- X
- The Top Twenty singles of 1981, the way Casey counted them down (while not berating his staff):
20. Ride Like the Wind - Christopher Cross
19. Still - The Commodores
18. Little Jeannie - Elton John
17. Babe - Styz
16. All Out of Love - Air Supply
15. Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
14. Woman In Love - Babs Streisand
13. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
12. Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.
11. Please Don't Go - K.C. & the Sunshine Band
10. Coming Up - Paul McCartney & Wings
9. Pop Muzik - "M"
8. Magic - Olivia Newton-John
7. It's Still Rock & Roll To Me - Bill Joel
6. Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
5. Upside Down - Diana Ross
4. Rock With You - Michael Jackson
3. Do That To Me One More Time - Captain & Tennille
2. Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
1. Call Me - Blondie
The%20Billboard%20Chart%20Troll
- GIRLS ON FILM (duran duran)
- Oops... I just gave you the Top 20 of 1980.
The%20Billboard%20Chart%20Troll%2C%20red-faced%20and%20ashamed
- by the way someone should start a thread on who you thought the hottest member of Duran Duran was!
- All that work for nothing!
- We'll try this again... straight from Casey's morning coffee-breath - the Top Twenty songs of 1981:
20. Morning Train - Sheena Easton
19. Being With You - Smokey Robinson
18. Rapture - Blondie
17. Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
16. Private Eyes - Hall & Oates
15. Woman - John Lennon
14. Theme from "The Greatest American Hero" - Joey Scarbury
13. Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton
12. The Tide is High - Blondie
11. Keep On Loving You - R.E.O. Speedwagon
10. Arthur's Theme - Christopher Cross
9. Kiss On My List - Hall & Oates
8. 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
7. I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
6. Celebration - Kool & the Gang
5. Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
4. Starting Over - John Lennon
3. Lady - Kenny Rogers
2. Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
1. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
The%20Bollboard%20Chart%20Troll
- At the time, it was all about ABBA and "The Visitors for me". "When All Is Said And Done" is pure, perfect pop music. Amazing harmonies and a melancholy that betrays its upbeatness. The rest of the album was delightful, too.
In retrospect, though, 1981 was such a diverse year, highly represented in my music collection... Iron Maiden's "Killers", Pat Benatar's "Precious Time" (w/ "Shadows in the Dark"), and Def Leppard's "High N' Dry" just to name a few.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DtUh4u-lYEhM
- Wow, '81 sucked. At least there were a few listenable songs on the '80 list. I'm sure '82's list would be even worse, widely regarded as one of the worst years for pop. MTV's golden age, featuring a new British invasion, came to the rescue after that.
- Actually, R9, I like a lot of the top songs of 1982. Of course, you may not, but I thought '82 was a decent year for pop -
We Got The Beat
Centerfold
Let's Groove
Don't Talk To Strangers
Harden My Heart
Jack and Diane
Hurts So Good
I Love Rock and Roll
Don't You Want Me
The%20Billboard%20Chart%20Troll%2C%20looking%20ahead
- Edge of Seventeen-Stevie Nicks
- Remember when Sting had hair?
http://youtu.be/aENX1Sf3fgQ
- One of my favorites from '81... the return of Lulu!
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D_WsAI-JFB_k
- Wake me when we get to 1984, now that's a classic music year.
- Pretenders - "Talk of the Town"/"I Go to Sleep"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQazITeucU
- Dire Straits - "Skateaway"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXgYTkGHoUQ
- LENA HORNE: THE LADY AND HER MUSIC 1981
http://www.amazon.com/Live-On-Broadway-Lena-Horne/dp/B00A1U3448/ref%3Dtmm_other_meta_binding_title_0%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1361659341%26sr%3D1-1
- Mainstream top 40 pop hits were pretty dire in 81, but there was some stuff brimming in the alternative world. Here's New Order peforming Everything's Gone Green live in NYC 1981
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DWcZrTQr-F7U
- Shaddup-a You Face by Joe Dolce
- Ricki Lee Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DgI9nr2KYMJg
- Marianne Faithfull - Dangerous Acquaintances
- Terri Gibbs, "Somebody's Knockin'".
Of course, as a 12-year-old, it was funnier to sing "Somebody's Knockers".
By the way, how stoned is Miz Dionne in this clip?
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D-kEDU7m2z14
- Rosanne Cash - "Seven Year Ache"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVAwXj6-Oe4
- Hüsker Dü - Everything Falls Apart and More
- "The Tide Is High" has always reminded me of that last moment in 1981 before we knew about AIDS, just like in the movie LONGTIME COMPANION.
Other than that, it seemed as if every other song they played at Uncle Charlie's on Greenwich Avenue that spring was "Bette Davis Eyes." I had just moved back to New York and was waiting for my boyfriend to join me there after closing things up on his west coast life, so I wasn't fucking strangers at the time.
I can't hear the Kim Carnes hit without wondering if waiting for him saved my life.
But what I listened to most at home was Jackson Browne's HOLD OUT album from the year before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DBv_mQIZHeHs
- The hair stands up on my arms. I forgot it was videos they were playing at Uncle Charlie's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DEPOIS5taqA8
- The first real year of the 80s or not?
- Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode (they're only truly great song, by Vince or Erasure).
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Da84L1hVVEls
- Oops, mistakes ^^^^^^: "their only truly great song, by Vince of Erasure".
R28
- I LOVED 1981!!
Tempted - Squeeze
Never Say Never - Romeo Void
New Toy - Lene Lovitch
Love Action - Human League
Careless Memories - Duran Duran
I Will Follow - U2
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
Message of Love - The Pretenders
Louie Louie - The Pretenders
Janitor - Suburban Lawns
I Know What Boys Like - The Waitresses
Ghost Town - The Specials
Mirror in the Bathroom - English Beat
Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode
This Town - The Go-Gos
Up All Night - Boomtown Rats
I Love Rock N Roll - Joan Jett
Fascist Groove Thing - Heaven 17
See You On The Other Side - Brian Briggs
What Does Sex Mean To Me? - Human Sexual Response
Abacab - Genesis
Urgent - Foreigner (Thomas Dolby on keyboards, Junior Walker on sax)
Super Freak - Rick James
Give it to Me Baby - Rick James
Controversy - Prince
Never Too Much - Luther Vandross
Let's Groove - Earth Wind & Fire
She's a Bad Mama Jama - Carl Carlton
Burn Rubber on Me - The Gap Band
Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
Double Dutch Bus - Fankie Smith
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington Jr.
Can You Feel It? - The Jacksons
Turn Your Love Around - George Benson
One Hundred Ways - James Ingram/Quincy Jones
Shake it Up Tonight - Cheryl Lynn
Too Tight - Con Funk Shun
General Hospi-tale - Afternoon Delights
- My Favorites of 1981
Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones
Burning For You - Blue Oyster Cult
Joan Crawford - Blue Oyster Cult
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars - Blue Oyster Cult
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
Tom Sawyer - Rush
Destroyer - The Kinks
Vital Signs - Rush
Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie
For Those About To Rock - AC/DC
Magic Power - Triumph
Unchained - Van Halen
Limelight - Rush
Bringing On The Heartbreak - Def Leppard
Promises In The Dark - Pat Benatar
Fire & Ice - Pat Benatar
Urgent - Foreigner
Who's Crying Now - Journey
Sign Of The Gypsy Queen - April Wine
Red Barchetta - Rush
The KKK Took My Baby Away - The Ramones
Hot Rockin' - Judas Priest
Heading Out To The Highway - Judas Priest
Desert Plains - Judas Priest
Gloria - U2
Tubesnake Boogie - ZZ Top
Pearl Necklace - ZZ Top
Bad Reputation - Joan Jett
Denim And Leather - Saxon
Mr. Crowley - Ozzy Osbourne
Heavy Metal - Sammy Hagar
Gay Metal Dude in Texas
- Planet Earth / Duran Duran
The Breakup Song / Greg Kihn Band
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around / Stevie Nicks
Hold On Tight / Electric Light Orchestra
Girls On Film / Duran Duran
Jessie's Girl / Rick Springfield
Shake It Up / The Cars
Time / Alan Parsons Project
Rapture / Blondie
Do The Dark / Blondie
Too Much Time On My Hands / Styx
Into You Like A Train / Psychedelic Furs
Fight The Good Fight / Triumph
Ceremony / New Order
Ant Music / Adam & The Ants
Hang Fire / Rolling Stones
Just Between You And Me / April Wine
Our Lips Are Sealed / The Go-Go's
Through Being Cool / Devo
Working In The Coal Mine / Devo
In The Air Tonight / Phil Collins
Bette Davis Eyes / Kim Carnes
Breaking All The Rules / Peter Frampton
a few i liked in 81
- Bette Davis Eyes was THE song of the 1980s.
It beat John Lennon (who had just been murdered) and Endless Love for Record and Song of the Year Grammys.
And it put KC on the map for years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DpJkYBpqHD5E
- [quote]Bette Davis Eyes was THE song of the 1980s.
R33 Yep. It was the first 45 I bought since 1969. I couldn't wait for it to come out on an album.
- What kind of gay people are you guys? Jesus! I was a club boy in 1981. What about these?
