1981 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 1981 Billboard Number One Hits list sat right at the edge of the MTV era, with soft rock, R&B, country crossover, movie themes, new wave, yacht rock, and pop-rock all sharing the Hot 100 summit. John Lennon opened the year with (Just Like) Starting Over, Kim Carnes ruled the chart with Bette Davis Eyes, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie owned late summer with Endless Love, and Olivia Newton-John closed the year with Physical.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 1981, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with John Lennon’s late-1980 carryover and continues into early 1982 with Olivia Newton-John’s Physical.

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using radio airplay and sales. These are official Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs, not pop-only, rock-only, airplay-only, R&B-only, country-only, or “this was definitely on every station wagon radio” rankings.

1981 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

December 28, 1980 – January 24, 1981: (Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon
January 25 – January 31, 1981: The Tide Is High – Blondie
February 1 – February 14, 1981: Celebration – Kool & the Gang
February 15 – February 21, 1981: 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton
February 22 – March 14, 1981: I Love a Rainy Night – Eddie Rabbitt
March 15 – March 21, 1981: 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton
March 22 – March 28, 1981: Keep On Loving You – REO Speedwagon
March 29 – April 18, 1981: Rapture – Blondie
April 19 – May 2, 1981: Kiss on My List – Daryl Hall and John Oates
May 3 – May 9, 1981: Morning Train (Nine to Five) – Sheena Easton
May 10 – June 13, 1981: Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
June 14 – June 20, 1981: Stars on 45 Medley – Stars on 45
June 21 – July 18, 1981: Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
July 19 – July 25, 1981: The One That You Love – Air Supply
July 26 – August 8, 1981: Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
August 9 – October 10, 1981: Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
October 11 – October 31, 1981: Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) – Christopher Cross
November 1 – November 14, 1981: Private Eyes – Daryl Hall and John Oates
November 15, 1981 – January 23, 1982: Physical – Olivia Newton-John

Song-by-Song Notes on the 1981 Billboard No. 1 Hits

(Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon

John Lennon opened the 1981 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with (Just Like) Starting Over, a late-1980 carryover from Double Fantasy. The song had already been rising before Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980, and its No. 1 run became deeply connected to public mourning and renewed attention to his final recordings.

The song’s 1950s-inspired feel and hopeful message gave it an especially bittersweet place in chart history. It sounded like a fresh beginning, which made its timing painfully ironic.

The Tide Is High – Blondie

Blondie reached No. 1 with The Tide Is High, a reggae-influenced cover of a song originally recorded by The Paragons. The single showed the band’s ability to move across styles while keeping a pop-friendly identity.

Its one-week run made it Blondie’s third Hot 100 No. 1, following Heart of Glass and Call Me. New wave, disco, rock, reggae — Blondie treated genre like a revolving door.

Celebration – Kool & the Gang

Kool & the Gang spent two weeks at No. 1 with Celebration, one of the most enduring party songs of the early 1980s. The song’s bright chorus and universal message helped it become a staple at weddings, graduations, sports events, and anywhere someone needed instant confetti energy.

Its Hot 100 run was only part of the story. Celebration became a permanent event-song, which is basically chart immortality with balloons.

9 to 5 – Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton reached No. 1 with 9 to 5, the theme from the film of the same name. The song topped the Hot 100 in two separate one-week runs, interrupted by Eddie Rabbitt’s I Love a Rainy Night.

Its typewriter-like rhythm, workplace frustration, and country-pop crossover appeal made it one of Parton’s signature songs. It also became one of the rare songs to top the pop, country, and adult-contemporary charts.

I Love a Rainy Night – Eddie Rabbitt

Eddie Rabbitt spent three weeks at No. 1 with I Love a Rainy Night, a country-pop crossover built on a bright, upbeat groove. The song had enough country flavor for Rabbitt’s core audience and enough pop shine to reach the all-genre chart.

Its run interrupted Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, making early 1981 a major moment for country-crossover singles on the Hot 100.

Keep On Loving You – REO Speedwagon

REO Speedwagon earned its first Hot 100 No. 1 with Keep On Loving You. The song helped define the early-1980s power ballad: rock-band credibility wrapped around a huge romantic chorus.

Its one-week run launched the band’s Hi Infidelity era into full pop-radio success. The guitars had feelings, and they were not afraid to use them.

Rapture – Blondie

Blondie returned to No. 1 with Rapture, a song famous for bringing rap-influenced vocals to the top of the Hot 100. Debbie Harry’s rap section name-checked hip-hop figures and helped expose many mainstream pop listeners to a still-emerging culture.

It was the first Hot 100 No. 1 song to feature rap-style vocals, though it was not a rap single in the later genre sense. Either way, it was a major early pop-chart bridge to hip-hop.

Kiss on My List – Daryl Hall and John Oates

Daryl Hall and John Oates spent two weeks at No. 1 with Kiss on My List, a sleek pop-soul single from Voices. The song continued the duo’s early-1980s transition into one of the decade’s most reliable hitmaking acts.

Its smooth groove and memorable chorus made it a perfect bridge between blue-eyed soul and polished 1980s pop.

Morning Train (Nine to Five) – Sheena Easton

Sheena Easton reached No. 1 with Morning Train (Nine to Five), a bright pop single originally titled 9 to 5 in some markets before being retitled in the U.S. to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton’s hit.

