1981 in music
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List of albums released

List of years in music

(table)

In radio: 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984

In television: 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984

In film: 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984

+...

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in 1981.

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

January–April

January – Nearly a year after the suicide of Ian Curtis, the surviving members of Joy Division plus Gillian Gilbert, now under the name New Order, release their debut single "Ceremony"; the single and its B-side, "In a Lonely Place", are both re-recordings of songs originally written and performed by Curtis.^[1] The single's release marks the band's first public use of the "New Order" moniker, which they would retain for the remainder of their career.
10 January – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.
11 January – Country singer Hank Williams Jr. releases his 32nd album, Rowdy. It is certified Gold by the RIAA.
18 January – Wendy O. Williams of The Plasmatics is arrested in Milwaukee for simulating masturbation with a sledgehammer on stage. In a scuffle with the police Williams is pinned to the floor and receives a cut above the eye requiring twelve stitches.^[2]
24 January – Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler is injured in a motorcycle crash that leaves him hospitalized for two months.
9 February – Phil Collins releases his first solo album, Face Value, whose opening track "In the Air Tonight" popularizes the gated reverb drum sound that would become ubiquitous for the next ten years; while the album would end up a smash success, Collins would remain a member of Genesis until 1995.
12 February – Rush release the highly regarded album Moving Pictures which eventually becomes the band's sixth platinum album.
14 February
- Ultravox reach number 2 on the UK Singles Chart with "Vienna", but despite huge radio play and massive sales it is subsequently held off the top position for two consecutive weeks by Joe Dolce's novelty song "Shaddup You Face".^[3]^[4]
- Billy Idol leaves the band Generation X to begin a solo career.
25 February – The 23rd Annual Grammy Awards are presented in New York, hosted by Paul Simon. Christopher Cross, with his self-titled debut album and its single "Sailing", becomes the first artist to win all four General Field awards in a single ceremony, controversially beating Pink Floyd's The Wall for Album of the Year.
14 March – Suffering from bleeding ulcers, Eric Clapton is admitted to United Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. Clapton's 60-city tour of the US is cancelled, and he remains in hospital for a month.
21 March – Yellow Magic Orchestra release their fourth studio album, BGM; the album is the first to make use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which would go on to become an influential device in both electronic dance music and hip hop music.^[5]
27 March – Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a dove at a CBS record label gathering in Los Angeles.^[6]
1 April – The Go-Go's sign to IRS Records.
4 April – British pop group Bucks Fizz wins the 26th Eurovision Song Contest, held at the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion, Dublin, with the song "Making Your Mind Up".
11 April – Van Halen's lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen marries actress Valerie Bertinelli.
12 April – Soviet orchestral conductor Maxim Shostakovich (son of Dmitri) defects while on tour in West Germany with his son.^[7]
18 April – Yes announce that they are breaking up. (They would reunite frequently in years to come).
20 April – The Mamas & the Papas' John Phillips is sentenced to five years in jail after pleading guilty to drug possession charges. Phillips' sentence would be suspended after thirty days in exchange for 250 hours of community service.
22 April – Eric Clapton is taken to the hospital suffering from bruised ribs and a lacerated shin, following a car accident in Seattle, Washington.
26 April/27 April/28 April – Gary Numan performs three sold out 'farewell concerts' at Wembley Arena, following his announcement to retire from live work at the height of his popularity. (He would return to live performance less than two years later.)^[8]
27 April – Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach marry, in London, England.

May–August

2 May – British vocalist Sheena Easton hits No. 1 in the US with "Morning Train (9 to 5)" following a swift rise to fame as the result of a reality TV show.
9 May – Adam and the Ants single "Stand and Deliver" enters the UK Singles Chart at number 1.^[9] It remains at number 1 for five consecutive weeks and will sell over one million copies,^[10] becoming the years third best selling single in the UK.^[11]
14 May – Diana Ross signs with RCA Records (EMI internationally), leaving Motown Records, her label of two decades. The $20,000,000 deal is the most lucrative recording contract in history at that time.
15 May – A riot breaks out at The Ritz rock club in New York when Public Image Ltd plays behind a videoscreen while completely different music plays over the club's speakers.
16 May – Adam and the Ants tops the UK Albums Chart for the tenth consecutive week with Kings of the Wild Frontier.^[9]
30 May – A reformed The Human League have their first commercial success as "The Sound of the Crowd" climbs to number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.^[12]
4 June – U2 appears on The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder, their first U.S. television appearance.
5 June – The TV series Night Flight, a variety show featuring music documentaries and videos, is premiered on the USA Network.
6 June – Kerrang! magazine publishes its first issue. Angus Young of AC/DC is on the cover.
30 June – Jerry Lee Lewis is rushed to hospital in Memphis for emergency surgery for a tear in his stomach. Despite being given less than a 50% chance of survival, he eventually pulls through.
13 July – Duran Duran release the single "Girls on Film". Accompanied by a highly controversial music video that is censored for airplay on MTV and banned by BBC^[13] the song becomes the band's first big hit, eventually peaking at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart during an 11-week chart run.^[14]
27 July – Stevie Nicks releases debut solo album Bella Donna, which sold 4 million copies in the US alone.
1 August
- MTV broadcasts for the first time on cable television in the United States, playing music videos 24 hours a day. First to air is "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
- The success of Stars On 45 leads to a short-lived medley craze. The most successful imitator of the Stars On 45 format is, rather unexpectedly, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, whose "Hooked On Classics (Parts 1&2)" reaches number two in the charts.
15 August - Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie recorded the song for Motown, and it was used as the theme for the Franco Zeffirelli's film adaptation of Scott Spencer's novel Endless Love. (Jamie Bernstein, as the character Susan, sings the song during the course of the movie.) Produced by Richie and arranged by Gene Page, it was released as a single from the film's soundtrack in 1981.
23 August – The Violent Femmes are discovered by members of The Pretenders busking outside a Milwaukee venue and are invited to play a 10-minute acoustic set as a second opening act in the Pretenders' show that night.

