These are the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits of 1981. The longest running number-one single of 1981 is "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John which stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks in 1981 and then for four additional weeks in 1982, with a total of 10 weeks at number-one. This also makes "Physical" the longest running number-one single of the 1980s.
That year, 10 acts hit number one for the first time, such as Kool & the Gang, Dolly Parton, Eddie Rabbitt, REO Speedwagon, Sheena Easton, Kim Carnes, Stars on 45, Air Supply, and Rick Springfield. Lionel Richie, already having hit number one with The Commodores, also receives his first number one song as a solo act. Blondie and Daryl Hall and John Oates were the only acts to hit number one more than once, with both acts hitting twice.
Chart history
thumb|"[[9 to 5 (Dolly Parton song)|9 to 5" by Dolly Parton reached the top spot for two non-consecutive weeks on February 21 and March 14, 1981, sandwiched with two weeks of "I Love a Rainy Night" by Eddie Rabbitt. Sheena Easton's No. 1 hit "9 to 5" was retitled "Morning Train" to avoid confusion.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
|+Key
|style="background-color:#FFFF99"|The yellow background indicates the No. 1 song on Billboards 1981 Year-End Chart of Pop Singles.
|}
An asterisk (*) by a date indicates an unpublished, "frozen" week, due to the special double issues that Billboard published in print at the end of the year for their year-end charts.
{| class="wikitable"
! width=31|
!Issue date
!Song
!Artist(s)
!
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=4|495
|January 3*
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"(Just Like) Starting Over"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|John Lennon
|align="center"|
|-
|January 10
|align="center"|
|-
|January 17
|align="center"|
|-
|January 24
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0|496
|January 31
|align="center"|"The Tide Is High"
|align="center"|Blondie
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=2|497
|February 7
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Celebration"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Kool & the Gang
|align="center"|
|-
|February 14
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0|498
|February 21
|align="center"|"9 to 5"
|align="center"|Dolly Parton
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=2|499
|February 28
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"I Love a Rainy Night"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Eddie Rabbitt
|align="center"|
|-
|March 7
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0|re
|March 14
|align="center"|"9 to 5"
|align="center"|Dolly Parton
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0|500
|March 21
|align="center"|"Keep On Loving You"
|align="center"|REO Speedwagon
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=2|501
|March 28
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Rapture"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Blondie
|align="center"|
|-
|April 4
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=3|502
|April 11
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Kiss on My List"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|Daryl Hall and John Oates
|align="center"|
|-
|April 18
|align="center"|
|-
|April 25
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=2|503
|May 2
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Morning Train (Nine to Five)"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Sheena Easton
|align="center"|
|-
|May 9
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=5|504
|May 16
|bgcolor=#FFFF99 align="center" rowspan="5"|"Bette Davis Eyes"
|align="center" rowspan="5"|Kim Carnes
|align="center"|
|-
|May 23
|align="center"|
|-
|May 30
|align="center"|
|-
|June 6
|align="center"|
|-
|June 13
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0|505
|June 20
|align="center"|"Medley: Intro 'Venus'/Sugar, Sugar/No Reply/I'll Be Back/Drive My Car/Do You Want to Know a Secret/We Can Work It Out/I Should Have Known Better/Nowhere Man/You're Going to Lose That Girl/Stars on 45"
|align="center"|Stars on 45
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=4|re
|June 27
|bgcolor=#FFFF99 align="center" rowspan="4"|"Bette Davis Eyes"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|Kim Carnes
|align="center"|
|-
|July 4
|align="center"|
|-
|July 11
|align="center"|
|-
|July 18
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0|506
|July 25
|align="center"|"The One That You Love"
|align="center"|Air Supply
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=2|507
|August 1
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Jessie's Girl"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Rick Springfield
|align="center"|
|-
|August 8
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=9|508
|August 15
|align="center" rowspan="9"|"Endless Love"
|align="center" rowspan="9"|Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
|align="center"|
|-
|August 22
|align="center"|
|-
|August 29
|align="center"|
|-
|September 5
|align="center"|
|-
|September 12
|align="center"|
|-
|September 19
|align="center"|
|-
|September 26
|align="center"|
|-
|October 3
|align="center"|
|-
|October 10
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=3|509
|October 17
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|Christopher Cross
|align="center"|
|-
|October 24
|align="center"|
|-
|October 31
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=2|510
|November 7
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"Private Eyes"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Daryl Hall and John Oates
|align="center"|
|-
|November 14
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor=EDEAE0 rowspan=6|511
|November 21
|align="center" rowspan="6"|"Physical"
|align="center" rowspan="6"|Olivia Newton-John
|align="center"|
|-
|November 28
|align="center"|
|-
|December 5
|align="center"|
|-
|December 12
|align="center"|
|-
|December 19
|align="center"|
|-
|December 26
|align="center"|
|}
Number-one artists
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of number-one artists by total weeks at number one
! Position
! Artist
! Weeks at No. 1
|-
| rowspan=3| 1
| Kim Carnes
| rowspan=3| 9
|-
| Diana Ross
|-
| Lionel Richie
|-
| 4
| Olivia Newton-John
| 6
|-
| 5
| Daryl Hall and John Oates
| 5
|-
| 6
| John Lennon
| 4
|-
| rowspan=2| 7
| Blondie
| rowspan=2| 3
|-
| Christopher Cross
|-
| rowspan=5| 9
| Kool & the Gang
| rowspan=5| 2
|-
| Eddie Rabbitt
|-
| Dolly Parton
|-
| Sheena Easton
|-
| Rick Springfield
|-
| rowspan=3| 14
| REO Speedwagon
| rowspan=3| 1
|-
| Stars on 45
|-
| Air Supply
|}
See also
- 1981 in music
- Cashbox Top 100 number-one singles of 1981
- List of Billboard number-one singles
- List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1981
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of the 1980s
References
Sources
- Fred Bronson's Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, 5th Edition ()
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2008, 12 Edition ()
- Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Eighties ()
- Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.