Its one-week run gave Easton her first American chart-topper. 1981 had room for two “nine to five” hits, which is either efficient scheduling or pop-chart overtime.

Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes

Kim Carnes dominated 1981 with Bette Davis Eyes, which spent nine nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. Originally written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, the song became a smoky, synth-edged pop classic in Carnes’ raspy version.

It was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1981 and later won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The title also gave old Hollywood icon Bette Davis a fresh pop-culture glow in the MTV-adjacent era.

Stars on 45 Medley – Stars on 45

Stars on 45 interrupted Bette Davis Eyes for one week with a medley built around soundalike snippets of famous pop and rock songs, including Beatles-style segments. Its success reflected the early-1980s novelty-medley craze.

The single’s full title is famously long, but most listeners remember it simply as Stars on 45. It was a mashup before mashups had better software and shorter paperwork.

The One That You Love – Air Supply

Air Supply reached No. 1 with The One That You Love, a soft-rock ballad that fit perfectly into early-1980s adult-pop radio. The Australian duo had already built strong momentum with romantic hits, and this became their only Hot 100 chart-topper.

Its one-week run gave Air Supply a brief stay at the summit, though their real strength was steady ballad presence across several years.

Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield spent two weeks at No. 1 with Jessie’s Girl, a sharp pop-rock song about jealousy, longing, and wanting what your friend has. Springfield’s visibility on General Hospital helped amplify his pop-star breakout.

The song later won a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. The hook was catchy enough to make romantic envy sound like a guitar lesson.

Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie

Diana Ross and Lionel Richie spent nine weeks at No. 1 with Endless Love, the title song from the film of the same name. The duet became one of the most successful romantic ballads in Hot 100 history.

Its nine-week run tied Bette Davis Eyes for the longest No. 1 stay connected to 1981. It also helped set up Lionel Richie’s solo superstardom in the years that followed.

Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) – Christopher Cross

Christopher Cross spent three weeks at No. 1 with Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do), from the film Arthur. The song was co-written by Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen, and it later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The famous “caught between the moon and New York City” line came from Peter Allen. Not a bad lyric to have floating around when a movie needs a theme.

Private Eyes – Daryl Hall and John Oates

Daryl Hall and John Oates returned to No. 1 with Private Eyes, another polished pop-soul hit. The song’s handclap hook and detective-themed lyric helped make it one of the duo’s signature early-1980s singles.

Its two-week run made Hall and Oates one of the year’s few acts with multiple No. 1 songs. They were watching the chart, and apparently the chart was watching back.

Physical – Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John closed the 1981 Billboard Hot 100 year with Physical, which carried deep into January 1982. The song’s fitness-themed video and suggestive lyric made it one of the early 1980s’ biggest pop-culture hits.

It spent 10 total weeks at No. 1 and became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1982. In chart terms, it did not just work out; it trained for endurance.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 1981

Bette Davis Eyes Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1

Kim Carnes’ Bette Davis Eyes spent nine nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1981. It was the year’s defining chart hit and one of the most recognizable pop recordings of the early 1980s.

Endless Love Matched the Longest No. 1 Run

Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s Endless Love also spent nine weeks at No. 1. Its long run made it one of the most successful duets in Hot 100 history and helped launch Richie toward his solo career.

Country Crossover Had a Major Moment

Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 and Eddie Rabbitt’s I Love a Rainy Night both reached No. 1 early in the year. Their success showed how strongly country-pop crossover could perform on the all-genre chart.

Blondie Made Pop-Rap History

Rapture became the first Hot 100 No. 1 song to include rap-style vocals. Blondie’s connection to downtown New York music culture helped make the song an early bridge between mainstream pop and hip-hop.

Movie Themes Were Becoming More Important

9 to 5, Endless Love, and Arthur’s Theme all had major film connections. Movie music would become even more dominant on the Hot 100 as the 1980s continued.

1981 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1981.
Bette Davis Eyes and Endless Love each spent nine weeks at No. 1.
Stars on 45 Medley interrupted Bette Davis Eyes for one week before Kim Carnes returned to No. 1.
Rapture by Blondie was the first Hot 100 No. 1 song to feature rap-style vocals.
9 to 5 by Dolly Parton topped the pop, country, and adult-contemporary charts.
Morning Train (Nine to Five) was retitled in the U.S. to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.
Jessie’s Girl gave Rick Springfield his only Hot 100 No. 1.
Arthur’s Theme later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Physical closed 1981 and became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1982.

Why the 1981 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 1981 Billboard Number One Hits list shows the Hot 100 just before MTV fully reshaped pop music. Video-friendly artists were already rising, but radio, film, country crossover, soft rock, R&B, and pop-rock still shared the top in a very early-1980s way.

The year also included several important bridge moments: Blondie’s rap-influenced Rapture, Kim Carnes’ synth-edged Bette Davis Eyes, Hall and Oates’ polished pop-soul, and Olivia Newton-John’s image-driven Physical. The sound of the decade was starting to sharpen.

For chart fans, 1981 was a year of dramatic ballads, movie themes, country crossovers, party anthems, and one very raspy tribute to old Hollywood eyes. The 1980s were still warming up, but the shape of the decade was already visible.