1981 Number One Singles U.S. Pop

Title / Artist / Weeks at #1​:​​ 

• (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon (4 weeks)
• The Tide Is High - Blondie (1 week)
• Celebration - Kool & The Gang (2 weeks)
• 9 To 5 - Dolly Parton (2 weeks)
• I Love A Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbit (2 weeks)
• Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon (1 week)
• Rapture - Blondie  (2 weeks)
• Kiss On My List - Darryl Hall & John Oates (3 weeks)
• Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton (2 weeks)
• Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (9 weeks)
• Stars On 45 Medley - Stars On 45 (1 week)
• The One That You Love - Air Supply (1 week)
• Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield (2 weeks)
• Endless Love - Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (9 weeks)
• Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) - Christopher Cross (3 weeks)
• Private Eyes - Darryl Hall & John Oates (2 weeks)
• Physical - Olivia Newton-John (6 weeks)

1981 Number One Singles U.K.

Title / Artist / Weeks at #1​:​​

       There's No-One Quite Like Grandma - St. Winifred's School Choir (1 week)

• Imagine - John Lennon  (4 weeks)
• Woman - John Lennon  (2 weeks)
• Shaddap Your Face - Joe Dolce Music Theatre (3 weeks)
• Jealous Guy - Roxy Music (2 weeks)
• This Ole House - Shakin' Stevens (3 weeks)
• Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz (3 weeks)
• Stand and Deliver - Adam & The Ants (5 weeks)
• Being With You - Smokey Robinson (2 weeks)
• One Day In Your Life - Michael Jackson (2 weeks)
• Ghost Town - The Specials (3 weeks)
• Green Door - Shakin' Stevens (4 weeks)
• Japanese Boy - Aneka (1 week)
• Tainted Love - Soft Cell (2 weeks)
• Prince Charming - Adam & The Ants (4 weeks)
• It's My Party - Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin (4 weeks)
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police (1 week)
• ​Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie (2 weeks)
• Begin The Beguine - Julio Iglesias (1 week)
• Don't You Want Me - The Human League (3 weeks)

1981 Best Selling Singles

Based on Worldwide Sales

  1 Kim Carnes / Bette Davis Eyes

  2 Starsound / Stars On 45

  3 Olivia Newton-John / (Let's Get) Physical

  4 Diana Ross & Lionel Richie / Endless Love

  5 Soft Cell / Tainted Love

  6 John Lennon / Woman

  7 Phil Collins / In the Air Tonight

  8 Kool & The Gang / Celebration

  9 Joe Dolce / Shaddup You Face

10 Dolly Parton / 9 to 5

11 Sheena Easton / Morning Train (Nine to Five)

12 Christopher Cross / Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)

13 Blondie / Rapture

14 The Rolling Stones / Start Me Up

15 Sheena Easton / For Your Eyes Only

16 REO Speedwagon / Keep On Loving You

17 The Police / Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

18 Foreigner / Waiting For a Girl Like You

19 Smokey Robinson / Being With You

20 Earth, Wind & Fire / Let's Groove

21 Kim Wilde / Kids in America

22 Don McLean / Cryin'

23 Queen & David Bowie / Under Pressure

24 Electric Light Orchestra / Hold On Tight

25 The Police / De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da

26 Aneka / Japanese Boy

27 Rod Stewart / Passion

28 George Harrison / All Those Years Ago

29 Rick Springfield / Jessie's Girl

30 Visage / Fade to Grey

31 Abba / One of Us

32 Foreigner / Urgent

33 Hall & Oates / Kiss On My List

34 Rod Stewart / Young Turks

35 Ultravox / Vienna

36 Shakin' Stevens / This Ole House

37 Juice Newton / Angel of the Morning

38 Grover Washington Jr / Just the Two of Us

39 David A Stewart & Barbara Gaskin / It's My Party

40 Bucks Fizz / Making Your Mind Up

41 Jona Lewie / Stop the Cavalry

42 Styx / The Best of Times

43 Kim Wilde / Chequered Love

44 Hall & Oates / Private Eyes

45 Michael Jackson / One Day in Your Life

46 The Pointer Sisters / Slow Hand

47 Juice Newton / Queen of Hearts

48 The Commodores / Lady (You Bring Me Up)

49 Joey Scarbury / Theme From 'Greatest American Hero'

50 Roxy Music / Jealous Guy

51 Rod Stewart / Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)

52 Ray Parker Jr & Raydio / A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)

53 Ottawan / Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)

54 Steve Winwood / While You See a Chance

55 Starsound / Stars On 45 Vol 2

56 Air Supply / The One that You Love

57 Shakin' Stevens / (You Drive Me) Crazy

58 The Specials / Ghost Town

59 Adam & The Ants / Prince Charming

60 The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Hooked On Classics

61 Adam & The Ants / Antmusic

62 Genesis / Abacab

63 Adam & The Ants / Stand & Deliver

64 REO Speedwagon / Take it On the Run

65 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark / Enola Gay

66 John Lennon / Watching the Wheels

67 Diana Ross / Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

68 Odyssey / Going Back to My Roots

69 Rick James / Super Freak

70 Champaign / How 'bout Us

71 Journey / Who's Crying Now

72 The Go Gos / Our Lips Are Sealed

73 Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty / Stop Draggin' My Heart Around