September–December

5 September – Soft Cell tops the UK Singles Chart with "Tainted Love". The song also tops the chart the following week and becomes the second best selling single in the UK in 1981.^[11]
11 September – Iron Maiden fires lead singer Paul Di'Anno.
19 September
- Simon & Garfunkel perform a free reunion concert in New York City's Central Park attended by over 500,000 fans.
- Adam and the Ants have their second chart-topping single of the year as "Prince Charming" reach number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It remains at number one for four consecutive weeks and becomes the years fourth best selling single in the UK.^[11]
25 September – The Rolling Stones open their US tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
26 September – Iron Maiden hires Samson lead singer Bruce Bruce AKA Bruce Dickinson to replace Paul Di'Anno. Dickinson will finish off the last 7 dates of the Killer World Tour.
16 October – The Human League release Dare. A huge commercial and critical success, it would spend 69 weeks on the UK Albums Chart including four weeks at number 1^[15] and be certified platinum in the UK,^[16] and gold in the US.^[17]
26 October – Iron Maiden plays its first show with Bruce Dickinson as the new lead singer in Bologna, Italy.
27 October – The British Phonographic Industry takes out newspaper ads unveiling its new slogan: "Home Taping Is Killing Music". The ads advocate a levy on blank cassette tapes.^[18]
31 October – Punk band Fear makes a memorable appearance on Saturday Night Live. A group of fans storm the stage and damage TV equipment while moshing, resulting in the show cutting to commercial.
18 November – While sitting in Tom's Restaurant in New York City, Suzanne Vega composes the song "Tom's Diner".
21 November – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark hits number 3 on the UK Albums Chart with their third album Architecture & Morality. Including three UK top-5 singles, "Souvenir", "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans", it will remain on the chart for 37 weeks^[19] and be certified platinum in the UK.^[20]
11 December – The Human League reach number one on the UK Singles Chart with Don't You Want Me. The song remains at number one for five consecutive weeks and become the years best selling single in the UK.^[11]
18 December – An estimated 35 million people around the world watch a live satellite transmission of a Rod Stewart concert at the Los Angeles Forum. It is the first broadcast of its kind since Elvis Presley's "Aloha from Hawaii" special in 1973.
31 December – The tenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Four Tops, Rick Springfield, Barry Manilow, Alabama and Rick James.

Also in 1981

The organ at the famous Heinävesi Church in Finland is renewed, using locks from the original organ.
Alice Cooper drastically changes his appearance, leaving behind his trademark make-up and donning a military uniform.
Synthpop enjoys mainstream popularity in the UK, with groups such as Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and The Human League releasing hit singles and albums. The Human League's "Don't You Want Me" and Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" become the years best selling singles in the UK.^[21]
Menudo's golden era (1981–1985) begins in Latin America, parts of Europe and Asia.
Brad Whitford leaves Aerosmith and is replaced by Rick Dufay.
Hal Willner "invents" the modern tribute album with Amacord Nino Rota.

Bands formed

See Musical groups established in 1981

Bands disbanded

Amon Düül II
Bay City Rollers
The Buzzcocks (they reform in 1989)
City Boy
Cluster (they reform in 1989)
Generation X
Klaatu
The Knack (reformed in 1991, onwards)
Luv' (they reform in 1989, 1993 and 2005)
MFSB
Raydio
Rockpile
Sam & Dave
The Slits
Starland Vocal Band
State of Alert
Steely Dan (They reform in 1993)
Throbbing Gristle
Toots & the Maytals (they reform in the early 90s)
Paul McCartney & Wings

Albums released

January

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
12	The Nature of the Beast	April Wine	^[22]
15	In Our Lifetime	Marvin Gaye	-
16	Paradise Theatre	Styx	^[23]
19	Take My Time	Sheena Easton	^[24]
23	Kiss Me Deadly	Generation X	-
23	Trust	Elvis Costello and the Attractions	-
28	Healing	Todd Rundgren	-
28	Welcome to the Wrecking Ball!	Grace Slick	-
?	...And Don't the Kids Just Love It	Television Personalities	-
	Evangeline	Emmylou Harris	-
	Frost and Fire	Cirith Ungol	-
	Radioland	Nicolette Larson	-
	Stands for Decibels	The dB's	-
	There Must Be a Better World Somewhere	B. B. King	-
	To the Bone	Kris Kristofferson	-
	Turn Back	Toto	-
	The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent	UFO	-

February

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
9	Difficult to Cure	Rainbow	^[25]
12	Moving Pictures	Rush	-
13	Face Value	Phil Collins	solo debut
	St. Valentine's Day Massacre	Motör Headgirl School	EP
	Fire Down Under	Riot	-
16	Killers	Iron Maiden	^[26]
17	Another Ticket	Eric Clapton	-
	Being with You	Smokey Robinson	-
	To Love Again	Diana Ross	Compilation
27	Point of Entry	Judas Priest	-
?	Working Class Dog	Rick Springfield	-
	Another One Rides the Bus	"Weird Al" Yankovic	EP
	Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks	Hanoi Rocks	-
	Captured	Journey	Live
	Atomkraft? Nein, Danke!	Earthstar	-
	Coconut Telegraph	Jimmy Buffett	-
	Feels So Right	Alabama	-
	The Fool Circle	Nazareth	-
	From the Tea-rooms of Mars ....	Landscape	-
	Higher Plane	Al Green	-
	Juice	Juice Newton	-
	Mondo Bongo	The Boomtown Rats	-
	My Life in the Bush of Ghosts	Brian Eno – David Byrne	-
	Seven Year Ache	Rosanne Cash	-
	Stray Cats	Stray Cats	-
	The League of Gentlemen	Robert Fripp and The League of Gentlemen	-
	Wild-Eyed Southern Boys	38 Special	-