Pull Up To The Bumper - GRACE JONES
The Visitors (Cracking Up) - ABBA
Your Love - LIME
Cruising The Streets - BOYSTOWN GANG
Give It To Me Baby - RICK JAMES
Slow Hand - POINTER SISTERS
He's A Liar - BEE GEES
Physical - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Super Freak - RICK JAMES
Stars On 45 Medley - STARS ON 45
Paradise - CHANGE
Dancing The Night Away - VOGGUE
Lay All Your Love On Me - ABBA
Controversy/Let's Work - PRINCE
Make That Move - SHALAMAR
Disco Kicks - BOYSTOWN GANG
Menergy - PATRICK COWLEY
Can You Feel It - THE JACKSONS
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - BOYSTOWN GANG
Action Man - VILLAGE PEOPLE
Do You Wanna Spend The Night? - VILLAGE PEOPLE
The Real Thing - BROTHERS JOHNSON
Shake It Up Tonight - CHERYL LYNN
Who Do You Think You're Foolin' - DONNA SUMMER
Memories - BARBRA STREISAND
I'm In Love - EVELYN CHAMPAGNE KING
Megatron Man - PATRICK COWLEY
On & On & On - ABBA
Try It Out - GINO SOCCIO
Ai No Corrida - QUINCY JONES
Just Can't Get Enough - DEPECHE MODE
All American Girls - SISTER SLEDGE
80s Club Boy
- Kind of boring, R35. And such a LONG list.
- What about Physical by ONJ...even if only for the hot gay hunks at the end (minus the redhead with the afro). I thought that was the biggest hit of 1981?
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DvWz9VN40nCA
- I spent 1981 listening to Rush' Moving Pictures album. Still one of my favorites. What a great time in my life. I was 18 and livin' it up.
RUSH/MOVING PICTURES (1981)
Tom Sawyer
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Limelight
The Camera Eye
Witch Hunt
Vital Signs
Johnny
- I was a young gay college student in Mahattan in those days. Coming from my little Gulf Coast town, it was heaven. They could have played Lawrence Welk, pansori, and funeral dirges in clubs and on the radio and I would still remember it all with happiness and longing.
I don't ever want to go back, but damn those were some happy days.
- An earlier poster mentioned Blondie's 'The Tide is High' and how it represented that window of time just before the plague hit. I feel the same way. I bought Blondie's "Auto American" album in December of 1980. It was the main album I listened to in the first half of 1981 (along with AC/DC's Back in Black). Such a great time. My partner and I threw some amazing parties at our home back then. We had cookouts and would invite all of our friends, mostly gay men, a few lesbian couples. I look at photos of that spring and see the smiling faces of my dear friends. I just know "The Tide Is High", "Rapture", "Walk Like Me", "Do The Dark", etc. were playing in the background of the photos. They are all mostly ghosts now. Many taken by the first wave of AIDS. Most gone by 1986. One of the lesbian couples is gone (one by cancer/one by suicide), and I lost my partner of 40 years last year (leukemia). Spring of 81 was that magic, beautiful time before the dark years (ignorance was bliss at that time).
Jarrett
- R40 Insert little "tear in the corner of my eye" icon, Jarrett.
The%20guy%20who%20wrote%20about%20%22The%20Tide%20Is%20High%22%20upthread
- All of those songs put here are amazing and memorable.
Wow.
- 1981 was a truly diverse year. I was just looking at my old vinyl albums and here the titles I bought that year that show that diversity. Wow. A great time.
Rush - "Moving Pictures"
The Rolling Stones - "Tattoo You"
The Go-Go's - "Beauty & The Beat"
Blue Oyster Cult - "Fire Of Unknown Origin"
The Pretenders - "Pretenders II"
Stevie Nicks - "Bella Donna"
AC/DC - "For Those About To Rock, We Salute You"
Rick James - "Street Songs"
Iron Maiden - "Killers"
Hall & Oates - "Private Eyes"
ABBA - "The Visitors"
Ozzy Osbourne - "Blizzard Of Ozz"
Ozzy Osbourne - "Diary Of A Madman"
The Ramones - "Pleasant Dreams"
Styx - "Paradise Theatre"
Devo - "New Traditionalists"
J. Geils Band - "Freeze Frame"
Journey - "Escape"
U2 - "October"
Judas Priest - "Point of Entry"
Foreigner - "4"
O.M.D. - "Architecture & Morality"
Depeche Mode - "Speak & Spell"
Black Sabbath - "Mob Rules"
Prince - "Controversy"
Rickster
- Damn, R43. That's a kick-ass album list. I think I had about half of those back then. Other great albums that year were REO Speedwagon's 'Hi Infidelity', Adam & The Ants' "Prince Charming", Rod Stewart's "Tonight I'm Yours" (his last great LP), E.L.O.'s 'Time', Rick Springfield's 'Working Class Dog' , Kim Carnes' 'Mistaken Identity', Def Leppard's 'High 'n' Dry', Queen's 'Greatest Hits', Alice Cooper's 'Special Forces' and The Kinks' 'Give The People What They Want'. A great year (if you don't go by the Billboard Top 40 Charts-most of those songs that were son huge on that chart are forgotten today).
B.J.
- I loved 'A Little In Love' by Cliff Richard, 'How 'bout Us' by Champagne and 'He Can't Love You Like I Love You' by the Michael Stanley Band.
- I was 16 in 1981 - Music was my life. I liked a little of everything.
MY TOP FIFTEEN SONGS OF 1981
15. Spirits In The Material World - The Police
14. Talk To Ya Later - The Tubes
13. Gloria - U2
12. Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode
11. Young Turks - Rod Stewart
10. Burning For You - Blue Oyster Cult
09. Shake It Up - The Cars
08. When All Is Said & Done - Abba
07. A World Without Heroes - Kiss
06. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty
05. Let's Get It Up - AC/DC
04. Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie
03. Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go's
02. Girls On Film - Duran Duran
01. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
Parker in Austin, TX
- I loved Juice Newton. I loved her version of "Angel of the Morning". My anthem was "Queen of Hearts" I loved that song. I was also heavy into Joan Jett's debut album "Bad Reputation". Those two albums got me through those impressionable years as a babydyke.
Traci
- Crane's Top Ten 1981 Songs
1. Memories by Barbra Streisand
2. Keep On Lovin' You by R.E.O. Speedwagon
3. The One That You Love by Air Supply
4. Slow Hand by Pointer Sisters
5. Somewhere Down The Road by Barry Manilow
6. Endless Love by Diana Ross, Lionel Richie
7. The Best of Times by Styx
8. Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg
9. Best That You Can Do (Arthur's Theme) by
Christopher Cross
10. Touch Me When We're Dancing by Carpenters
Crane L.
- MY FAVORITE SONG OF 1981 IS ALSO MY FAVORITE SONG OF ALL-TIME. THIS ONE, RELEASED NOV. 23, 1981 ---
We roll tonight to the guitar bite
Yeah, yeah, oh
Stand up and be counted for what you are about to receive. We are the dealers. We'll give you everything you need. Hail hail to the good times 'cause rock has got the right-of-way
We ain't no legend, ain't no cause. We're just livin' for the day
For those about to rock, we salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you
We rock at dawn on the front line, like a bolt right out of the blue. The sky's alight with the guitar bite. Heads will roll and rock tonight
For those about to rock, we salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you
Yes, we do
For those about to rock, we salute you
Oooh, salute! Oooh, ooooh yeah
We're just a battery for hire with the guitar fire. Ready and aimed at you, pick up your balls and load up your cannon for a twenty-one gun salute
For those about to rock - fire
We salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you
Those about to rock - fire
We salute you
Fire!
We salute you
We salute you
Come on, whooa
For those about to rock, we salute you (x4)
Shoot, shoot
We salute you (x3)
Eric Jones
- R49, I never really cared for metal, but that year I did love two metal songs, "For Those About To Rock" by AC/DC and "Crazy Train" by Ozzy. I was more into The Police, The Cars, Devo, Psychedelic Furs, Genesis, and X. That was a powerful song.
MT
- 10. Stop Dragging My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks
9. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
8. Our Lips Are Sealed - Go-Gos
7. Young Turks - Rod Stewart
6. Physical - Olivia Newton-John
5. Private Eyes - Daryl Hall & John Oates
4. Slow Hand - Pointer Sisters
3. I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Daryl Hall & John Oates
2. Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
1. Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones
My Top Ten of 1981
- You Better You Bet, THE WHO
Hold On Tight, E.L.O.
Abacab, GENESIS
Jessie's Girl, RICK SPRINGFIELD
Too Much Time On My Hands, STYX
Sprits In The Material World, THE POLICE
Shake It Up, THE CARS
Jealous Lover, RAINBOW
Centerfold, J. GEILS BAND
Start Me Up, THE ROLLING STONES
- Oh god, did I fucking hate 'Queen of Hearts' by Juice Newton, who disappeared shortly after that. What a stupid song, and it was played a lot.
- Nathan's Top 15 Tracks of 1981
1. Urgent - Foreigner
2. The Voice - Moody Blues
3. Who's Crying Now - Journey
4. Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
5. The Stroke - Billy Squier
6. Fire And Ice - Pat Benatar
7. Burning For You - B.O.C.
8. Breakup Song - Greg Kihn Band
9. Mean Street - Van Halen
10. Breaking All The Rules - Peter Frampton
11. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
12. Tom Sawyer - Rush
13. The Waiting - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
14. Tempted - Squeeze
15. Stranger - Jefferson Starship
ALEX
- All these songs so take me back. I was a 15 year old lez in 1981 and living in the backwoods of Oklahoma. I liked Top 40, Pop and Rock, but back then Country was my passion. I just pulled out my 1981 diary and looked at my list of favorite songs for the year.
10 - All My Rowdy Friends - Hank Williams Jr.
