Year chart 1981
The year chart 1981 ranks the records in the Charts of that year on points across all 52 weekly charts: each week counts 41 minus the position, so 40 points for number 1 and 1 point for number 40. At the top: How 'Bout Us by Champaign, 598 points from 19 weeks.
All weeks, number ones and new entries of 1981 Decade chart 1980s
Year chart 1981: the 50 highest-scoring records
- 01How 'Bout Us
- 02Why Tell Me WhyAnita Meyer · 473 points · 14 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 35
- 03Every Little Thing She Does Is MagicThe Police · 436 points · 14 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 39
- 04Stars On 45Stars On 45 · 436 points · 13 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 4
- 05PretendAlvin Stardust · 385 points · 12 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 41
- 06One Day In Your LifeMichael Jackson · 375 points · 12 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 28
- 07Shine Up
- 08Vienna
- 09Making Your Mind UpBucks Fizz · 367 points · 12 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 16
- 10Dance on
- 11In The Air TonightPhil Collins · 349 points · 12 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 8
- 12Can You Feel ItThe Jacksons · 349 points · 13 weeks · peak position 2 · from week 13
- 13I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)Grace Jones · 349 points · 12 weeks · peak position 2 · from week 21
- 14For Your Eyes OnlySheena Easton · 345 points · 11 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 33
- 15Don't Stop The MusicYarbrough & Peoples · 345 points · 12 weeks · peak position 2 · from week 9
- 16Angel Of MineFrank Duval · 341 points · 11 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 13
- 17This Ole HouseShakin' Stevens · 337 points · 13 weeks · peak position 5 · from week 16
- 18De Verzonken StadFrank & Mirella · 333 points · 13 weeks · peak position 4 · from week 17
- 19'N Beetje VerliefdAndre Hazes · 327 points · 13 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 37
- 20Without Your LoveRoger Daltrey · 322 points · 11 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 12
- 21Amoureux solitaires
- 22PhysicalOlivia Newton-John · 321 points · 11 weeks · peak position 4 · from week 42
- 23Medley: The Caribbean Disco Show
- 24Super FreakRick James · 316 points · 11 weeks · peak position 2 · from week 40
- 25The Old Calahan
- 26Lola
- 27Chanson d'amour
- 28De Nederlandse Sterre Die Stralle OveralRubberen Robbie · 310 points · 10 weeks · peak position 1 · from week 31
- 29Kids In America
- 30I'm So Glad That I'm a WomanLove Unlimited · 301 points · 10 weeks · peak position 2 · from week 37
- 31Funkin' for JamaicaTom Browne · 300 points · 10 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 1
- 32Wordy RappinghoodTom Tom Club · 296 points · 10 weeks · peak position 2 · from week 31
- 33Embarrassment
- 34If You Could Read My MindViola Wills · 294 points · 10 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 3
- 35R. R. ExpressRose Royce · 293 points · 10 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 43
- 36One Night Affair
- 37Chequered Love
- 38Rio
- 39Hands Up
- 40Rain In MayMax Werner · 288 points · 11 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 19
- 41CelebrationKool & The Gang · 282 points · 9 weeks · peak position 2 · from week 1
- 42Hold On TightElectric Light Orchestra · 282 points · 10 weeks · peak position 5 · from week 31
- 43Only CryingKeith Marshall · 277 points · 11 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 23
- 44It's a Love ThingThe Whispers · 271 points · 10 weeks · peak position 5 · from week 9
- 45Klap Maar In Je HandenPeter Koelewijn · 265 points · 10 weeks · peak position 4 · from week 22
- 46Runaway BoysStray Cats · 264 points · 8 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 1
- 47Going Back to My Roots
- 48Endless LoveDiana Ross, Lionel Richie · 261 points · 10 weeks · peak position 4 · from week 36
- 49Ma quale ideaPino D'Angiò · 260 points · 9 weeks · peak position 3 · from week 23
- 50More Stars (U.S.A. Version)Stars On 45 · 256 points · 9 weeks · peak position 4 · from week 29
Source: the Dutch Top 40 (top40.nl). guiljam is not affiliated with the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40; Top 40 is a trademark of the Stichting. The charts are the source for guiljam’s artist and track pages.
More on guiljam
Related pages: an album, an artist, a week in the Charts or a concert.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers about the year chart 1981.
Which record tops the year chart 1981?
How 'Bout Us by Champaign, with 598 points from 19 weeks in the chart (peak position 1). The top 5: 1. How 'Bout Us (Champaign), 2. Why Tell Me Why (Anita Meyer), 3. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police), 4. Stars On 45 (Stars On 45), 5. Pretend (Alvin Stardust).
Which artist has the most records in the 1981 year chart?
BZN, with 2 records in the top 50 of 1981. Then Doris D. (2), Kim Wilde (2). A collaboration counts for every artist named.
How is the 1981 year chart calculated?
Every weekly entry in 1981 earns points: 41 minus the position, so 40 points for a number 1 and 1 point for number 40. The sum of those points sets the order; on a tie the peak position counts, then the number of weeks, then the earliest week. Only the weeks of 1981 count, also for a record that entered the year before or stayed on into the next year.
Is the number 1 of the year chart also the record that spent longest at number 1?
Not necessarily. The year chart counts every week in the chart, including the weeks lower down; a record that stayed high for a long time can therefore end above a shorter-lived number 1. The number ones of 1981, the longest-charting records and the highest new entries are on the 1981 year page.
How many weeks does the 1981 year chart cover?
52 weekly charts, with 325 different records between them, 17 of which reached number 1. Every week can be viewed separately from the year page.