"Oh, Manchester, so much to answer for." Or in the case of tonight's Madchester tribute, so much to appreciate about Bitpop's trend setting Northern city. Not only did the Manchester underground of the late seventies give us Factory Records, The Hacienda, and a club scene that rose from empty warehouses to become an inspiration to scenesters worldwide, but the city gave us so many great bands! Chief amongst those would have to be Joy Division, New Order, and The Smiths. So, granted Morrissey wasn't singing about the Manchester club scene when he sang the line "Oh, Manchester, so much to answer for," but what is the name of the Smiths song that contains this lyric?

Bonus Question: Both revered and reviled, Morrissey is one of the most gifted lyricists and songwriters to emerge from the 80's. Literate, subtle, and ironic, Morrissey's lyrics had a depth that a Smiths fans can truly obsess over. By contrast, New Order's lyrics have an effortless, improvisational quality to them. Singer Bernard Sumner is even known to substitute different verses during live performances. The songs don't strive to nail down a specific point, but succeed because the listener can associate the words with their own experiences. In any case, which New Order song includes the lyric: "Oh, you've got green eyesOh, you've got blue eyesOh, you've got grey eyes"?

On the Colbert Report this past Monday, guess who's making a cameo appearance? 80's Rock legend Ric Ocasek! Stephen Colbert was doing a bit about scientists exploring the Biblical story of Jesus walking on the water. Ocasek was brought on as an expert on the subject, because in the Cars video for the song "Magic," Ocasek is seen walking on water (the surface of a Malibu swimming pool to be exact.) Totally awesome, and a perfect reference for tonight's Trivia Challenge: In the first line of the song "Magic," Ric Ocasek states "Summer - it drives me upside down." In the next line of the song, what is it that Ocasek compares the sensation to? Bonus Question: Before Ric Ocasek finished his appearance on "The Report," Stephen Colbert asked Ocasek if there was anyone he would like to put on notice. Ocasek chose Singer/Songwriter/Producer/Artist Todd Rundgren. Caught me by surprise. I had heard that XTC had a hard time working with Rundgren back in the 80's, but I didn't know he had beef with The Cars. Probably just a joke, but while we're on the subject of Todd Rundgren, what was the name of his 1983 hit single that made it to number 29 on the Billboard charts?

The German band Kraftwerk holds the title as the undisputed godfathers of synthpop, and their best known albums are very consistent. Assuming the listener embraces the concept, liking any of the songs on a particular Kraftwerk album pretty much means liking them all. And for all of their many followers, Kraftwerk probably made the process of producing a technopop album look too easy. Progeny like Depeche Mode and OMD were able to sustain consistent interest through several releases, but other synth-pop groups nailed that perfect album only once in their careers. Ironically, the English band The Human League often described themselves as the world's first electronic pop band, and while they did end up having more international chart success than Kraftwerk, it's hard to imagine the former without the latter. But The Human League did produce one album that shone above all others, so incredibly consistent as well as internationally successful, that it transcended the genre. It included their biggest hit, "Don't You Want Me," as well as the classics "Seconds," "Love Action," "Open Your Heart," and "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of." What was the name of this quintessentially 80's album?

Bonus Question: Another synthpop band that produced a classic came from Philadelphia, and was notable for thefact that their lineup was 3/4 female. Their first album contained most of their best known tunes, dancefloor favorites like "Boy," "I Touch Roses," and the top 40 crossover "You Make Me Feel So Good." What was the name of the band?

The old saying goes that April showers bring May flowers, and while the early part of the week had some showers, the preceding weekend saw the Potomac cherry blossoms come into bloom. So I guess here in D.C. we get to have our cake and eat it too. (Or we get away with too many mixed up metaphors.)

Anyways, this is traditionally the rainy season, and the word 'rain' shows up in a lot of titles from the 80's. Songs like "Rain" by The Cult, "Red Rain" by Peter Gabriel, "Here Comes The Rain Again" by The Eurythmics, plus a band called Rain Parade, and that's just getting started. Movies had the word 'rain' in the title as well, with the most obvious being Prince's "Purple Rain." Another 80's movie with 'rain' in the title pairs Dustin Hoffman with Tom Cruise. What's the name of the film?

Bonus Question: Michael Douglas starred in an 80's movie with 'rain' in the title. It's plot focused on the Japanese Yakuza and it was largely shot in Japan. What was the name of this film?