9 - Seven Year Ache - Roseanne Cash
8 - Feels So Right - Alabama
7 - Older Women - Ronnie McDowell
6 - Angel Of The Morning - Juice Newton
5 - Share Your Love With Me - Kenny Rogers
4 - Step By Step - Eddie Rabbitt
3 - Today All Over Again - Reba McEntire
2 - Queen Of Hearts - Juice Newton
1 - Elvira - Oak Ridge Boys
Shelly Reynolds
- Super Freak -- Rick James
Controversy/Lets Work -- Prince
Menergy/I Wanna Take You Home -- Patrick Cowley
Mony, Mony -- Billy Idol
Let's Groove -- Earth Wind & Fire
New Toy -- Lene Lovich
Try It Out -- Gino Soccio
Homosapien -- Pete Shelley
Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth -- Devo
Call Me (Satisfaction Guaranteed) -- Skyy
I Can't Go For That -- Hall & Oates
Daryl Dixon
- This thread is making me nostalgic for high school...almost. LOL. In 1981, I was halfway through high school (I graduated in 1983). My favorite party jams back then:
1. Wrathchild - Iron Maiden
2. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
3. Vital Signs - Rush
4. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC
5. Burning For You - Blue Oyster Cult
6. Bringing On The Heartbreak - Def Leppard
7. Hot Rockin' - Judas Priest
8. It's Killing Me - U.F.O.
9. Half Penny, Two Penny - Styx
10. Lonely Is The Night - Billy Squier
Man, this list makes me wanna head down to the lake and slam back a few cool ones with my friends and get it on with my best buddy after we drop everyone else off at home LOL. Just like the old days.
Chad
- I graduated in 1981 and I pulled out the last school newsletter before I graduated, dated May 20, 1981. On the back page they always listed the top 15 singles for the week (according to votes from the students), so here goes that list:
May 20, 1981-Top 15 Hits
15. Kiss On My List / Hall & Oates
14. Morning Train / Sheena Easton
13. Precious To Me / Phil Seymour
12. Woman / John Lennon
11. Keep On Lovin' You / REO Speedwagon
10. Crazy Train / Ozzy Osbourne
9. The Best Of Times / Styx
8. Just Between You And Me / April Wine
7. Bette Davis Eyes / Kim Carnes
6. Turn Me Loose / Loverboy
5. Back In Black / AC/DC
4. Treat Me Right / Pat Benatar
3. Rapture / Blondie
2. Take It On The Run / REO Speedwagon
1. Too Much Time On My Hands / Styx
Lisa D. - Class of 1981
- R58 - Lisa, that takes me back. I graduated the same year. Damn, I had forgotten about "Precious To Me" by Phil Seymour. That was one of my favorite jams that Spring of 81. That and "Passion" by Rod Stewart. I cranked those two songs in my 1980 Mustang cruising the strip every weekend during senior year with my buddies and my girlfriend. Times change. I still have the same buddies, but now I have a boyfriend instead (LoL).
GD
- Don't Stand So Close To Me by The Police
Abacab by Genesis
Generals and Majors by XTC
Ant Music by Adam & The Ants
Walk Like Me by Blondie
In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
Hell Is For Children by Pat Benatar
Talk To You Later by The Tubes
Police On My Back by The Clash
We Want The Airwaves by The Ramones
Into You Like A Train by Psychedelic Furs
Mony, Mony by Billy Idol
Dancing With Myself by Generation X
Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads
Genius Of Love by Tom Tom Club
- 1. He's A Liar-Bee Gees
2. Young Turks-Rod Stewart
3. When All Is Said And Done-ABBA
4. I Can't Go For That-D. Hall & J. Oates
5. Just Can't Get Enough-Depeche Mode
6. Living Eyes-Bee Gees
7. Physical-Olivia Newton-John
8. Bette Davis Eyes-Kim Carnes
9. Rapture-Blondie
10. Really Wanna Know You-Gary Wright
M'Lissa
- Weird. I was born in 1994 and I know a lot of these songs. I didn't know they were THAT old though. I thought most of these songs were from like the '90s. LOL. I was waaaaay off.
trevor
- The whole album of Beauty and The Beat - GoGo's
- "Destroyer" by THE KINKS was my favorite song of 1981, closely followed by "Start Me Up" by THE ROLLING STONES and "Limelight" by RUSH.
- R8-you're a mess. Benatar's "Shadows of the NIGHT" was on "Get Nervous"-not "Precious Time" and did not come out until 1982. Try and keep up.
Jem
- My favorite album of '81 had to be Billy Squier's "Don't Say No". I was 16 that year and one night my best bud and I were cruising around in his pickup, drinking beer and listening to his Squier cassette on the stereo. We stopped and parked by the river and we were joking about how gay-oriented the lyrics to the songs were. I had a huge crush on my friend. At one point, he reached over and put his hand on my leg and we kissed. We ended up having hot passionate sex while that cassette played over and over on the tape deck. It was the first time for both of us. We got it on through the rest of High School. After graduation we went our separate ways. Several years ago we reconnected on Facebook and are in constant contact, though we live on opposite coasts. He's married now and has grown kids, but damn, that was a hot two year romance. So, my favorite songs of 1981 are
In The Dark, The Stroke, My Kinda Lover, You Know What I Like, Too Daze Gone, Lonely is the Night, Whadda Ya Want From Me, Nobody Knows, I Need You, Don't Say No
All from Billy Squier's "Don't Say No"
Reminiscing
- I love Somebody's Knockin'
- THIS IS RADIO CLASH by CLASH
K.K.K. TOOK MY BABY AWAY by RAMONES
REACH OUT by CHEAP TRICK
THROUGH BEING COOL by DEVO
OUR LIPS ARE SEALED by GO-GOs
THIS TOWN by GO-GOs
SKID MARKS ON MY HEART by GO-GO's
LUST TO LOVE by GO-GOs
WE GOT THE BEAT by GO-GOs
DOIN' ALL RIGHT WITH THE BOYS by JOAN JETT
UNDER PRESSURE by QUEEN & BOWIE
T.V. PARTY by BLACK FLAG
GROUP SEX by CIRCLE JERKS
TIM
- I remember I loved that GO-GO's Beauty And The Beat album. I got it for Christmas in December of 1981. I played the record to death and was so anticpating the follow-up. I went out and bought the follow-up, "Vacation" in the Summer of 1982 and boy, was I disappointed. "Beauty" was a collection of New Wave classics. "Vacation" was slick, Top-40 Pop. The title song was okay, but the rest was by the numbers pop that could have fit on an Olivia Newton-John album. It's a shame they couldn't have stayed with what made them popular. They last one more pop album after that and they were done for.
Sheri
- LOL, The two cassettes I played constantly that year were the first two Loverboy albums, "Loverboy" and "Get Lucky". Everywhere I went, I heard "The Kid Is Hot Tonite", "Turn Me Loose", "Working For The Weekend", "When it's Over", "Lucky Ones" and "Take Me To The Top". I was obsessed with them. Within a year I had moved on to New Wave and Punk. But Loverboy was my world in 1981.
Arthur
- Talk Show is under appreciated. It's also a great album r69
- Don't fret, R70. In 1981, my taste ran toward that mainstream rock, too. My favorites were "Paradise Theater" by Styx, "Hi Infidelity" by R.E.O. Speedwagon, "Escape" by Journey and "Foreigner 4" by Foreigner. The most adventurous my taste ran at that time was The Ramones' "Pleasant Dreams". I acquired that by accident. I was going home from the game room and I found the cassette laying on the grass by the sidewalk. I picked it up and loved it. That changed my musical life.
- Watching The Wheels / John Lennon
Woman / John Lennon
Her Town Too / James Taylor
Sweetheart / Franke & The Knockouts
I Love You / Climax Blues Band
Endless Love / Diana & Lionel
Chariots of Fire / Vangelis
Nobody Wins / Elton John
Boy From New York City / Manhattan Transfer
Morning Train / Sheena Easton
For Your Eyes Only / Sheena Easton
D:P
- Why Do Fools Fall In Love-Diana Ross, Coming In And Out Of Your Life-Barbra Streisand, Memories-Barbra Streisand, Boy From NYC-The Manhattan Transfer, Modern Girl-Sheena Easton, Morning Train (9 to 5)-Sheena Easton, Betty Davis Eyes-Kim Carnes, The One That You Love-Air Supply, Here I Am-Air Supply, Best That You Can Do-Christopher Cross
Javier Lopez
- "Primary" -- THE CURE
"Into You Like A Train" -- PSYCHEDELIC FURS
"I Will Follow" -- U2
"The Funeral Party" -- THE CURE
"Once In A Lifetime" -- TALKING HEADS
"Spirits In The Material World" -- THE POLICE
"Our Lips Are Sealed" -- THE GOGO'S
"Precious To Me" -- PHIL SEYMOUR
"Bad Reputation" -- JOAN JETT
"Generals & Majors" -- XTC
"Working In A Coal Mine" -- DEVO
"The Breakup Song" -- GREG KIHN
"Stand & Deliver" -- ADAM & THE ANTS
"Love Action" -- HUMAN LEAGUE
"Piss On The Wall/Flamethrower" -- J GEILS BAND
"Mony Mony" -- BILLY IDOL
"Girls On Film" -- DURAN DURAN
"Tempted" -- SQUEEZE
"This Town" -- GOGOS
- 1. Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
2. Our Lips Are Sealed - Go-Go's
3. Don't Stop Believing - Journey
4. Urgent - Foreigner
5. Super Freak - Rick James
6. You Make My Dreams - Hall + Oates
7. Tom Sawyer - Rush
8. The Stroke - Billy Squier
9. Lunatic Fringe - Red Rider
10. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around-Stevie Nicks
- I was eleven years old in 1981. I only bought one record that year. It was a K-TEL compilation featuring the hits of the first half of 1981. It was called "Dimensions" and I listened to it repeatedly.
This was the track listing:
Side One:
Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
The Stroke - Billy Squier
Fire & Ice - Pat Benatar
I Love You - Climax Blues Band
Really Wanna Know You - Gary Wright
Boy From New York City - Manhattan Transfer
Side Two:
You Make My Dreams - Hall & Oates
The Breakup Song - Greg Kihn Band
Cool Love - Pablo Cruise
The One That You Love - Air Supply
Time - The Alan Parsons Project
Stars on 45 - Stars On 45
Elvira - Oak Ridge Boys
Gregg
- I abhored that Stars on 45 Medley. I was a huge Beatles fan and that song was a horrible medley of Beatles songs redone as disco. Really bad disco. The singer sounded like he was on helium, and then there was that same tedious beat throughout. Even worse, it was a medley of mostly Beatles songs with The Archies' nightmarish Sugar Sugar tacked on at the beginning. Poor John Lennon had only been dead for a few months and he was already spinning in his grave! Those Stars on 45 assholes should have been imprisoned for that monstrocity! I'm glad it's forgotten.
