1981 in music
Who ruled 1981? Daryl Hall John Oates was Artist of the Year on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adam & the Ants on the UK Singles Chart. Every #1 song of 1981, the biggest songs and the top artists.
Billboard Hot 100
Artist of the Year 1981
8 crowns · 18 weeks among the top five artists · Era Power 132
| # | Artist | Era Power | Crowns | Top-five weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daryl Hall John Oates | 132 | 8 | 18 |
| 2 | REO Speedwagon | 101 | 0 | 14 |
| 3 | Juice Newton | 100 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Air Supply | 96 | 1 | 9 |
| 5 | Neil Diamond | 94 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | Sheena Easton | 94 | 2 | 9 |
| 7 | John Lennon | 92 | 11 | 18 |
| 8 | Eddie Rabbitt | 87 | 0 | 10 |
| 9 | Rick Springfield | 87 | 2 | 13 |
| 10 | Kenny Rogers | 83 | 0 | 9 |
| First week at #1 | Song | Artist | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 1981 | (Just Like) Starting Over | John Lennon | 4 |
| Jan 31, 1981 | The Tide Is High | Blondie | 1 |
| Feb 7, 1981 | Celebration | Kool & The Gang | 2 |
| Feb 21, 1981 | 9 To 5 | Dolly Parton | 2 |
| Feb 28, 1981 | I Love A Rainy Night | Eddie Rabbitt | 2 |
| Mar 21, 1981 | Keep On Loving You | REO Speedwagon | 1 |
| Mar 28, 1981 | Rapture | Blondie | 2 |
| Apr 11, 1981 | Kiss On My List | Daryl Hall John Oates | 3 |
| May 2, 1981 | Morning Train (Nine To Five) | Sheena Easton | 2 |
| May 16, 1981 | Bette Davis Eyes | Kim Carnes | 9 |
| Jun 20, 1981 | Medley | Stars On 45 | 1 |
| Jul 25, 1981 | The One That You Love | Air Supply | 1 |
| Aug 1, 1981 | Jessie's Girl | Rick Springfield | 2 |
| Aug 15, 1981 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie | 9 |
| Oct 17, 1981 | Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) | Christopher Cross | 3 |
| Nov 7, 1981 | Private Eyes | Daryl Hall John Oates | 2 |
| Nov 21, 1981 | Physical | Olivia Newton-John | 6 |
| # | Song | Artist | Peak | Weeks | Record Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physical | Olivia Newton-John | #1 | 26 | 62.2 |
| 2 | Bette Davis Eyes | Kim Carnes | #1 | 26 | 58.6 |
| 3 | Jessie's Girl | Rick Springfield | #1 | 32 | 58.4 |
| 4 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie | #1 | 27 | 57.6 |
| 5 | Waiting For A Girl Like You | Foreigner | #2 | 23 | 57.2 |
| 6 | Centerfold | The J. Geils Band | #1 | 25 | 55.4 |
| 7 | Harden My Heart | Quarterflash | #3 | 24 | 50.2 |
| 8 | I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) | Daryl Hall John Oates | #1 | 21 | 49.4 |
| 9 | Theme From "Greatest American Hero" (Believe It or Not) | Joey Scarbury | #2 | 26 | 48.0 |
| 10 | Queen Of Hearts | Juice Newton | #2 | 27 | 47.7 |
UK Singles Chart
Artist of the Year 1981
8 crowns · 27 weeks among the top five artists · Era Power 135
| # | Artist | Era Power | Crowns | Top-five weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam & the Ants | 135 | 8 | 27 |
| 2 | Shakin' Stevens | 101 | 11 | 18 |
| 3 | Madness | 78 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Ultravox | 78 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | The Human League | 76 | 5 | 9 |
| 6 | Toyah | 73 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Kim Wilde | 73 | 0 | 7 |
| 8 | Bad Manners | 72 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Bucks Fizz | 69 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 | Stevie Wonder | 62 | 0 | 7 |
| First week at #1 | Song | Artist | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 4, 1981 | Imagine | John Lennon | 4 |
| Feb 1, 1981 | Woman | John Lennon | 2 |
| Feb 15, 1981 | Shaddup You Face | Joe Dolce Music Theatre | 3 |
| Mar 8, 1981 | Jealous Guy | Roxy Music | 2 |
| Mar 22, 1981 | This Ole House | Shakin' Stevens | 3 |
| Apr 12, 1981 | Making Your Mind Up | Bucks Fizz | 3 |
| May 3, 1981 | Stand and Deliver | Adam & the Ants | 5 |
| Jun 7, 1981 | Being With You | Smokey Robinson | 2 |
| Jun 21, 1981 | One Day In Your Life | Michael Jackson | 2 |
| Jul 5, 1981 | Ghost Town | Specials | 3 |
| Jul 26, 1981 | Green Door | Shakin' Stevens | 4 |
| Aug 23, 1981 | Japanese Boy | Aneka | 1 |
| Aug 30, 1981 | Tainted Love | Soft Cell | 2 |
| Sep 13, 1981 | Prince Charming | Adam & the Ants | 4 |
| Oct 11, 1981 | It's My Party | Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin | 4 |
| Nov 8, 1981 | Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic | The Police | 1 |
| Nov 15, 1981 | Under Pressure | Queen & David Bowie | 2 |
| Nov 29, 1981 | Begin the Beguine (Volver a Empezar) | Julio Iglesias | 1 |
| Dec 6, 1981 | Don't You Want Me | The Human League | 4 |
| # | Song | Artist | Peak | Weeks | Record Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In The Air Tonight | Phil Collins | #2 | 31 | 47.1 |
| 2 | The Birdie Song (Birdie Dance) | Tweets | #2 | 23 | 43.9 |
| 3 | Tainted Love | Soft Cell | #1 | 30 | 41.3 |
| 4 | Don't You Want Me | The Human League | #1 | 17 | 38.8 |
| 5 | The Land of Make Believe | Bucks Fizz | #1 | 16 | 35.9 |
| 6 | Vienna | Ultravox | #2 | 15 | 35.1 |
| 7 | This Ole House | Shakin' Stevens | #1 | 17 | 34.1 |
| 8 | Ghost Town | Specials | #1 | 14 | 32.0 |
| 9 | Stand and Deliver | Adam & the Ants | #1 | 15 | 31.6 |
| 10 | The Model/Computer Love | Kraftwerk | #1 | 21 | 31.6 |
Artist of the Year and the rankings are the ChartReign Power model: the artist with the most chart power over the year, not the most #1s. Crowns are weeks crowned Artist of the Week. How it works