Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth. In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.
We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1981, the year I moved from first to second grade and turned 7. This year, we start to see songs that I remember from their original release, though, in this case, it is due to movies and television. Only twelve of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with nine of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.
#94: Devo – Whip It
iTunes stats: 22 plays
The new wave classic spent 25 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #14 in November of 1980.
#76: Billy Squier – The Stroke
iTunes stats: 13 plays
Squier’s first and only single to hit the pop charts, it topped out at #17.
#71: The Police – Don’t Stand So Close to Me
iTunes stats: 11 plays
Reaching #10 on the charts, the song took home the 1982 Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
#65: Queen – Another One Bites the Dust
iTunes stats: N/A
At 31 weeks, it was the longest charting song of 1980, spending fifteen weeks in the top ten, thirteen weeks in the top five, and three weeks at #1.
#62: Neil Diamond – America
iTunes stats: 16 plays
Featured on the soundtrack to Diamond’s film The Jazz Singer. the song reached #8 on the Hot 100 and was Diamond’s sixth chart-topper on the Adult Contemporary chart.
#46: Pat Benatar – Hit Me with Your Best Shot
iTunes stats: N/A
Peaking at #9, the song, which Benatar no longer plays to protest school shootings in the US, was her first Top 10 hit in the US.
#25: Juice Newton – Angel of the Morning
iTunes stats: 14 plays
Written by Angelina Jolie’s uncle in 1967, the track, which earned Newton a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance, Female, reached #4 on the Hot 100.
#11: Joey Scarbury – Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)
iTunes stats: 28 plays
Quite possibly the first single I even owned, the song spent a total of 18 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #2 in mid-August.
#9: Dolly Parton – 9 To 5
iTunes stats: 12 plays
The theme song from the movie of the same name, the tune was released as a single in November of 1980 and reached the top of the charts in January.
#6: Kool & the Gang – Celebration
iTunes stats: 16 plays
A wedding reception staple for the last 40 years or so, it was the band’s first and only single to reach #1 on the Hot 100.
#5: Rick Springfield – Jessie’s Girl
iTunes stats: 19 plays
In one of the slowest climbs to the top of the charts, the song spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100 before reaching #1.
#1: Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes
iTunes stats: N/A
Originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1974, this cover by Carnes spent nine non-consecutive weeks atop the charts on its way to winning 1981 Grammys for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