Grant F.
- 01. For Those About to Rock - AC/DC
02. I Don't Know - Ozzy Osbourne
03. Veteran of the Psychic Wars - B.O.C.
04. Fight the Good Fight - Triumph
05. Over the Mountain - Ozzy Osbourne
06. The Mob Rules - Black Sabbath
07. So This is Love - Van Halen
08. Let's Get it Up - AC/DC
09. Red Barchetta - Rush
10. Promises in the Dark - Pat Benatar
- History Never Repeats/SPLIT ENZ
Talk To Ya Later/THE TUBES
Message Of Love/THE PRETENDERS
Talk Of The Town/THE PRETENDERS
Shake It Up/THE CARS
Once In A Lifetime/TALKING HEADS
Our Lips Are Sealed/GO-GOS
In The Air Tonight/PHIL COLLINS
You Better, You Bet/THE WHO
Little Suzy's On The Up/Ph.D
One Step Ahead/SPLIT ENZ
Little Sister/ROCKPILE w/ ROBERT PLANT
JK
- There was only one artist who mattered in 1981. Miss SHEENA EASTON! She was the reigning diva of the day, honey. She was the bridge between Donna Summers in the 70s and Madonna in the 80s. She had a gaggle of great songs in '81
THE BEST SONGS OF 1981 by VICTOR LUNA
Morning Train (9 To 5) - Sheena Easton
Modern Girl - Sheena Easton
For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton
When He Shines - Sheena Easton
Take My Time - Sheena Easton
Cry - Sheena Easton
VL, NYC
- General Hospi-tale - Afternoon Delights
All I Have To Do Is Dream - Andy Gibb & Victoria Principal
Boy From New York City - Manhattan Transfer
Morning Train - Sheena Easton
Endless Love - Lionel Ritchie & Diana Ross
Why Do Fools Fall In Love? - Diana Ross
Square Biz - Teena Marie
- 1. Burning For You - Blue Oyster Cult
2. Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones
3. Find Your Way Back - Jefferson Starship
4. Stop Draggin My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
5. Trying To Live My Life Without You - Bob Seger
6. Urgent - Foreigner
7. Stone In Love - Journey
8. Tubesnake Boogie - Z.Z. Top
9. Stranger - Jefferson Starship
10. Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride) - Don Felder
- 1981 songs that should be on every gay man's iPod.
Cruising the Streets by Boys Town Gang
Boy From New York City by Manhattan Transfer
Your Love by Lime
Lay All Your Love on Me by Abba
Dancin' The Night Away by Voggue
Morning Train by Sheena Easton
Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes
Menergy by Patrick Cowley
- R84 - Sorry, guy. I love cock as much as the next guy, but I could never see any of those songs on my iPod. I can deal with the ABBA and Kim Carnes songs, but the rest just suck ass (IMHO). Different strokes for different folks.
- Patrick Cowley was a genius of epic proportions. He was the Bruce Springsteen of dance/Hi-NRG music. His Menergy, I Want To Take You Home and Megatron Man were classics. His 1982 remix of Donna Summer's 1977 classic I Feel Love was the best dance mix ever put to vinyl. His work with Sylvester on Do You Wanna Funk? in 1982 probably yielded the best single of the last 50 years. He unfortunately was one of the first victims of AIDS. He died in Nov. of 1982, before the disease even had a name.
- 1981 was around the time I discovered KROQ 106.7 (in SoCal) and never looked back. (Well I did make some detours into classic rock, metal, R&B, blues and (gasp!) techno/trance stations, but never back to Top 40 radio).
KROQ's Countdown for 1981:
20. "Waiting on a Friend" - The Rolling Stones
19. "Lust to Love" - The Go-Go's
18. "New Toy" - Lene Lovich
17. "Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth" - Devo
16. "White Girl" - X
15. "Funny Face" - Sparks
14. "The Adultress" - The Pretenders
13. "Homosapien" - Pete Shelley
12. "Janitor" - The Suburban Lawns
11. "Stand and Deliver" - Adam & The Ants
10. "I'm With the Guys" - The Penetrators
9. "We Want the Airwaves" - The Ramones
8. "Never Say Never" - Romeo Void
7. "Start Me Up" - The Rolling Stones
6. "On the Outside" - Oingo Boingo
5. "Johnny Are You Queer?" - Josie Cotton
4. "It's My Party" - Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin
3. "We Got the Beat" - The Go-Go's
2. "Antmusic" - Adam & The Ants
1. "Mental Hopscotch" - Missing Persons
- Crazy Train by Ozzy
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by AC-DC
Hollywood (Down on Your Luck) by Thin Lizzy
Heading Out to the Highway by Judas Priest
Destroyer by Kinks
Wrathchild by Iron Maiden
For Those About to Rock by AC-DC
Bad Reputation by Joan Jett
Start Me Up by Rolling Stones
Joan Crawford by BOC
Vital Signs by Rush
Magic Power by Triumph
Hey Nineteen by Steely Dan
You Better-You Bet by The Who
Let It Go by Def Leppard
Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield
The Waiting by Tom Petty
Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider
Heart Like A Wheel by Steve Miller Band
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie & Tom
- R87 I loved that station too. Waiting on a Friend by the Stones is one of my five favorite songs ever. I love your list. It's perfect.
Iann
- 1. Spirits in the Material World - Police
2. Lust to Love - Go Gos
3. I Will Follow - U-2
4. Message of Love - Pretenders
5. Since You're Gone - The Cars
6. Shake It Up - The Cars
7. Antmusic - Adam & The Ants
8. Don't Stand So Close to Me - Police
9. Happy Birthday - Altered Images
10. Precious to Me - Phil Seymour
Logan, Formerly from L.A.
- My favorite album of 1981 was a strange one. Alice Cooper's "Special Forces". By the early 80s he had ditched his classic hard rock sound for new wave. His audience shrunk to next-to-nothing by 1981 and his alcoholism was raging to the point of almost killing him. The result was a strange album, but my favorite of that year. I think I was one of twenty people in the U.S. who bought this album (my best friend, Tony, also bought a copy). I still love it to this day.
Best songs: You Look Good In Rags, Vicious Rumors, Who Do You Think We Are?, and his cover of Love's Seven And Seven Is. A very rewarding new wave/rock hybrid.
David
- Great list, r35. Thank you!
- Party On The Patio-ZZ Top, Lunatic Fringe-Red Rider, Burning for You-B.O.C., Hold On Tight-E.L.O., Let's Get it Up-AC/DC, In The Dark-Billy Squier, Promises in the Dark-Pat Benatar, Mr. Crowley-Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Sawyer-Rush, Sign of the Gypsy Queen-April Wine, Just Between You And Me-April Wine, Wanna Rock-April Wine.
- R93 - I noticed three April Wine songs on your list. I loved that "Nature of the Beast" album so much. As a 15 year old gay boy, the lyrics to one of the songs jumped out at me. The song "One More Time", which closed the album. It hit me, I guess the second or third time I listened to the record, that the song was about gays (and very spoke about us in a very positive light). There weren't alot of positive views on gays in the media back then, so it made this album even more endearing to me. I'll post the lyrics:
ONE MORE TIME - April Wine - 1981
The man in the back smokes a pack and a half Sayin one more time before we go. The lady in the front wants to roll with the punches. Just one more shot and then she'll know. Everybody's feelin' alright. Runners on an endless flight, so high
One more time before we go. One more song on the radio. One more time before we go. One more song on the radio.
The pretty boys stand just as close as they can. Silhouetting lovers, such a sight. Nobody stares, hey why should they care? You are what you are tonight. Tomorrow we could all fade away. They only wanna live for today, so high.
The world may be comin' apart. The confusion they're feelin' comes straight from the heart. All they know is the need that they have to be free. So let 'em, just let 'em be.
The smoke gets thicker as the night goes on. Shadows dancing through the haze. So outrageous, it's a sonic affair. Only doing as they please. You'll never hear a word about heaven. Or what they'd have to do to survive, so high.
One more time before we go.
One more song on the radio
- Scott's Faves:
"A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES" - Kiss
"WAITING ON A FRIEND" - Rolling Stones
"START ME UP" - Rolling Stones
"DESTROYER" - The Kinks
"XANADU (Live)" - Rush
"THE OATH" - Kiss
"DIARY OF A MADMAN" - Ozzy Osbourne
"CRAZY TRAIN" - Ozzy Osbourne
"HANG FIRE" - Rolling Stones
"VETERAN OF THE PSYCHIC WARS" - Blue Oyster Cult
"PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT" - Saxon
"SLAVE" - Rolling Stones
- (Let's Get) Physical - Olivia Newton-John
The Dolphin Song - Olivia Newton-John
Make A Move On Me - Olivia Newton-John
Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Diana Ross
Mirror, Mirror (On The Wall) - Diana Ross
Memories - Babs
Coming In And Out Of Your Life - Babs
Morning Train - Sheena Easton
Boy From N.Y.C. - Manhattan Transfer
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - Boystown Gang
- Damn. I guess I am a pretty well-rounded guy musically. I am familiar with every song listed on this thread, and I love about 95% percent of them. It's amazing to see all these different genres of music and realize what a rich time it was, as far as music was concerned. If you look at the music of 1981 based on the Hot 100 Singles Charts, it looks very dismal. If you look deeper, at the FM Rock hits, the New Wave classics, the terrific dance tracks, it was an amazing year.
