Question 1

True or false: The New Wave band Duran Duran was formed in the United States.

Accepted Answer

False. Duran Duran formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978, and are a key part of the Second British Invasion.

Question 2

True or false: The New Wave band The Police recorded their debut album for about $6,000.

Accepted Answer

True. The Police's first album 'Outlandos d'Amour' (1978) was recorded on a budget of approximately £3,000 (about $6,000), funded by a loan.

Question 3

True or false: The New Wave band The B-52's took their name from a beehive hairdo.

Accepted Answer

True. The B-52's named themselves after the B-52 beehive hairstyle, popular in the 1960s, not after the bomber aircraft.

Question 4

True or false: The New Wave band Depeche Mode was originally a punk band.

Accepted Answer

False. Depeche Mode formed as a synth-pop band in 1980, drawing from electronic and post-punk influences, but they never played punk rock.

Question 5

True or false: The New Wave band The Police was formed in New York City.

Accepted Answer

False. The Police formed in London, England, in 1977, with Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers all based in the UK.

Question 6

True or false: New Wave music was a direct evolution of 1970s disco.

Accepted Answer

False. New Wave emerged from punk and post-punk in the late 1970s, rejecting the orchestrated sound of disco in favor of energetic, minimalist arrangements.

Question 7

True or false: The New Wave band Blondie had a hit song that featured rapping, titled 'Rapture'.

Accepted Answer

True. Blondie's 1981 song 'Rapture' was one of the first mainstream pop hits to include rapping, featuring lyrics by Debbie Harry.

Question 8

True or false: The New Wave band Talking Heads was formed at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Accepted Answer

True. Talking Heads formed at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1975 by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth, all of whom were art students there.

New Wave Trivia Questions