March

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	Intensities in 10 Cities	Ted Nugent	Live^[27]
6	Journeys to Glory	Spandau Ballet	-
10	There Goes the Neighborhood	Joe Walsh	-
13	Never Too Late	Status Quo	-
13	We'll Bring the House Down	Slade	-
16	Breaker	Accept	-
16	Face Dances	The Who	-
20	Time Tells No Lies	Praying Mantis	-
26	Fancy Free	The Oak Ridge Boys	-
26	The Dude	Quincy Jones	-
27	Carl Wilson	Carl Wilson	-
30	Extended Play	The Pretenders	EP
31	Music for Stowaways	British Electric Foundation	-
?	Chariots of Fire	Vangelis	Soundtrack
	Dad Loves His Work	James Taylor	-
	Directions	Miles Davis	-
	Sucking in the Seventies	The Rolling Stones	Compilation
	Franke & The Knockouts	Franke & The Knockouts	-
	Grand Slam	The Isley Brothers	-
	Hardware	Krokus	-
	Honi Soit	John Cale	-
	Long Play Album aka Stars on Long Play	Stars on 45	-
	Magnets	The Vapors	-
	Nightwalker	Gino Vannelli	-
	No Fun After Midnight	A II Z	EP
	Party 'Til You're Broke	Rufus	-
	Rock Away	Phoebe Snow	-
	Short Note	Matt Finish	-
	Solid Gold	Gang of Four	-
	Somewhere Over the Rainbow	Willie Nelson	-
	Waiata	Split Enz	-
	A Woman Needs Love	Ray Parker Jr.	-
	White Lace & Black Leather	Helix	-

April

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Reckoning	Grateful Dead	Live
1	Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie	Flo & Eddie	-
2	Modern Times	Jefferson Starship	-
6	Come an' Get It	Whitesnake	-
	The DeBarges	DeBarge	-
	Fun in Space	Roger Taylor	-
	Prayers on Fire	The Birthday Party	-
7	Street Songs	Rick James	-
10	Faith	The Cure	-
	The Flowers of Romance	Public Image Ltd.	-
	Spellbound	Tygers of Pan Tang	^[28]
13	Don't Say No	Billy Squier	-
13	Of Skins and Heart	The Church	-
15	What Cha' Gonna Do for Me	Chaka Khan	-
17	Future Shock	Gillan	^[29]
17	Go for It	Stiff Little Fingers	-
20	Hit and Run	Girlschool	-
20	Twangin...	Dave Edmunds	-
27	Slates	The Fall	EP
29	Fair Warning	Van Halen	-
?	Bad for Good	Jim Steinman	-
	The Completion Backward Principle	The Tubes	-
	Dedication	Gary U.S. Bonds	-
	El Rayo-X	David Lindley	-
	The Electric Spanking of War Babies	Funkadelic	-
	Goddo Live: Best Seat in the House	Goddo	Live
	Mistaken Identity	Kim Carnes	-
	The Nightcomers	Holocaust	-
	Punks Not Dead	The Exploited	-
	Where Do You Go When You Dream	Anne Murray	-
	Zebop!	Santana	-

May

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports	Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports	^[30]
5	Hard Promises	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers	-
11	Computer World	Kraftwerk	-
	Balin	Marty Balin	-
	Nightclubbing	Grace Jones	-
	Shut Up 'n' Play Yer Guitar	Frank Zappa	Live
14	Breaking All the Rules	Peter Frampton	-
14	It Must Be Magic	Teena Marie	-
15	East Side Story	Squeeze	-
	Long Distance Voyager	The Moody Blues	-
	Shock Tactics	Samson	-
	Talk Talk Talk	The Psychedelic Furs	^[31]
18	Knights of the Sound Table	Cameo	-
20	The Fox	Elton John	-
22	Anthem	Toyah	-
25	Hard 'n' Heavy	Anvil	-
29	In Concert	Amy Grant	Live
29	Present Arms	UB40	-
?	Heaven Up Here	Echo & the Bunnymen	-
	Tinsel Town Rebellion	Frank Zappa	-
	As Falls Wichita, so Falls Wichita Falls	Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays	-
	Beyond the Valley of 1984	The Plasmatics	-
	Dedicated to Peter Kürten	Whitehouse	-
	Look Out!	20/20	-
	Magnetic Fields	Jean-Michel Jarre	-
	Mecca for Moderns	The Manhattan Transfer	-
	Positive Touch	The Undertones	-
	Quasimodo's Dream	The Reels	-
	Red	Black Uhuru	-
	Sondra	The Sports	-
	Wild Gift	X	-

June

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	The Baron	Johnny Cash	-
5	Somewhere in England	George Harrison	-
8	Season of Glass	Yoko Ono	-
12	Black & White	The Pointer Sisters	-
15	Duran Duran	Duran Duran	-
16	Made in America	The Carpenters	-
19	Jumpin' Jive	Joe Jackson	-
	Juju	Siouxsie & the Banshees	-
	Only a Lad	Oingo Boingo	-
29	Kim Wilde	Kim Wilde	-
30	As Far as Siam	Red Rider	-
30	Breakin' Away	Al Jarreau	-
?	No Sleep 'til Hammersmith	Motörhead	Live
	Children of Paradise – The Greatest Hits of Boney M. – Vol. 2	Boney M.	Compilation
	Cut Lunch	Models	EP
	Deuce	Kurtis Blow	-
	Fire of Unknown Origin	Blue Öyster Cult	-
	Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places	Kid Creole and the Coconuts	-
	Here Comes the Night	David Johansen	-
	In the Pocket	Commodores	-
	I've Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again	The Joe Perry Project	-
	Party	Iggy Pop	-
	A Product Of... (Participation)	Thompson Twins	-
	Reflector	Pablo Cruise	-
	Renaissance	Village People	-
	RocKihnRoll	The Greg Kihn Band	-
	Share Your Love	Kenny Rogers	-
	Six Pack	Black Flag	EP
	Some Days Are Diamonds	John Denver	-
	The One That You Love	Air Supply	-
	Wanted Dread And Alive	Peter Tosh	-
	Wha'ppen?	The Beat	-
	What's THIS For...!	Killing Joke	-