- Dante's Best Songs
Heard It Through The Grapevine - Roger
Controversy - Prince
Super Freak - Rick James
She's A Bad Mama Jama - Carl Carlton
Jam The Box - Bill Summers & Summer Heat
Square Biz - Teena Marie
Give It To Me Baby - Rick James
Too Tight - Con Funk Shun
Burn Rubber Why U Wanna Hurt Me - Gap Band
Can U Feel It - Jacksons
I Need Your Lovin - Teena Marie
Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
- Rick Springfield was my favorite back then. I hate him now, only because I met him years ago and he was a total cunt to every one of his fans backstage. Rude and obnoxious. He was in a horrible mood and was being nasty to the people who were paying his bills...The Fans. What an ass! I did love his Working Class Dog LP back then, though he can burn in hell forever.
Jessie's Girl/I've Done Everything For You/Love Is Alright Tonight.
Pamela
- Is Billy Squier gay? I always had a mancrush on him back then and he always pinged to high heaven for me. The lyrics on the Don't Say No album were very homoerotic and that video he did a few years later for Rock Me Tonight was gayer than Liberace at a Liza concert. I saw him in concert in '82 and he seemed very fem. but I've heard he's married to a chick. Not that that means anything. What's the scoop?
Inquiring Mind
- R100 - I don't know if he is or not. I've always kind of assumed he is, based on the things you mentioned. I have also heard that he's a pussyhound (which I have serious trouble believing). So, who knows?
- R100 and R101. Billy Squier always pinged for me, as well. Paul Stanley from Kiss, too. From what I understand, they both 'claim' to be straight. I would wage a strong bet that they've each eaten at least one weenie in their lives.
Ace Frehley
- I wasn't a mellow girl back in the day. My favorite albums in 1981 were:
1. PLASMATICS - Metal Priestess
2. BLACK FLAG - Damaged
3. CIRCLE JERKS - Group Sex
4. X - Los Angeles
5. PLASMATICS - New Hope For The Wretched
Diana Benson
- Best song of 81 was General Hospi-tale by The Afternoon Delights. It was my favorite soap and the song was a perfect spoof. Great song.
FLopez
- R104 My God! That was awful!!! I had forgotten about that song. It was a cheap and terrible knock-off of Blondie's terrific "Rapture". My sister had the 45 of that Genital Hospi-tale song and I though it was so amateurish and poorly done. My sis loved it, though. So, to each their own.
My favorite song of 1981 was "Into You Like A Train" by Psychedelic Furs, from their "Talk, Talk, Talk" album. I also loved "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. Great song, but he should never have recorded another song. The rest of his solo work sucked donkeys.
James in Seattle
- ALL ABOARD... HA! HA! HA! HA!
My favorite song of 1981 =
"Crazy Train" by OZZY OSBOURNE
Love that song.
- To whoever asked upthread - Physical (ONJ) was a huge hit, but was the No. 1 song of 1982.
However it was released in late 1981, so technically it straddled both years -- but more of it's time at the top was in '82.
- "Souvenir" - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swzp1eeOMj4
- X - "White Girl" from Wild Gift
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vcCqF5ppz0
- Oops. Sorry, Jem. I meant "Promises in the Dark."
r6
- Billy Squire is rich - he owns a huge apartment at the San Remo on CPW, one of the most exclusive buildings in NY. I have no idea how he has that much money, because his music career wasn't all that big.
- Sign of the Southern Cross/BLACK SABBATH
Destroyer/THE KINKS
Red Barchetta/RUSH
Joan Crawford/BLUE OYSTER CULT
For Those About to Rock/AC-DC
Mean Street/VAN HALEN
Mother, Father/JOURNEY
Waiting on a Friend/ROLLING STONES
Flying High Again/OZZY OSBOURNE
Bringing on the Heartbreak/DEF LEPPARD
Under Pressure/QUEEN and DAVID BOWIE
K.C. Reeves
- R111 - Billy Squier was pretty successful in the early '80s. His 1981 album Don't Say No sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. The follow-up, 1982's Emotions in Motion sold right around 3 million copies. 1984's Signs of Life was less successful, but still went platinum, with U.S. sales of over 1 million. He was also a top concert attraction for the first half of the decade. His career died quickly after the Rock Me Tonite video aired. Whether he's gay or not, he was the victim of homophobia by record buyers, based on reaction to his 'less than manly' music video. He followed up the Rock Me Tonite video with live concert clip of his next single, the rockin' All Night Long, but it was too late. The same year, record buyers ostracized Queen for appearing in drag in the I Want To Break Free video. In the early years of the AIDS crisis, homophobia was at an all time high.
HJ
- Electric Light Orchestra - "Twilight"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJItXHuATT0
- I loved "Twilight" and "Hold On Tight". E.L.O. had a great year in '81. I loved that "Time" album.
- Oh, man. Electric Light Orchestra's "Time" album. That was one of my favorites. One song I really loved was "Rain is Falling". I remember my first love taking me in his arms in his bedroom when we were 15 and singing it to me, while the album played on the turntable. Sweet memories.
Richard
- Kim Carnes was my girl that year. I played Bette Davis Eyes and Draw of the Cards until the 45s melted. Lol. I loved Hall & Oates' Private Eyes album too. I loved Private Eyes, I Can't Go For That (No Can Do), Did It In A Minute, etc. Cool stuff. I remember my older brother was into The Rolling Stones' Tattoo You and Foreigner's 4 album. We both liked Journey's Escape. Ah, great times. Miss you Danny.
-Steven
- My favorite album was 'Only A Lad' by Oingo Boingo. I loved all of the songs. Due to the right-wing nature of the lyrics, I can't really enjoy the album as much as I did at 17. It was a clear favorite for me that summer. U2's 'Boy' album was my other fave.
- R118 It's amazing how many of the acts that got played on KROQ were such right-wingers. I was big into the new wave and punk scene and didn't realize back then how conservative many of the bands were, even the Sex Pistols. I think that's why as I got older, I drifted away from those acts. Oingo Boingo was great but they were very conservative. Danny Elfman has supposedly changed his tune these days, but who knows?
- "Heartbeat" by Taana Gardner, which still sounds fantastic and is one of my all-time favorite dance tracks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDBpWdFP5EE
- Nobody admits to having liked Styx anymore, but in 1981 I was obsessed with their "Paradise Theatre" album. I still like the album. Great songs - "Rockin' The Paradise", "Too Much Time On My Hands", "The Best of Times", "Half Penny, Two Penny" and my favorite song on the LP, "Snowblind". Also, I liked Blondie's "AutoAmerican" and Stevie Nicks' "Bella Donna"
- R120, I had forgotten that one. I remember those wild, hot nights dancing the night away to that song, along with Gino Soccio's 'Try It Out', Change's 'Paradise', Voggue's 'Dancing The Night Away' and Abba's 'Lay All Your Love On Me'. Happy times. I remember the clubs were full of hot shirtless guys in tight Levis and we danced until dawn.
Lenny
- I think 1982 was a better year. You had:
1. MADONNA -EVERYBODY
2. TOTO-AFRICA
3. CHARLENE- I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ME
4. MICHAEL JACKSON AND PAUL MCCARTNEY - THE GIRL IS MINE
5. HALL &OATES- ONE ON ONE
6. LAURA BRANIGAN-GLORIA
7. JOE COCKER AND JENNIFER WARNES-UP WHERE WE BELONG
8. DONNA SUMMER-FINGER ON THE TRIGGER
9. ALAN PARSONS PROJECT- EYE IN THE SKY
10. HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS- DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE
11. SURVIVOR- EYE OF THE TIGER
12. STEPHEN BISHOP- SOMETHING'S TELLING ME IT MIGHT BE YOU
anonymous%20
- R123 - Like, gag me with a spoon, fer shure! Totally.
Ohmigod!
- Hey r121, are you the "S-T-I-C-K-S" guy?
- R125, S-T-I-C-K-S guy? No. I'm actually female. Who was the S-T-I-C-K-S guy? I'm curious. lol.
R121
- A few years back, someone here told the story of loving Styx on the radio, and so decided to decorate his room with a homage to the band by cutting out the letters from self-stick carpeting and pressing it onto his wall. But because he had only heard the name on the radio, he didn't know how it was reall spelled, thus --
"S-T-I-C-K-S"
- R123, I think '81 was better than '82, but my favorites of '82 were much different than the ones you listed.
My 1982 Favorites
1. Rock The Casbah - The Clash
2. Rock This Town - Stray Cats
3. You've Got Another Thing Comin' - Judas Priest
4. I Ran (So Far Away) - A Flock of Seagulls
5. White Wedding - Billy Idol
6. Run To The Hills - Iron Maiden
7. Tainted Love - Soft Cell
8. No One Like You - Scorpions
9. Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac
10. Stand or Fall - The Fixx
11. Everybody Wants You - Billy Squier
12. I Love It Loud - Kiss
Mike
- R127 That's hilarious. I love it. Thanks for sharing.
R21
- Bitches, save your '82 lists for the '82 thread. God damn ADD gays.
- R130 lol. I was thinking the same thing. Fuckers, take your Ritalin and settle down. This is 1-9-8-1, not 1-9-8-2.
- R121 I was a huge Styx fan, too. Back in the mid-seventies, my older brothers were into bands like Styx, Rush, Queen, etc. I used to sneak into their rooms when they were gone and listen to their records. I loved Styx' albums "Equinox", "The Grand Illusion" and "Pieces of Eight". The first one I bought for myself was "Cornerstone" in '79, when I was 13. In '81 "Paradise Theater" became my favorite. My Styx affair came to an abrupt end in early-1983. I went to the record store the day "Kilroy was Here" came out and snatched it off the shelf. I got home, put it on the turn-table, listened to it twice, and promptly threw it in the trash. It was awful. I moved on.