74 The Rolling Stones / Waiting On a Friend

75 Marty Balin / Hearts

76 Talking Heads / Once in a Lifetime

77 Neil Diamond / Hello Again

78 Journey / Don't Stop Believin'

79 Robert Palmer / Looking For Clues

80 Electronica's / Dance Little Bird

81 The Who / You Better You Bet

82 Shakin' Stevens / Green Door

83 Eddie Rabbitt / I Love A Rainy Night

84 Frank Duval / Angel of Mine

85 The Jackson 5 / Can You Feel It

86 Boney M / We Kill the World (Don't Kill the World)

87 Billy Squier / The Stroke

88 Queen / Flash

89 Gino Vannelli / Living Inside Myself

90 A Taste of Honey / Sukiyaki

91 Ennio Morricone / Chi mai (The Life & Times Of Lloyd George)

92 Depeche Mode / Just Can't Get Enough

93 Gary US Bonds / This Little Girl

94 John Lennon / Jealous Guy

95 Yarbrough & Peoples / Don't Stop the Music

96 Barbra Streisand / Comin' in & Out of Your Life

97 The Boomtown Rats / Banana Republic

98 The Moody Blues / Gemini Dream

99 Steely Dan / Hey Nineteen

100 Manhattan Trànsfer / The Boy From New York City

1981 Best Selling Albums

Based on Worldwide Sales

  1 Queen / Queen's Greatest Hits I

  2 The Rolling Stones / Tattoo You

  3 The Police / Ghost In The Machine

  4 Phil Collins / Face Value

  5 Foreigner / 4

  6 The Human League / Dare!

  7 REO Speedwagon / Hi Infidelity

  8 Kim Carnes / Mistaken Identity

  9 Starsound / Stars On 45

10 Electric Light Orchestra / Time

11 Rush / Moving Pictures

12 AC/DC / For Those About To Rock We Salute You

13 Styx / Paradise Theater

14 Journey / Escape

15 Abba / The Visitors

16 Genesis / Abacab

17 Stevie Nicks / Bella Donna

18 The Moody Blues / Long Distance Voyager

19 Steve Winwood / Arc Of A Diver

20 Vangelis / Chariots Of Fire

21 Rod Stewart / Tonight I'm Yours

22 Pat Benatar / Precious Time

23 Adam & The Ants / Kings Of The Wild Frontier

24 Duran Duran / Duran Duran

25 The Who / Face Dances

26 Olivia Newton-John / Physical

27 Kim Wilde / Kim Wilde

28 Van Halen / Fair Warning

29 Visage / Visage

30 Iron Maiden / Killers

31 The Pretenders / The Pretenders II

32 The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Hooked On Classics

33 Quincy Jones / The Dude

34 Billy Joel / Songs in the Attic

35 Shakin' Stevens / Shaky

36 Rickie Lee Jones / Pirates

37 Earth, Wind & Fire / Raise!

38 Simon & Garfunkel / The Simon & Garfunkel Collection

39 AC/DC / Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

40 Santana / Zebop!

41 Blondie / The Best of Blondie

42 U2 / October

43 Grace Jones / Nightclubbing

44 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers / Hard Promises

45 Eric Clapton / Another Ticket

46 Meat Loaf / Dead Ringer

47 Al Jarreau / Breaking Away

48 Squeeze / East Side Story

49 Rush / Exit Stage Left

50 Soft Cell / Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

51 Queen / Flash Gordon

52 George Harrison / Somewhere In England

53 Starsound / Stars on 45, Vol. 2

54 Kraftwerk / Computer World

55 Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band / Nine Tonight

56 Jean-Michel Jarre / Les chants magnetiques

57 Depeche Mode / Speak & Spell

58 Heaven 17 / Penthouse & Pavement

59 Elvis Costello / Trust

60 Dr Hook / Dr Hook's Greatest Hits

61 The Smurfs / Hitparade der Schlumpfe

62 Motorhead / No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith

63 Diana Ross / Why Do Fools Fall In Love

64 Kool & The Gang / Something Special

65 The Cure / Faith

66 Elton John / The Fox

67 Abba / A wie Abba

68 Bob Dylan / Shot Of Love

69 Split Enz / Waiata

70 Spider Murphy Gang / Dolce vita

71 Diana Ross & Lionel Richie / Endless Love

72 Rainbow / Difficult To Cure

73 The Stray Cats / Stray Cats

74 Prince / Controversy

75 Brian Eno & David Byrne / My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

76 The Smurfs / Hitparade der Schlumpfe 2

77 Pink Floyd / A Collection Of Great Dance Songs

78 Sheena Easton / You Could Have Been With Me

79 Loverboy / Loverboy

80 The Boomtown Rats / Mondo Bongo

81 The Commodores / In The Pocket

82 Joan Armatrading / Walk Under Ladders

83 King Crimson / Discipline

84 Ultravox / Rage In Eden

85 Ideal / Ideal

86 Kiss / Music From The Elder

87 Sky / Sky 3

88 Barry Manilow / If I Should Love Again

89 Elvis Costello / Almost Blue

90 Judas Priest / Point Of Entry

91 Kenny Rogers / Share Your Love

92 Rick James / Street Songs

93 George Benson / The George Benson Collection

94 Neil Diamond / On The Way To The Sky

95 Roland Kaiser / Dich zu lieben

96 Electronica's / Quietsch Fidelio

97 ZZ Top / El Loco

98 James Taylor / Dad Loves His Work

99 Whitesnake / Come an' Get It

100 Bee Gees / Living Eyes