July

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
3	4	Foreigner	^[32]
6	High 'n' Dry	Def Leppard	-
8	Beauty and the Beat	The Go-Go's	-
17	Escape	Journey	^[33]
20	El Loco	ZZ Top	-
20	Pleasant Dreams	The Ramones	-
21	You Want It You Got It	Bryan Adams	-
26	Bucks Fizz	Bucks Fizz	-
27	Bella Donna	Stevie Nicks	-
27	KooKoo	Debbie Harry	-
29	The Time	The Time	-
31	Step by Step	Eddie Rabbitt	-
?	Blue and Gray	Poco	-
	Document and Eyewitness	Wire	-
	Dexterity	Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons	-
	Dreamtime	Tom Verlaine	-
	Endless Love	Various Artists	Soundtrack
	Freetime	Spyro Gyra	-
	The Friends of Mr Cairo	Jon and Vangelis	-
	Girls to Chat and Boys to Bounce	Foghat	-
	Heavy Metal Soundtrack	Various Artists	Soundtrack
	Hoy-Hoy!	Little Feat	Compilation
	It's a Condition	Romeo Void	-
	Love Songs	Cliff Richard	-
	The Man with the Horn	Miles Davis	-
	Marauder	Blackfoot	-
	Night of the Demon	Demon	-
	Party Mix!	The B-52's	Remix
	Pirates	Rickie Lee Jones	-
	The Pirates of Penzance Broadway Cast Album	Various Artists	Broadway cast recording
	Precious Time	Pat Benatar	-
	Sirocco	Australian Crawl	-
	Three Quartets	Chick Corea	-
	Time	Electric Light Orchestra	-
	The Visitor	Mick Fleetwood	-
	Walking Wild	New England	-
	Was (Not Was)	Was (Not Was)	-
	Whomp That Sucker	Sparks	-
	Word of Mouth	Jaco Pastorius	-

August

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
7	Pretenders II	The Pretenders	^[34]
10	Friday Night in San Francisco	Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía	Live
12	Shot of Love	Bob Dylan	-
12	Never Too Much	Luther Vandross	Debut
18	Dark Continent	Wall of Voodoo	-
20	Love All the Hurt Away	Aretha Franklin	-
21	Sleep No More	The Comsat Angels	-
24	Tattoo You	The Rolling Stones	-
25	Scissors Cut	Art Garfunkel	-
25	Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash	The Replacements	Debut
26	Dead Set	Grateful Dead	Live
26	New Traditionalists	Devo	-
28	Alive Alone	Mickey Thomas	-
28	The Spirit's in It	Patti LaBelle	-
31	Fire of Love	The Gun Club	-
?	Brothers of the Road	The Allman Brothers Band	-
	Signals, Calls, and Marches	Mission of Burma	EP
	Torch	Carly Simon	-
	Give the People What They Want	The Kinks	-
	Heartbreak Radio	Rita Coolidge	-
	The Innocent Age	Dan Fogelberg	-
	Joy	The Minutemen	EP
	King Cool	Donnie Iris	-
	Level 42	Level 42	-
	The Pressure Is On	Hank Williams, Jr.	-
	Short Back 'n' Sides	Ian Hunter	-
	Simplicity	Tim Curry	-
	Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call	Simple Minds	-
	There's No Gettin' Over Me	Ronnie Milsap	-
	Time Exposure	Little River Band	-
	Whitford/St. Holmes	Brad Whitford and Derek St. Holmes	-

September

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	1234	Ronnie Wood	-
4	Dance	Gary Numan	-
	Dead Ringer	Meat Loaf	-
	Strait Country	George Strait	-
	Why Do Fools Fall in Love	Diana Ross	-
7	Burning Blue Soul	Matt Johnson	The The singer
11	Rage in Eden	Ultravox	-
14	Maiden Japan	Iron Maiden	Live EP
14	Songs in the Attic	Billy Joel	Live
18	Abacab	Genesis	^[35]
21	You Could Have Been with Me	Sheena Easton	-
23	You Are What You Is	Frank Zappa	-
24	Something Special	Kool & the Gang	-
25	Discipline	King Crimson	-
	Denim and Leather	Saxon	^[36]
	Wild Things	The Creatures	EP
?	Allied Forces	Triumph	-
	Boonoonoonoos	Boney M.	-
	Buchenwald	Whitehouse	-
	Camera Camera	Renaissance	-
	Camouflage	Rufus	-
	Cats & Dogs	Mental As Anything	-
	Dangerous Acquaintances	Marianne Faithfull	-
	Deaf	You've Got Foetus on Your Breath	-
	Gosh It's...	Bad Manners	-
	Grand Funk Lives	Grand Funk Railroad	-
	Happy Birthday	Altered Images	-
	Hooligans	The Who	Compilation
	If I Should Love Again	Barry Manilow	-
	Kix	Kix	-
	Lord Upminster	Ian Dury	-
	Love Byrd	Donald Byrd and 125th St, NYC	-
	Magic, Murder and the Weather	Magazine	-
	Magic Windows	Herbie Hancock	-
	Mark of the Mole	The Residents	-
	MSG	Michael Schenker Group	-
	Nine Tonight	Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band	Live
	Penthouse and Pavement	Heaven 17	-
	Premonition	Survivor	-
	Private Eyes	Hall & Oates	-
	Red Mecca	Cabaret Voltaire	-
	Rock Until You Drop	Raven	-
	Snaz	Nazareth	Live
	Special Forces	Alice Cooper	-
	Sunnyboys	Sunnyboys	-
	Too Late the Hero	John Entwistle	-
	Walk Under Ladders	Joan Armatrading	-
	Wanna Be a Star	Chilliwack	-