Nate
- I was 16 in 1981 and went from working the front desk for court time at a racquet club to being a weekend night DJ at the roller rink they added that year (by taking out two tennis courts) in a huge All About Eve moment after the druggie college guy they hired was busted for larceny...
But yes. Stevie Nicks and early Pretenders (still love them). Styx. The Police. ELO. Rolling Stones from "Tattoo You". "Bette Davis Eyes" and "Morning Train" were huge. Heart. Aerosmith, The Who, REO Speedwagon, etc... Disco was frowned upon in those days; it was all about pop and rock at the rink.
I took my own records to the club and played more ABBA and classic Beatles and Supremes than I probably should have. God knows how skaters looking for a groove fared.
And then MTV came on our cable TVs, and it was a lot more fun to be doing what I was doing in '82 and '83.
All%20skate%2C%20everybody%20skate
- 133 I remember disco was very frowned upon in '81. I liked disco, but only for dancing at clubs. Many people said the demise of disco was due to racism and homophobia. I always disagreed, somewhat. I honestly think disco peaked in '79 and began running out of steam (both artistically and commercially) soon after. There were a few great disco singles in '80 and '81, but most of the disco songs being released were very by-the-numbers and generic. I lost interest based on quality, not because of racism. I'm gay, so it surely wasn't homophobia. I miss those skating rink days, bigtime. I'm the same age as you and spent many an afternoon and evening burning up the rink in the summer of '81.
Shane from Houston, Texas
- Disco came off as offensively smug to many -- it was that and not racism or homophobia that did it in.
Most disco people had exactly the same backgrounds as the anti-disco people.
- I miss that time period. A barrage of new releases by acts like Blondie, The B-52's, The Cars, The Police, U2, Adam & The Ants, Oingo Boingo, Go-Gos, Devo, Gary Numan, Psychedelic Furs, X, Ramones, Clash, XTC, Roxy Music, Pat Benatar, Cheap Trick, Pretenders, Ultravox, David Bowie, Joy Division, New Order, Depeche Mode, Killing Joke, Misfits, Lene Lovich, Joan Jett, Missing Persons, The Tubes, Talking Heads, Greg Kihn Band, Iggy Pop, Public Image, Ltd., The Waitresses, ABC, Haircut 100, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Generation X, and oh so many more.
- Some songs from 1981 that I would have expected to be bigger hits on the Pop Charts. All of these failed to reach the Top Ten:
Time - Alan Parsons Project (No. 15)
SuperFreak - Rick James (No. 16)
Ain't Even Done With The Night - John Cougar (No. 17)
The Stroke - Billy Squier (No. 17)
Fire and Ice - Pat Benatar (No. 17)
You Better You Bet - The Who (No. 18)
Treat Me Right - Pat Benatar (No. 18)
I Missed Again - Phil Collins (No. 19)
In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins (No. 19)
Our Lips Are Sealed - the Go-Go's (No. 20)
And Donna Summer could get no higher than No. 40 with the song Who Do You Think You're Fooling?
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DZCm4jrc8L28
The%20Billboard%20Chart%20Troll
- I was a teenage metalhead in 1981. I hung with three other guys. I thought they were all straight. Two were, but my best friend of the bunch came out in 1981 (just before I did).
We were into the hardest stuff of the era. These were a few favorite albums that year:
1. AC/DC - For Those About To Rock
2. Motorhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
3. Van Halen - Fair Warning
4. Iron Maiden - Killers
5. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
6. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
7. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
8. Judas Priest - Point of Entry
9. Triumph - Allied Forces
10. Saxon - Denim And Leather
11. Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry
12. B.O.C. - Fire of Unknown Origin
13. Rush - Moving Pictures
14. Riot - Fire Down Under
15. April Wine - The Nature of the Beast
16. Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
17. UFO - The Wild, The Willing & The Innocent
18. Sammy Hagar - Standing Hampton
19. Heavy Metal (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
20. Iron Maiden - Maiden Japan e.p.
Brendan in Maryland
- Oh, what a fun thread. I've been reminiscing all afternoon. I am surprised that a lot of the songs I loved haven't been mentioned yet. Here's my '81 list. There are a few titles that haven't been mentioned yet.
1. ENDLESS LOVE - Diana R./Lionel R.
2. WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE - Steve Winwood
3. WHO's CRYIN' NOW - Journey
4. JUST THE TWO OF US - Grover Washington Jr.
5. HOW 'BOUT US - Champaign
6. SAME OLD LANG SYNE - Dan Fogelberg
7. SLOW HAND - Pointer Sisters
8. GAMES PEOPLE PLAY - Alan Parsons Project
9. HARD TO SAY - Dan Fogelberg
10. BEST THAT YOU CAN DO - Christopher Cross
11. SEVEN BRIDGES ROAD - The Eagles
12. JUST ONCE - Quincy Jones & James Ingram
13. KEEP ON LOVING YOU - R.E.0. Speedwagon
14. WINNING - Santana
15. I LOVE YOU - Climax Blues Band
Jenna
- I was an 11 year old living in podunk Florida, so it was a lot of pop and country for me. I had a crush on Eddie Rabbitt, and I'm still waiting for somebody to do a dance remix of his 1981 classic "Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight"
http://youtu.be/oedrJmPWvTI
- Believe It or Not (Greatest American Hero) -- Joey Scarbury
I Don't Need You -- Kenny Rogers
Poor Man's Son -- Survivor
For You -- Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Harden My Heart -- Quarterflash
Leather And Lace -- Stevie Nicks
All Those Years Ago -- George Harrison
Living Inside Myself -- Gino Vannelli
For Your Eyes Only -- Sheena Easton
No Reply At All -- Genesis
Living In A Fantasy -- Leo Sayer
The One That You Love -- Air Supply
Got To Rock On -- Kansas
The Party's Over -- Journey
A Woman Needs Love -- Ray Parker, Jr.
Being With You -- Smokey Robinson
Time Out Of Mind -- Steely Dan
Hello Again -- Neil Diamond
Sweetheart -- Franke And The Knockouts
My Girl -- Chilliwack
Angie
- Love In The First Degree - Alabama, Nine to Five - Dolly Parton, Cow Patty - Jim Stafford, Elvira - Oak Ridge Boys, I Love A Rainy Night -Eddie Rabbitt, What Are We Doing In Love - Dottie West & Kenny Rogers, Seven Year Ache - Roseanne Cash, Red Neckin' Love Makin' Night - Conway Twitty, I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World - Ronnie Milsap.
Country Girl
- CHRIS' TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 1981
1. RUSH - EXIT STAGE LEFT
2. ROLLING STONES - TATTOO YOU
3. JOURNEY - ESCAPE
4. STYX - PARADISE THEATER
5. R.E.O. SPEEDWAGON - HI INFIDELITY
6. Z.Z. TOP - EL LOCO
7. FOREIGNER - 4
8. RUSH - MOVING PICTURES
9. THE GO-GO'S - BEAUTY AND THE BEAT
10. BOB SEGER - NINE TONIGHT (LIVE)
CHRIS
- Some more great 1981 hits:
Joan of Arc - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) - Haircut 100
Voice - Ultravox
Tonight - GoGos
How Much More - GoGos
Automatic - GoGos
Nicole - Point Blank
Tears Are Not Enough - ABC
Kids In America - Kim Wilde
Rage In The Cage - J. Geils Band
It Must Be Love - Madness
Dead Ringer - Meat Loaf
Mirror, Mirror - Dollar
Beautiful World - Devo
Love In Motion - Icehouse
- "Peter the Meter Reader" - Meri Wilson
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DFLss0Uk2ZeU%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player
- I always loved Devo's fascination with masturbation. First there was "Whip It", which was about flogging the dolphin, then there was "Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth", which was a bit less subtle about the activity.
Billy Squier, Doin' The Stroke
- "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy
"The Kid Is Hot Tonite" by Loverboy
"Turn Me Loose" by Loverboy
Mike Reno's Headband
- The best song of '81, in my book ---
"Kiss On My List" - by Hall & Oates
My friends wonder why I call you all of the time. What can I say? I don't feel the need to give such secrets away. You think maybe I need help, no, I know I'm right. I'm just better off not listening to friends advice
When they insist on knowing my bliss. I tell them this. When they want to know what the reason is, I only smile when I lie, then I tell them why. (because your kiss) your kiss is on my list (because your kiss) your kiss is on my list. Because your kiss is on my list of the best things in life.
(because your kiss) your kiss is on my list
(because your kiss) your kiss I can't resist
I go crazy wondering what there is to really see. Did the night just take up your time, cause it means more to me? Sometimes I forget what Im doing, I don't forget what I want. Regret what Ive done, regret you? I couldnt go on. And if you insist on knowing my bliss
I'll tell you this. If you want to know what the reason is. I'll only smile when I lie, then I'll tell you this.
- It looks like 1981 sucked. I didn't get into music until three or four years later. None of the people who WERE the eighties are listed.
No Madonna, No Michael Jackson, No Huey Lewis, No Shannon, No Eurythmics, No Culture Club, No Cyndi Lauper, No DeBarge, No Janet Jackson, No Stacy Q, No George Michael, No Wham!.
1981 was not the eighties. It stunk.
Madonna Fan
- R149 "No Madonna, No Michael Jackson, No Huey Lewis, No Shannon, No Eurythmics, No Culture Club, No Cyndi Lauper, No DeBarge, No Janet Jackson, No Stacy Q, No George Michael, No Wham!."
I knew I loved 1981 for a reason. It looks like you listed twelve reasons.
The '80s got really superficial and stupid in the years following 1981. I preferred the years '80, '81, '82 and '83. Before the big hair and bad fashions took over.
- Oh, dear! R149. In what universe did Stacy Q, DeBarge and Shannon "define" the 1980s? They were each one-hit wonders. Shannon's song, Let The Music Play, was quite good, but she was still a one-hit wonder. The other two acts (especially Stacy Q and her irritating bubblegum hit Two of Hearts) didn't make a huge enough impact to define the decade.
