History of Rock Music Name_________________________

Worksheet 7

1. What were some of the reasons why the music industry crashed in the early 1980s? What led to the industry’s recovery by the mid 1980s?

2. Summarize the impact of digital and satellite technologies on the music industry in the 1980s.

3. How did the arrival of MTV change popular music? How did the success of Michael Jackson change MTV?

4. How did the introduction of digital synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines in the 1980s change the way pop music is created? What kinds of problems have these technologies also created?

5. What was new or unusual about the sound of the Eurhythmics?

6. Describe the circumstances that led to Tina Turner’s success as a solo artist in the 1980s.

7. How did the song “Jump” represent a change in style for the group Van Halen?

8. What are some of the style influences that are combined in Peter Gabriel’s hit “Sledgehammer”?

9. What are some of the musical elements that made Michael Jackson’s Thriller so successful, and so appealing to such a broad audience?

10. What are the recurring themes and subject matter in Born in the U.S.A.?

11. Summarize the various musical styles that are brought together on the Graceland album. How did Paul Simon manage to successfully blend so many disparate styles?

12. Madonna was both enormously successful and extremely controversial in the 1980s and 1990s. Give a few examples of or reasons for both her success and her controversial image.

13. What are some of Prince’s notable or unusual achievements as an artist? What are some examples of his eccentric approach to celebrity?