October

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	7	Madness	-
2	Ghost in the Machine	The Police	-
5	Kollaps	Einstürzende Neubauten	-
5	Speak & Spell	Depeche Mode	-
7	Get Lucky	Loverboy	-
8	Looking Back with Love	Mike Love	solo debut
8	Still	Joy Division	Compilation
12	October	U2	-
14	Controversy	Prince	-
16	Dare	The Human League	-
16	In the Garden	Eurythmics	-
19	Underneath the Colours	INXS	-
21	Bobby and the Midnites	Bobby and the Midnites	-
23	Almost Blue	Elvis Costello and the Attractions	-
26	Freeze Frame	The J. Geils Band	-
26	Greatest Hits	Queen	Compilation
29	Exit...Stage Left	Rush	Live
?	The Best of Blondie	Blondie	Compilation
	Diary of a Madman	Ozzy Osbourne	^[37]
	Law and Order	Lindsey Buckingham	-
	Sonic Attack	Hawkwind	-
	Don't Stop	Billy Idol	EP
	Present Arms in Dub	UB40	Remix
	Big City	Merle Haggard	-
	Chances Are	Bob Marley & the Wailers	Compilation of previously unreleased material
	Christmas Album	Boney M.	Christmas
	Circle of Love	Steve Miller Band	-
	Coup de Grâce	Mink DeVille	-
	Face to Face	GQ	-
	Fourth Drawer Down	Associates	-
	Gonna Ball	Stray Cats	-
	Inside You	The Isley Brothers	-
	Living Eyes	Bee Gees	-
	Local and/or General	Models	-
	Love Is Only Feeling	Donovan	-
	Mask	Bauhaus	-
	Physical	Olivia Newton-John	-
	Quarterflash	Quarterflash	-
	Round Trip	The Knack	-
	See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah. City All Over! Go Ape Crazy	Bow Wow Wow	-
	The Sound of the Sand and Other Songs of the Pedestrian	David Thomas & the Pedestrians	-
	Strictly Personal	The Romantics	-
	Tom Tom Club	Tom Tom Club	-
	Wrap It!	Doug and the Slugs	-

November

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	Prince Charming	Adam and the Ants	-
2	Re·ac·tor	Neil Young and Crazy Horse	-
4	Mob Rules	Black Sabbath	-
6	Shake It Up	The Cars	-
	Tonight I'm Yours	Rod Stewart	-
	Architecture & Morality	Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark	-
9	Business as Usual	Men at Work	Australia, debut
	La Folie	The Stranglers	-
	On the Way to the Sky	Neil Diamond	-
10	Music from "The Elder"	Kiss	-
	Memories	Barbra Streisand	Compilation +3 new tracks
	Too Fast for Love	Mötley Crüe	-
11	Adventures in Modern Recording	The Buggles	-
11	The Jacksons Live!	The Jacksons	Live
13	Movement	New Order	-
	Till Deaf Do Us Part	Slade	-
	Tin Drum	Japan	-
14	Raise!	Earth, Wind & Fire	-
15	Renegade	Thin Lizzy	-
16	Take It Off	Chic	-
16	Changestwobowie	David Bowie	Compilation
18	I Love Rock 'n' Roll	Joan Jett & the Blackhearts	-
20	Stop and Smell the Roses	Ringo Starr	-
23	Christmas Album	Boney M.	-
	A Collection of Great Dance Songs	Pink Floyd	Compilation with alternate mixes
	For Those About to Rock We Salute You	AC/DC	-
27	Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret	Soft Cell	-
27	Ten Out of 10	10cc	-
30	Bad Religion	Bad Religion	EP
	Best of the Blues Brothers	The Blues Brothers	Compilation
	The Visitors	ABBA	-
?	In Concert Volume Two	Amy Grant	Live
	The Ascension	Glenn Branca	-
	Christmas Wishes	Anne Murray	Christmas
	Crazy Nights	Tygers Of Pan Tang	-
	From the Lions Mouth	The Sound	-
	Great Gonzos! The Best of Ted Nugent	Ted Nugent	Compilation
	Pearls	Elkie Brooks	-
	The Poet	Bobby Womack	-
	She Shot Me Down	Frank Sinatra	-
	Still the Same Ole Me	George Jones	-
	Take No Prisoners	Molly Hatchet	-
	Wired for Sound	Cliff Richard	-

December

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
7	Ten Years of Harmony	The Beach Boys	Compilation
15	LC	The Durutti Column	-
30	For Those Who Think Young	Rough Trade	-
?	Damaged	Black Flag	-
	The Best of Top of the Pops '81	Top of the Poppers	-
	The Blasters	The Blasters	-
	The Catherine Wheel	David Byrne	-
	In God We Trust, Inc.	Dead Kennedys	EP
	Peter Cetera	Peter Cetera	-
	Small Change	Prism	-
	Welcome to Hell	Venom	-
	Wilder	The Teardrop Explodes	-