Marco Gonzales, Atlanta
- The 80s really started with 1982. 1980 and 1981 were a hangover from the 70s. Not that there was anything wrong with that.
- "Can't Stop It But I'm Gonna Try" - Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick's "All Shook Up" album was released in the Fall of '80, but it was my most played album in 1980-81 (my Sophomore year of H.S.).
- I loved Cheap Trick's "All Shook Up" too. It's one of the more under-rated titles in their discography. "World's Greatest Lover" was their greatest ballad (yes, better than '88s "The Flame"). "Love Comes A Tumbling Down" was a frenetic, high-energy metallic rocker, "Stop This Game" was a terrific single, "Can't Stop It But I'm Gonna Try" was probably my favorite song on the album. "Just Got Back" and "Baby Loves To Rock" kicked maximum amounts of ass too. My brother, who is a year older than me, and I played that album, AC/DC's "Back in Black" and Ozzy's "Blizzard of Ozz" in heavy rotation in the first half of '81.
Mark from Dallas
- God, I loved Cheap Trick in the '70s and early '80s. One of THE classic bands of all times.
- I loved that Billy Squier album, 'Don't Say No'. He was cute too. I think he was so sexy on the album cover. Sitting on the floor, strumming his guitar, barefoot. Yum. "Stroke me, indeed!"
JOE
- a year before my birth
- Too Drunk To Fuck - Dead Kennedys
Spray Paint - Black Flag
T.V. Party - Black Flag
Deny Everything - Circle Jerks
Ceremony - New Order
Ghosts - Japan
World Up My Ass - Circle Jerks
MK
- Message of Love - Pretenders
Bad Boys Get Spanked - Pretenders
Talk of the Town - Pretenders
Porcelain - Pretenders
The Adulteress - Pretenders
Beautiful World - Devo
Jerkin' Back & Forth - Devo
Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks
Leather & Lace - Stevie Nicks
Shake It Up - The Cars
Since You're Gone - The Cars
We Want The Airwaves - Ramones
- Blondie, "Rapture"
Blondie, "The Tide is High"
Rick James, "Super Freak"
Rick James, "Give It To Me Baby"
Rick James, "Fire & Desire"
Teena Marie, "Square Biz"
Teena Marie, "It Must Be Magic"
Teena Marie, "Portuguese Love"
Manhattan Transfer, "On the Boulevard"
Manhattan Transfer, "Boy From New York City"
Manhattan Transfer, "Spies in the Night"
Quarterflash, 'Harden My Heart"
Quarterflash, "Find Another Fool"
Earth, Wind & Fire, "Let's Groove"
Darryl
- The Once Over Twice by X
We're Desperate by X
Pretty In Pink by Psychedelic Furs
Dumb Waiters by Psychedelic Furs
Our Lips Are Sealed by The Go-Go's
We Got The Beat by The Go-Go's
Stormtrooper In Drag by Gary Numan
Backfired by Debbie Harry
Message Of Love by The Pretenders
Talk Of The Town by The Pretenders
Paul
- 'FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK' -- AC/DC
'START ME UP' -- The Rolling Stones
'URGENT' -- Foreigner
'PUT THE FINGER ON YOU' -- AC/DC
'OVER THE MOUNTAIN' -- Ozzy Osbourne
'DESTROYER' -- The Kinks
'PROMISES IN THE DARK' -- Pat Benatar
'HOLD ON TIGHT' -- Electric Light Orchestra
'SNOWBLIND' -- Styx
'LUNATIC FRINGE' -- Red Rider
'UNDER PRESSURE' -- Queen/David Bowie
'A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES' -- Kiss
'WAITING ON A FRIEND' -- The Rolling Stones
'BLOODY REUNION' -- Molly Hatchet
GAVIN FROM KANSAS CITY
- 1981 - I'll try to remember my favorites. It's been a while (lol).
Hard to Say-Dan Fogelberg, Same Old Lang Syne-Dan Fogelberg, Run for the Roses-Dan Fogelberg, Leader of the Band-Dan Fogelberg, Oh No-Commodores, For Your Eyes Only-Sheena Easton, Chariots of Fire-Vangelis, Endless Love-Diana Ross & Lionel Richie, Somewhere Down the Road-Barry Manilow.
I also loved Touch Me When We're Dancing, the massive comeback single by The Carpenters.
- "Centerfold" - J. Geils Band
"Who's Crying Now" - Journey
"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" - Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
"Young Turks" - Rod Stewart
"Physical" - Olivia Newton-John
"Controversy" - Prince
"Burning For You" - Blue Oyster Cult
"Waiting On A Friend" - Rolling Stones
"Shake It Up" - The Cars
"Spirits In The Material World" - The Police
Steffanie
- The main things I listened to in 1981 were Rush's "Moving Pictures", Styx' "Paradise Theatre" and Genesis' "Abacab" albums. Of course, AC/DC was the biggest thing around back then ("Back in Black" was like the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack- everyone had a copy, regardless of their musical taste), so I had heavy doses of the "Back In Black", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "For Those About To Rock" LPs and loved them. I liked dance music too, but my exposure to it came mostly on Friday and Saturday nights at the club.
Eric
- Here were my favourites, from a British perspective.
1. Start Me Up / Rolling Stones
2. Don't You Want Me / Human League (I think it was a hit in the U.S. a few months later, in early '82)
3. Let's Get It Up / AC/DC
4. Stand & Deliver / Adam & The Ants
5. Ghost Town / The Specials
6. Tainted Love / Soft Cell
7. Under Pressure / Queen & David Bowie
8. Lay All Your Love On Me / Abba
9. I Go To Sleep / Pretenders
10. Wrathchild / Iron Maiden
11. Please Don't Touch / Motorhead & Girlschool
12. Hold On Tight / Electric Light Orchestra
13. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) / Haircut 100
14. Planet Earth / Duran Duran
15. Wild Is The Wind / David Bowie
16. It Must Be Love / Madness
17. Heading Out To The Highway / Judas Priest
18. Labelled With Love / Squeeze
19. The Winner Takes It All / Abba
20. The Voice / Ultravox
Keith, Manchester
- '81s Best...According to Tom:
1. Tom Sawyer - RUSH
2. Too Much Time On My Hands - STYX
3. Rapture - BLONDIE
4. Bette Davis Eyes - KIM CARNES
5. Jessie's Girl - RICK SPRINGFIELD
6. Urgent - FOREIGNER
7. Start Me Up - ROLLING STONES
8. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC
9. Fire And Ice - PAT BENATAR
10. Take It On The Run - R.E.O. SPEEDWAGON
11. In The Air Tonight - PHIL COLLINS
12. Turn Me Loose - LOVERBOY
13. Jealous Lover - RAINBOW
14. Bad Reputation - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS
15. Breaking All The Rules - PETER FRAMPTON
Tom M.
- Time....The Alan Parsons Project
The Voice....Moody Blues
Life of Illusion....Joe Walsh
The Stroke....Billy Squier
Talk To Ya Later....The Tubes
Hold On Loosely....38 Special
The Breakup Song....Greg Kihn
The Waiting....Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
You Better, You Bet....The Who
Stranger....Jefferson Starship
History Never Repeats....Split Enz
- I was 13 that year and yes, the diversity of the music at the time stands out. So many faves hard to narrow down:
1. All Touch - Rough Trade
2. Walking on Thin Ice - Yoko Ono
3. Don't Let Him Go - REO Speedwagon
4. Angel of the Morning - Juice Newton
5. The Boy From New York City - Manhattan Transfer
6. Dirty Back Road - The B52s
7. Eye Communication - Marianne Faithfull
8. Fashion Victim - Rough Trade
9. Hearts - Marty Balin
10. I Can't Stand It - Eric Clapton
- I am a big fan of the big hair bands of the 80s. But when I saw Lars Ulrich and those lips OMG.
Hottie.
- In 1981, I was 16. The year I got my first car. Fell in love with my first dude. A great year, indeed.
Mark's Top 15 of 1981
1. Tom Sawyer, Rush
2. Burning For You, Blue Oyster Cult
3. Our Lips Are Sealed, The Go-Gos
4. Working In A Coal Mine, Devo
5. For Those About To Rock, Ac/Dc
6. Urgent, Foreigner
7. Waiting On A Friend, Rolling Stones
8. Half Penny, Two Penny, Styx
9. Tubesnake Boogie, ZZ Top
10. Bette Davis Eyes, Kim Carnes
11. Super Freak, Rick James
12. Start Me Up, Rolling Stones
13. Just Between You And Me, April Wine
14. In The Air Tonight, Phil Collins
15. Crazy Train, Ozzy Osbourne
- R170, And to think... Lars Ulrich and Metallica were just a bar band playing hole-in-the-wall dives in 1981. They didn't release their first album until mid-1983. Who knew they'd become one of the biggest bands ever? Lol.
- R95, Scott, you listed TWO songs from Kiss' "(Music From) The Elder" album. I am impressed. Sometimes it seems like I am the only Kiss fan who likes that album. I have seen a couple of people mention 'A World Without Heroes' on here, but 'The Oath'? I'm impressed. I never thought that album was the disaster that the media made it out to be. It was different (I liked it a hell of a lot better than its predecessor, 'Unmasked', which I hated), but not bad. You've earned kudos with me, buddy. Rock on!
Roger
- Who Do You Think You're Fooling? DONNA SUMMER
General Hospi-Tale AFTERNOON DELIGHTS
Why Do Fools Fall In Love? DIANA ROSS
All American Girls SISTER SLEDGE
Too Tight CON FUNK SHUN
I'm In Love EVELYN CHAMPAGNE KING
How Bout Us CHAMPAIGN
Sukiyaki A TASTE OF HONEY
Slow Hand POINTER SISTERS
Double Dutch Bus FRANKIE SMITH
Tamika
- I hated all that heavy metal shit. HATED it. I was so glad when Nirvana came along and made all the metal bands irrelevant overnight.
