Top songs of 1981

What was the number one song of 1981?

The number one song of 1981 was “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1981. It spent 9 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated May 16, 1981.

“Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes and “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie were each number one for 9 weeks of 1981, the most of any song that year.

Born in 1981? The birthday number one finder shows the song at number one in the exact week of your birthday, and the number one on every birthday since.

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1981, year-end Hot 100 of 1981).

How many songs reached number one in 1981?

16 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1981. Counting “(Just Like) Starting Over”, which was already at number one when the year began, 17 songs held the top spot across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1981, “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John stayed there longest: 10 weeks in total, from the chart dated November 21, 1981, with 4 of those weeks on charts dated after 1981.

Weeks at No. 1 counts every week the song spent at the top, including weeks in other years; the number in brackets is the weeks on charts dated 1981. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1981?

2 acts had more than one number one in 1981, counting lead and featured credits. Blondie and Daryl Hall & John Oates had 2 each.

• Blondie: “The Tide Is High” and “Rapture”
• Daryl Hall & John Oates: “Kiss on My List” and “Private Eyes”

What were the biggest songs of 1981?

The five biggest songs of 1981 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes, “Endless Love” by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie, “Lady” by Kenny Rogers, “(Just Like) Starting Over” by John Lennon and “Jessie's Girl” by Rick Springfield.

The year-end chart ranks songs by how they performed on the weekly Hot 100 across Billboard’s chart year, so a song that peaked late in the year can rank lower than its weekly peak suggests, or count toward the next year’s list. The top 30 below show each song’s length where we could match the recording.

Numbers 31 to 100

31. “Elvira” The Oak Ridge Boys
32. “Take It on the Run” REO Speedwagon
33. “(There's) No Gettin' Over Me” Ronnie Milsap
34. “Living Inside Myself” Gino Vannelli
35. “Woman in Love” Barbra Streisand
36. “The Boy from New York City” The Manhattan Transfer
37. “Urgent” Foreigner
38. “Passion” Rod Stewart
39. “Lady (You Bring Me Up)” Commodores
40. “Crying” Don McLean
41. “Hearts” Marty Balin
42. “It's My Turn” Diana Ross
43. “You Make My Dreams” Daryl Hall & John Oates
44. “I Don't Need You” Kenny Rogers
45. “How 'Bout Us” Champaign
46. “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” Pat Benatar
47. “The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)” The Greg Kihn Band
48. “Time” The Alan Parsons Project
49. “Hungry Heart” Bruce Springsteen
50. “Sweetheart” Franke and the Knockouts
51. “Somebody's Knockin'” Terri Gibbs
52. “More Than I Can Say” Leo Sayer
53. “Together” Tierra
54. “Too Much Time on My Hands” Styx
55. “What Are We Doin' in Love” Dottie West & Kenny Rogers
56. “Who's Crying Now” Journey
57. “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” The Police
58. “This Little Girl” Gary U.S. Bonds
59. “Stop Draggin' My Heart Around” Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty
60. “Giving It Up for Your Love” Delbert McClinton
61. “A Little in Love” Cliff Richard
62. “America” Neil Diamond
63. “Ain't Even Done with the Night” John Cougar
64. “Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)” Christopher Cross
65. “Another One Bites the Dust” Queen
66. “Games People Play” The Alan Parsons Project
67. “I Can't Stand It” Eric Clapton
68. “While You See a Chance” Steve Winwood
69. “Master Blaster (Jammin')” Stevie Wonder
70. “Hello Again” Neil Diamond
71. “Don't Stand So Close to Me” The Police
72. “Hey Nineteen” Steely Dan
73. “I Ain't Gonna Stand for It” Stevie Wonder
74. “All Those Years Ago” George Harrison
75. “Step By Step” Eddie Rabbitt
76. “The Stroke” Billy Squier
77. “Feels So Right” Alabama
78. “Sweet Baby” Stanley Clarke & George Duke
79. “Same Old Lang Syne” Dan Fogelberg
80. “Cool Love” Pablo Cruise
81. “Hold On Tight” Electric Light Orchestra
82. “It's Now or Never” John Schneider
83. “Treat Me Right” Pat Benatar
84. “Winning” Santana
85. “What Kind of Fool” Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb
86. “Watching the Wheels” John Lennon
87. “Tell It Like It Is” Heart
88. “Smoky Mountain Rain” Ronnie Milsap
89. “I Made It Through the Rain” Barry Manilow
90. “You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'” Daryl Hall & John Oates
91. “Suddenly” Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard
92. “For Your Eyes Only” Sheena Easton
93. “The Beach Boys Medley” The Beach Boys
94. “Whip It” Devo
95. “Modern Girl” Sheena Easton
96. “Really Wanna Know You” Gary Wright
97. “Seven Year Ache” Rosanne Cash
98. “I'm Coming Out” Diana Ross
99. “Miss Sun” Boz Scaggs
100. “Time Is Time” Andy Gibb

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1981, year-end Hot 100 of 1981).

What songs should go on a 1981 mix CD?

A 1981 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 19 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “(Just Like) Starting Over” by John Lennon and closing with “Endless Love” by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie, for 78:12 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1981, taking songs in year-end order until the disc was full, then sequenced it to follow the year: the number ones in the order they reached the top, with the year’s other big hits placed between them. With a 2-second gap before each track it runs 78:50, under the 79 minutes we fill a CD to.

Lengths are the recordings matched in Deezer’s catalog. Single edits, album versions and remasters can run a little longer or shorter, so check your own playlist before you burn it.

Turn 1981 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1981 songs, and we burn it to a real audio CD, test-play it and post it. It makes a good gift for a birth year, a graduation year or a wedding year.

To change the songs, paste the list into the playlist length calculator to keep it under 80 minutes, then print an insert with the CD case template. Our guide to making a mixtape covers sequencing, and nostalgic gift ideas has more ways to give a year as a present.

What was popular music like in the 1980s?

Popular music in the 1980s was led by pop stars built for music video, with synth-pop, arena rock, dance-pop and big ballads sharing the top of the chart. MTV launched in August 1981, and acts such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and Whitney Houston became the decade's biggest names.

From 1980 to 1989, 231 songs reached number one on the Hot 100, and 1 song stayed there for 10 weeks or more. Of those 231, “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John spent the most weeks at number one: 10 in total. Michael Jackson had the most number ones that reached the top in these years, with 9. The typical number one of these years ran 4:13 (the median of the 202 with a known length).