums

George Michael and his school friend Andrew Ridgeley formed the band Wham! in 1981, and the pair had their first worldwide hit with “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” in 1984. Michael dissolved the band to go solo in 1986, releasing his debut album “Faith” in 1987. It was a huge success, selling more than 25 million copies and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Mariah Carey’s vocal ability became apparent when she was just a child imitating her opera-singer mother. By the time she released her first album in 1990, Carey had mastered the art of spanning five octaves, giving her extraordinary vocal range. Carey’s had a long and successful career and holds the record for the most songs to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 of any artist ever — 19.

Irish band U2 was formed in the 1980s by Bono (real name: Paul Hewson), The Edge (real name: David Evans), Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton after they met at school. Following early hits like "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday," their big breakthrough came with the album “The Joshua Tree” (1987) which included the hits “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” The band has gone on to sell more than 170 million albums worldwide.

“The Bodyguard” (1992), starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, cemented Houston as a star on the silver screen. The movie’s soundtrack, featuring songs performed by Houston including her signature “I Will Always Love You” cover plus “I Have Nothing,” and “I’m Every Woman,” has gone on to become the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time, selling more than 44 million copies worldwide. It also won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1994.

Billy Joel wrote “Piano Man” while working as a piano player in a lounge bar in Los Angeles in 1972. The song was included on Joel’s 1973 album of the same name. Initially, the tune had moderate success, peaking at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, after the release of Joel’s 1977 album “The Stranger,” which propelled him to mainstream success, “Piano Man” re-emerged and became one of his most popular songs — and Joel’s nickname.

The tradition of awarding gold, diamond, and even platinum awards for sales all started with a simple song about a train. "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" by Glenn Miller proved to be hugely popular, and by early 1942, well over a million copies had been sold, making it one the bestselling songs of all time. The record company, RCA Victor, decided to celebrate. It presented the bandleader with a solid gold version of the recording, and other record companies followed suit.

Prince signed his first record deal while living in Minneapolis at just 18 years old, and even at such a young age, the budding star exhibited his trademark desire for total creative control. Prince told his new bosses at Warner Music that he wanted to play every instrument and produce the entire record himself. He impressed the label enough to get his way. The artist arranged, composed, performed, and produced all the instruments on "For You," including drums, guitar, bass, and synthesizer.

Originally called "2nd Nature," TLC is responsible for putting out the massively popular banger "Waterfalls" in 1995. One of the most successful R&B groups of the ‘90s, the trio officially came together after Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas joined Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in 1991, replacing a short-term original "C" known as Crystal.

If you’ve listened to any pop music in the last 30 years, you’ve almost certainly heard a song written or produced by Max Martin. While few know him by name, most people can sing at least a few of his hit songs, such as Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time,” Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way,” Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," and many, many more.

In the 1990s everyone had their favorite spice — and we’re not talking about cinnamon. But the Spice Girls’ nicknames — Sporty Spice, Scary Spice, Ginger Spice, Posh Spice, and Baby Spice — were not of their own choosing. A journalist with the U.K. magazine “Top of the Pops” made them up, and the names stuck.

Ringo Starr may have been the first of the Beatles to be born, but he was the last band member to join the Fab Four. The Beatles’ original drummer, Pete Best, was dropped from the band in 1962 and replaced with Ringo. The lovable drummer was the last piece of the puzzle, and the Beatles hit superstardom soon afterwards.

Salvatore “Sonny” Bono and Cherilyn “Cher” Sarkisian first met in 1962 and married two years later. Sonny wrote and produced music for other artists while Cher became a backup singer. The two paired up to form their own musical act under the name Caesar and Cleo, but their career took off after they became Sonny and Cher. In their decade-long partnership they sold 40 million records and starred in a string of hit TV shows.

Originally written in 1973 to honor Marilyn Monroe, Elton John rewrote "Candle In The Wind" as a tribute to Princess Diana after her tragic death in 1997. It ended up as the second highest selling single of all time, but Elton only ever performed it at Princess Di’s funeral. To preserve the honor, he vowed to never perform that version of the song again unless it was specifically requested by Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

In 1963, Stevie Wonder became the youngest solo artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts, a record he still holds. He accomplished the feat with his song “Fingertips (Part 2)” off the album “Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius.” Despite the album’s name, Wonder was 13 years and 189 days old when the song topped the charts.

Madonna may be known as the “Queen of Pop,” but in the 1990s she also pursued a film career that gave us some classic performances. Madonna won critical acclaim for her role as Argentina’s beloved first lady Eva Perón in the 1996 musical film “Evita.” Madonna also won a place in the “Guinness Book of World Records” for the role: the most costume changes in a single movie.

Swedish pop group ABBA found international fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with its single “Waterloo.” The song features a lady “surrendering” to her lover — just as Napoleon gave in to his fate after the historic Battle of Waterloo in 1815.