The musical landscape of 1981
Synthesizers, electronic percussion and visually distinctive performers moved toward the centre of popular music while rock, R&B and adult contemporary remained commercially powerful.
Air Supply appears 2 times in the Top 20, making the artist one of the clearest recurring presences in this year’s list.
What to listen for
Notice the brighter electronic textures and the strong contrast between tightly programmed pop and guitar-driven records.
This list contains 19 different credited artists. The number gives a quick indication of whether the year was concentrated among repeat hitmakers or spread across a wider field.
Billboard Year-End Top 20 songs of 1981
| Rank | Song | Artist | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bette Davis Eyes | Kim Carnes | Spotify ↗ |
| 2 | Endless Love | Diana Ross and Lionel Richie | Spotify ↗ |
| 3 | Lady | Kenny Rogers | Spotify ↗ |
| 4 | Starting Over | John Lennon | Spotify ↗ |
| 5 | Jessies Girl | Rick Springfield | Spotify ↗ |
| 6 | Celebration | Kool and the Gang | Spotify ↗ |
| 7 | Kiss on My List | Hall and Oates | Spotify ↗ |
| 8 | 9 to 5 | Dolly Parton | Spotify ↗ |
| 9 | Keep On Loving You | REO Speedwagon | Spotify ↗ |
| 10 | Queen of Hearts | Juice Newton | Spotify ↗ |
| 11 | Rapture | Blondie | Spotify ↗ |
| 12 | Physical | Olivia Newton-John | Spotify ↗ |
| 13 | The Best of Times | Styx | Spotify ↗ |
| 14 | Slow Hand | The Pointer Sisters | Spotify ↗ |
| 15 | Being with You | Smokey Robinson | Spotify ↗ |
| 16 | I Love a Rainy Night | Eddie Rabbitt | Spotify ↗ |
| 17 | Every Woman in the World | Air Supply | Spotify ↗ |
| 18 | The One That You Love | Air Supply | Spotify ↗ |
| 19 | Guilty | Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb | Spotify ↗ |
| 20 | Theme from Greatest American Hero | Joey Scarbury | Spotify ↗ |
Build a 1981 playlist
Start with “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes, then alternate familiar high-ranking records with contrasting selections from the lower half of the list.
How this page should be used
Year-End charts summarize performance across an extended chart year. They are not simply a list of songs that reached number one, and historical methodology has changed. Treat this page as a guided listening resource and compact chart-history reference rather than a mathematical comparison with other eras.