Release date unknown

Adventures in Clubland – Modern Romance
¡Alarma! – Daniel Amos
Alles ist gut – Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft
The Ascension – Glenn Branca
Begin the Beguine – Julio Iglesias
Block to Block – De Press
B.L.T. – Jack Bruce, Bill Lordan & Robin Trower
Breakin' the Chains – Don Dokken
Catalogue - John Hartford
Celebration – Johnny Mathis
Changing Hearts – Polyrock
Chasanova – Chaz Jankel
Claro Que Si – Yello
Classic Rock: Rock Classics – London Symphony Orchestra
Condition Red - Red Rockers
Cool Night – Paul Davis
Corazón de poeta – Jeanette
Cowboy Jubilee – Riders in the Sky
Curiosum – Cluster
Deceit – This Heat
DEV-O Live – Devo
Directions – Miles Davis
Drama of Exile – Nico
Earthshaker – Y&T
Escape Artist – Garland Jeffreys
The Evil One – Roky Erickson and the Aliens
Fire Wind – Electric Sun
Freelancing – James Blood Ulmer
Give the People What They Want – Jimmy Cliff
Hands in the Till – Fortress
Hits Right Up Your Street – The Shadows
Individuellos – La Düsseldorf
Inner City Front – Bruce Cockburn
Insect and Individual Silenced – Nurse with Wound
Introducing The Winans - The Winans
Is This a Cool World or What? – Karla DeVito
Jane Siberry – Jane Siberry
Jealousy - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Judgement of Paris – Kevin Dunn and the Regiment of Women
Kiss Me Deadly – Generation X as Gen X
La voce del Padrone – Franco Battiato
Let Them Eat Jellybeans! – Various Artists from Alternative Tentacles Records
Living in a Fog – Wonderful Grand Band
Los niños que escriben en el cielo – Spinetta Jade
The Lounge Lizards – The Lounge Lizards
Love Potion - Dr. John
Lustwandel – Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Macadam 3, 2, 1, 0 – Riff
Magic Man – Herb Alpert
Minor Threat – Minor Threat – EP
Material – Moebius & Plank
Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore – Resurrection Band
Mondo Mando - David Grisman
Never Say Die – Petra
Odyshape – The Raincoats
Penis Envy – Crass
Peperina – Serú Girán
Performance – Ashford & Simpson
Place without a Postcard – Midnight Oil
Play Me Out – Helen Reddy
The Plimsouls – The Plimsouls
Public Service (EP) – Various Artists
The Punch Line – Minutemen
Quiero Ser – Menudo
Quit Dreaming and Get On the Beam – Bill Nelson
Reflections – Gil Scott-Heron
Rock 'n' Roll Warriors – Savoy Brown
Ruedas de metal – Riff
Secret Combination – Randy Crawford
Selbstportrait – Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Sky 3 – Sky
Standing Together – Midnight Star
Stick Figure Neighbourhood – Spoons
Sub Pop 5 – Various Artists
Sunrise in Different Dimensions – Sun Ra
Thirsty Ears - Powder Blues Band
Trio – Trio
Wanna Be a Star – Chilliwack
Wünsche fliegen übers Meer – Die Flippers
Years Ago – The Statler Brothers
You Must Believe in Spring – Bill Evans
You're the Guy I Want to Share My Money With – Laurie Anderson, William S. Burroughs and John Giorno
Youth of America – Wipers

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1981.^[38]

#	Artist	Title	Year	Chart Entries
1	Kim Carnes	Bette Davis Eyes	1981	US BB 1 – April 1981, Canada 1 – April 1981, France 1 – June 1981, Switzerland 1 – June 1981, Norway 1 – June 1981, Germany 1 – June 1981, Australia 1 for 5 weeks May 1982, Grammy in 1981, US CashBox 2 of 1981, Austria 2 – July 1981, South Africa 2 of 1981, Sweden (alt) 4 – May 1981, Italy 5 of 1981, Australia 6 of 1981, UK 10 – May 1981, Netherlands 16 – May 1981, RYM 16 of 1981, Germany 18 of the 1980s, OzNet 45, Scrobulate 66 of 80s, RIAA 268, Acclaimed 738
2	Soft Cell	Tainted Love	1981	UK 1 – August 1981, Canada 1 – November 1981, France 1 – August 1981, Australia 1 for 3 weeks January 1983, Austria 2 – December 1981, Switzerland 2 – November 1981, Germany 2 – January 1982, Scrobulate 2 of 80s, Australia 3 of 1982, Sweden (alt) 4 – October 1981, RYM 4 of 1981, Netherlands 5 – October 1981, South Africa 5 of 1982, US BB 8 – May 1982, US BB 15 of 1982, POP 18 of 1982, Germany 37 of the 1980s, KROQ 38 of 1982, Virgin 41, US CashBox 50 of 1982, Party 142 of 2007, Acclaimed 163, Belgium 242 of all time, OzNet 451, WXPN 745
3	Phil Collins	In the Air Tonight	1981	Netherlands 1 – February 1981, Sweden (alt) 1 – February 1981, Austria 1 – April 1981, Switzerland 1 – April 1981, UK 2 – January 1981, France 2 – March 1981, Germany 2 – March 1981, Canada 3 – June 1981, Norway 4 – March 1981, OzNet 7, Poland 12 – August 1982, Europe 13 of the 1980s, RYM 15 of 1981, POP 16 of 1981, US BB 19 – July 1981, Australia 23 of 1981, Italy 23 of 1981, US BB 27 of 1981, Germany 44 of the 1980s, Scrobulate 60 of pop, TheQ 87, Belgium 230 of all time, Acclaimed 1238
4	John Lennon	Woman	1981	UK 1 – January 1981, Canada 1 – January 1981, Republic of Ireland 1 – February 1981, New Zealand 1 for 5 weeks February 1981, US BB 2 – January 1981, Switzerland 2 – March 1981, Austria 4 – March 1981, Norway 5 – February 1981, France 7 – March 1981, Germany 7 – February 1981, US CashBox 16 of 1981, Sweden (alt) 18 – February 1981, Netherlands 21 – March 1981, RYM 22 of 1981, US BB 30 of 1981, Italy 34 of 1981, POP 34 of 1981, Virgin 59, OzNet 139, Germany 213 of the 1980s
5	Stars On 45	Stars On 45 Medley	1981	US BB 1 – May 1981, Netherlands 1 – January 1981, Austria 1 – May 1981, Switzerland 1 – May 1981, Germany 1 – March 1981, New Zealand 1 for 7 weeks June 1981, Australia 1 for 4 weeks June 1982, UK 2 – April 1981, Australia 2 of 1981, Germany 5 of the 1980s, Sweden (alt) 7 – June 1981, US CashBox 13 of 1981, Italy 54 of 1981