- Endless Love - Diana Ross Lionel Richie, Same Old Lang Syne-Dan Fogelberg, America - Neil Diamond, Touch Me When We're Dancing - Carpenters, The One That You Love - Air Supply, Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)-Christopher Cross, Yesterday's Songs-Neil Diamond, The Old Songs-Barry Manilow
- r170 and 175 has no taste .
me.
- R175 Nirvana sparked the 'Grunge Revolution', which lasted all of two years...and died! The post-1995 nineties were wretched, filled with post-grunge shit like the Goo-Goo Dolls, Live, Bush and Counting Crows. Ugh.
- Speaking of Lars Ulrich he is so cute and Mettalica is the shit dumb-ass.
L.L.L.
- But at least metal never came back r178.
- R175 I can't imagine hating any genre of music. I loved everything back then - new wave, punk, metal, hard rock, top 40, disco, r&b, oldies, country, electronic, post-punk, ska, reggae, 40s swing, jazz, bluegrass, soft pop, classical, showtunes, opera. Variety is the spice of life. It was all good. The only music that tends to strike a negative chord with me is hip-hop. I like a song here or there, but I just can't relate to it on any level (but I don't hate it).
Rob
- Lets not forget Ozzy. The best, but I agree he doest have the hottest lips in rock n roll, that would have to go to lars ulrich. And by the way Metal Rules. you must be a pussy.
living in the truth
- R182 What about Paul Stanley? The king (or queen, lol) of the pucker-pups. He has D.S.L.'s big-time.
- Sorry no Bi for me, doesnt turn me on I also agree there should be a special place in Metals history for Lars Ulrich lips.
kitten
- Country music was REAL country music back then. Not this glossy, auto-tuned pop shit Taylor Swift, Shania Twain manufactured garbage. I preferred rock and pop back then, but I liked quite a bit of country. Today, you couldn't pay me to listen to most country.
- Country is cool screw you.
Dixie
- Country has become almost bubblegum over the last 15 years. Amazingly saccharine.
- Early '80s heavy metal was great (AC/DC, Priest, Sabbath, Maiden, Motorhead, Accept, Saxon, Krokus, Van Halen, Scorpions, Triumph, etc.). The bad metal was the girly hair band variety (Bon Jovi, Poison, Warrant, Cinderella, Winger, etc.) from the second half of the decade (1985-1989). That stuff was pure pop garbage, dressed up as rock. That's the stuff that Nirvana made irrelevant, not Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. At the time, I preferred new wave and punk, but I did like quite a bit of metal at the time.
- I'll never forget the feeling of freshness on the music scene when the New Romantic bands came in in the early '80s. Duran Duran, Ultravox, ETC. Awesome time.
- For some reason you people are forgetting about Mettalica , White Zombie , Nine inch nails, I realize these groups where not really part of the 1981 scene. But come on some one start a thread about Heavy Metal come on lets get with it, and how could anyone foget about Korn.
ROCK LOVER
- My Top Ten 1981 Jamz:
1. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
2. Working For The Weekend - Loverboy
3. Hold On Tight - E.L.O.
4. The Best Of Times - Styx
5. Don't Stand So Close To Me - The Police
6. Keep On Lovin' You - REO Speedwagon
7. Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
8. A Little In Love - Cliff Richard
9. Precious Time - Pat Benatar
10. Pull Up The The Bumper - Grace Jones
- 1. Sausalito Summernight - Diesel 2. Harden My Heart - Quarterflash 3. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks/Tom Petty 4. The Night Owls - Little River Band 5. Hold On Tight - Electric Light Orchestra 6. Physical - Olivia Newton-John 7. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes 8. I've Done Everything For You - Rick Springfield 9. Magic Power - Triumph 10. Too Much Time On My Hands - Styx
Erika
- I'll try to name some great songs that I loved that haven't been mentioned yet. I've always had very diverse musical taste, so I'll wrack my brain and see what shakes out.
Give a Little Bit More by Cliff Richard
Winning by Santana
Super Trouper by Abba
Is It You by Lee Ritenour
The Chase Is Better Than The Catch by Motorhead
Can You Feel It? by The Jacksons
This Little Girl by Gary U.S. Bonds
Hear About It Later by Van Halen
Atlanta Lady by Marty Balin
We're In This Love Together by Al Jarreau
(There's) No Gettin' Over Me by Ronnie Milsap
Murders In The Rue Morgue by Iron Maiden
Breaking Away by Balance
Keep On Runnin' by Journey
Line Of Fire (Live) by Journey
Break It Up by Foreigner
Trouble by Lindsey Buckingham
Guitar Man ('81 Remix) by Elvis Presley
Don't Stop The Music by Yarbrough & Peoples
(Ghost) Riders In The Sky by The Outlaws
Fade Away by Bruce Springsteen
Smokey Mountain Rain by Ronnie Milsap
Don't Go by Judas Priest
Hearts On Fire by Randy Meisner
It's A Love Thing by The Whispers
Ain't Even Done With The Night by John Cougar
Music Guy in Shreveport, LA.
- 10. Reach Out - CHEAP TRICK
9. We Want The Airwaves - THE RAMONES
8. My Kinda Lover - BILLY SQUIER
7. Waiting On A Friend - THE ROLLING STONES
6. Treat Me Right - PAT BENATAR
5. The Stroke - BILLY SQUIER
4. Abacab - GENESIS
3. Precious To Me - PHIL SEYMOUR
2. In The Air Tonight - PHIL COLLINS
1. Start Me Up - THE ROLLING STONES
Stu
- A Woman In Love - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The Waiting - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars - Blue Oyster Cult
Joan Crawford (Has Risen From The Grave) - Blue Oyster Cult
Games People Play - Alan Parsons Project
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty
Can't Happen Here - Rainbow
I Surrender - Rainbow
Jealous Lover - Rainbow
Robert J.'s Favorite Songs of 1981
- PLANET EARTH - Duran Duran
GIRLS ON FILM - Duran Duran
JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH - Depeche Mode
RAPTURE - Blondie
SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD - The Police
THE BREAKUP SONG - Greg Kihn Band
PISS ON THE WALL - J. Geils Band
RAGE IN THE CAGE - J. Geils Band
FLAMETHROWER - J. Geils Band
LUST TO LOVE - Go-Gos
THIS TOWN - Go-Gos
Mike
- HALLOWEEN - Souixsie & The Banshees
INTO THE LIGHT - Souixsie & The Banshees
VOODOO DOLLY - Souixsie & The Banshees
GENIUS OF LOVE - Tom Tom Club
WORDY RAPPINGHOOD - Tom Tom Club
WE GOT THE BEAT - GoGos
OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - GoGos
TRUE CONFESSIONS - Garland Jeffries
LOVER'S WALK - Elvis Costello
TEMPTED - Squeeze
MESSED AROUND - Squeeze
F-HOLE - Squeeze
Aaron Y.
- Remember the good old 1980s?
When things were so uncomplicated?
I wish I could go back there again
And everything could be the same
Another great track from the "Time" album.
ELO - "Ticket To The Moon"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXBiPY8wDT0
- Divinyls - "Boys In Town"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FMLl2oiRuo
- I never realized what a great year for music that 1981 was. Damn.
My Favorites:
1. Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones
2. Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go's
3. Private Eyes - Daryl Hall & John Oates
4. Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
5. In The Dark - Billy Squier
6. Girls On Film - Duran Duran
7. Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
8. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
9. Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
10. Ant Music - Adam And The Ants
11. Young Turks - Rod Stewart
12. Burning For You - Blue Oyster Cult
Shaun
- Wow. People actually liked that "General Hospi-tale" song? That thing was atrocious. I only heard it once back then, and I almost threw up. I went on YouTube and watched it after being reminded about it on here and...YUCK!
- Randy Newman - "One More Hour" (Jennifer Warnes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PneeuQ8Yn1k
- "Your Love" by Lime. Best song of '81. Best song ever.
Emilio
- 01. For Those About To Rock, We Salute You - AC/DC
02. Waiting On A Friend - Rolling Stones
03. Burning For You - Blue Oyster Cult
04. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
05. Killers - Iron Maiden
06. Bad Reputation - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
07. The Mob Rules - Black Sabbath
08. Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
09. Promises In The Dark - Pat Benatar
10. Veteran Of The Psychic Wars - Blue Oyster Cult
11. In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins
12. Beautiful World - Devo
13. Juke Box Hero - Foreigner
Wes
- "Piss On The Wall" by J. Geils Band
- 80s are over. They sucked. Move on elders.
- R207 Go back to your Nick Grimshaw & Co. and Justin Bieber threads and stay there. If you're not interested in a thread, don't open it. I know in the '80s music wasn't quite what it is today. After all, we didn't have Nikki Manaj, Bieber, One Erection, Hilary Duff, Hannah Montana, Nickelback and Taylor Swift. We somehow made it, though. I guess everyone over thirty should just put their head in the oven and get it over with, huh?
- Emmylou Harris - "If I Needed You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a3jr-Xn1GM
- MENERGY by Patrick Cowley
Emilio
- Steve's Favorite Albums of 1981 ---
THE ROLLING STONES / Tattoo You
STEVIE NICKS / Bella Donna
FOREIGNER / 4
THE PRETENDERS / Pretenders II
THE RAMONES / Pleasant Dreams
GO-GO's / Beauty & The Beat
JOAN ARMATRADING / Walk Under Ladders
GRACE JONES / Nightclubbing
OZZY OSBOURNE / Blizzard Of Ozz
BILLY SQUIER / Don't Say No
Steve
- You know its sad but true.
metallica Lover