Chronological table of US and UK Number One hit singles

US Number One singles and artist
(Weeks at Number One)

"(Just Like) Starting Over" – John Lennon (4 weeks)
"The Tide Is High" – Blondie (1)
"Celebration" – Kool & the Gang (2)
"9 to 5" – Dolly Parton (2)
"I Love a Rainy Night" – Eddie Rabbitt (2)
"Keep on Loving You" – REO Speedwagon (1)
"Rapture" – Blondie (2)
"Kiss On My List" – Daryl Hall & John Oates (3)
"Morning Train (9 to 5)" – Sheena Easton (2)
"Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes (9)
"Stars on 45 Medley" – Stars On 45 (1)
"The One That You Love" – Air Supply (1)
"Jessie's Girl" – Rick Springfield (2)
"Endless Love" – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (9)
"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" – Christopher Cross (3)
"Private Eyes" – Daryl Hall & John Oates (2)
"Physical" – Olivia Newton-John (6)

UK Number One singles and artist
(Weeks at Number One)

"There's No-one Quite Like Grandma" – St Winifred's School Choir (1)
"Imagine" – John Lennon (4)
"Woman" – John Lennon (2)
"Shaddup You Face" – Joe Dolce Music Theatre (3)
"Jealous Guy" – Roxy Music (2)
"This Ole House" – Shakin' Stevens (3)
"Making Your Mind Up" – Bucks Fizz (3)
"Stand and Deliver" – Adam and the Ants (5)
"Being With You" – Smokey Robinson (2)
"One Day in Your Life" – Michael Jackson (2)
"Ghost Town" – The Specials (3)
"Green Door"- Shakin' Stevens (4)
"Japanese Boy" – Aneka (1)
"Tainted Love" – Soft Cell (2)
"Prince Charming" – Adam and the Ants (4)
"It's My Party" – Dave Stewart (the keyboardist) & Barbara Gaskin (4)
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" – The Police (1)
"Under Pressure" – Queen & David Bowie (2)
"Begin the Beguine" – Julio Iglesias (1)
"Don't You Want Me" – The Human League (3)

Chronological table of US and UK Number One hit albums

US Number One album and artist
(Weeks at Number One)

Double Fantasy – John Lennon and Yoko Ono (7)
Hi Infidelity – REO Speedwagon (15)
Paradise Theatre – Styx (3)
Mistaken Identity – Kim Carnes (4)
Long Distance Voyager – The Moody Blues (3)
Precious Time – Pat Benatar (1)
4 – Foreigner (7)
Bella Donna – Stevie Nicks (1)
Escape – Journey (1)
Tattoo You – The Rolling Stones (9)
For Those About to Rock We Salute You – AC/DC (1)

UK Number One album and artist
(Weeks at Number One)

Super Trouper – ABBA (3)
Kings of the Wild Frontier – Adam and the Ants (12)
Double Fantasy – John Lennon & Yoko Ono (2)
Face Value – Phil Collins (3)
Stars on 45- Stars on 45 / Starsound (5)
No Sleep 'til Hammersmith – Motörhead (1)
Disco Daze and Disco Nites – Various Artists (1)
Love Songs – Cliff Richard (5)
The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding – Various Artists (2)
Time – Electric Light Orchestra (2)
Dead Ringer – Meat Loaf (2)
Abacab – Genesis (2)
Ghost in the Machine – The Police (3)
Dare – The Human League (1)
Shaky – Shakin' Stevens (1)
Greatest Hits – Queen (4)
Chart Hits '81 – Various Artists (1)
The Visitors – ABBA (3)

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Song title	Artist(s)	Release date(s)	US	UK	Highest chart position	Other Chart Performance(s)
"'65 Love Affair"	Paul Davis	December 1981	6	n/a	6 (United States)	See chart performance entry
"9 to 5 (Morning Train)"	Sheena Easton	February 1981	1	3	1 (4 countries)	See chart performance entry
"Abacab"	Genesis	August 1981	26	9	3 (South Africa)	See chart performance entry
"Absolute Beginners"	The Jam	October 1981	n/a	4	4 (United Kingdom)	35 (New Zealand)
"America"	Neil Diamond	April 1981	8	n/a	8 (United Kingdom)	1 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 10 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 15 (Canada RPM Adult Contemporary) - 45 (Canada RPM Top Singles)
"Angel of the Morning"	Juice Newton	February 1981	4	43	1 (Canada)	See chart performance entry
"Antmusic"	Adam & the Ants	January 1981	n/a	2	1 (Australia)	See chart performance entry
"Arc of a Diver"	Steve Winwood	April 1981	48	n/a	19 (Canada)	11 (US Billboard Rock Albums & Top Tracks)
"Backfired"	Debbie Harry	July 1981	43	32	16 (Sweden)	See chart performance entry
"Being With You"	Smokey Robinson	January 1981	2	1	1 (New Zealand, United Kingdom)	See chart performance entry
"Blessed Are the Believers"	Anne Murray	March 1981	34	n/a	13 (Canada)	1 (Canadian RPM Country Tracks, Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks, U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 10 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary)
"The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)"	The Greg Kihn Band	March 1981	15	n/a	14 (Australia)	5 (U.S. Billboard Rock Albums & Top Tracks)
"Burnin' For You"	Blue Öyster Cult	July 1981	40	76	40 (United States)	1 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart) - 47 (Canada)
"Cambodia"	Kim Wilde	November 1981	n/a	12	1 (France, Sweden, Switzerland)	See chart performance entry
"Can You Feel It"	The Jacksons	February 1981	77	6	1 (Belgium, South Africa)	See chart performance entry
"Centerfold"	The J. Geils Band	September 1981	1	3	1 (Australia, Canada, United States)	See chart performance entry
"Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)"	Spandau Ballet	July 1981	n/a	3	3 (United Kingdom)	See chart performance entry
"Chariots of Fire"	Vangelis	March 1981	1	12	1 (United States)	See chart performances entry
"Chequered Love"	Kim Wilde	April 1981	n/a	4	1 (South Africa)	See chart performances entry
"Controversy"	Prince	September 1981	70	n/a	1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs) - 3 (U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles) - 15 (Australia)	28 (Netherlands [Dutch Singles Chart])
"Cool Night"	Paul Davis	October 1981	11	n/a	11 (United States)	2 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary)
"Counting The Beat"	The Swingers	March 1981	n/a	n/a	1 (Australia, New Zealand)	n/a
"Crying"	Don McLean	January 1981	5	1	1 (Belgium, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40], United Kingdom	See chart performance entry
"Don't Let Him Go"	REO Speedwagon	May 1981	24	n/a	2 (Canada)	See chart performance entry
"Don't Stop Believin'"	Journey	October 1981	9	62	9 (United States)	8 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock) - 9 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 9 (Canada) - 50 (Netherlands [Single Top 100]) - 62 (United Kingdom) - 100 (Australia)
"Don't You Want Me"	The Human League	November 1981	1	1	1 (8 countries)	See chart performance entry
"Elvira"	The Oak Ridge Boys	March 1981	5	n/a	5 (United States)	See chart performance entry
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"	The Police	November 1981	3	1	1 (4 countries)	See chart performance entry
"Every Woman in the World"	Air Supply	January 1981	5	n/a	3 (Canada)	2 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 3 (U.S. Record World) - 7 (New Zealand) - 8 (Australia) - 9 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100)
"Fade to Grey"	Visage	January 1981	n/a	8	1 (Switzerland, West Germany)	See chart performance entry
"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"	Haircut One Hundred	October 1981	n/a	4	4 (United Kingdom)	97 (Australia)
"Fire"	U2	August 1981	n/a	35	4 (Ireland)	n/a
"Fire and Ice"	Pat Benatar	July 1981	17	n/a	3 (New Zealand)	2 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock) - 4 (Canada) - 30 (Australia)
"For Your Eyes Only"	Sheena Easton	June 1981	4	8	1 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]/[Single Top 100], Norway, Switzerland)	See chart performance entry
"Games People Play"	Alan Parsons Project	January 1981	16	n/a	9 (Canada)	95 (Australia)
"Gemini Dream"	The Moody Blues	May 1981	12	n/a	1 (Canada)	12 (U.S. Mainstream Rock) - 13 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 36 (Australia) - 36 (U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs)
"Genius of Love"	Tom Tom Club	September 1981	31	65	26 (Belgium)	1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs) - 2 (U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles) - 28 (New Zealand)
"Girls on Film"	Duran Duran	July 1981	n/a	5	1 (Portugal)	4 (New Zealand) - 11 (Australia) - 15 (Sweden) - 16 (Ireland)
"Give It to Me Baby"	Rick James	February 1981	40	47	40 (United States)	1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles) - 1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs) - 34 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100)
"Gloria"	U2	October 1981	n/a	55	10 (Ireland)	15 (New Zealand) - 32 (Australia)
"Good Year for the Roses"	Elvis Costello and the Attractions	September 1981	n/a	6	6 (United Kingdom)	11 (Netherlands [Dutch top 40]) - 25 (Belgium) - 34 (Australia)
"Happy Birthday"	Altered Images	August 1981	n/a	2	2 (United Kingdom, South Africa)	3 (Ireland) - 16 (Sweden) - 23 (Australia) - 56 (West Germany)
"Harden My Heart"	Quarterflash	September 1981	3	49	3 (United States)	5 (Switzerland) - 6 (Australia) - 12 (New Zealand) - 15 (Austria) - 41 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 51 (West Germany)
"Hearts"	Marty Balin	May 1981	8	n/a	4 (Canada)	9 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 9 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 11 (Canada RPM Top Singles) - 19 (France) - 20 (U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks)
"Hearts on Fire"	Randy Meisner	January 1981	19	n/a	19 (United States)	34 (Canada)
"Hell's Bells"	AC/DC	February 1981	n/a	n/a	7 (Australia)	16 (France) - 25 (Germany) - 50 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock)
"Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)"	Air Supply	August 1981	5	n/a	5 (United States)	1 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 5 (Canada RPM Adult Contemporary) - 5 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 43 (Australia)
"Hill Street Blues"	Mike Post	August 1981	10	n/a	10 (United States)	4 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary)
"History Never Repeats"	Split Enz	March 1981	n/a	63	4 (Australia)	5 (New Zealand) - 33 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock)
"Hold On Tight"	Electric Light Orchestra	July 1981	10	4	1 (Spain, Switzerland)	See chart performance entry
"How 'Bout Us"	Champaign	February 1981	12	5	1 (Belgium, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]/[Singles Top 100]	See chart performance entry
"I Ain't Gonna Stand for It"	Stevie Wonder	January 1981	11	10	2 (New Zealand)	See chart performance entry
"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)"	Hall & Oates	November 1981	1	8	1 (United States)	See chart performance entry
"I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)"	Lulu	July 1981	18	62	3 (New Zealand)	10 (Canada) - 71 (Australia)
"I Don't Need You"	Kenny Rogers	June 1981	3	n/a	2 (Canada)	See chart performance entry
"I Go to Sleep"	The Pretenders	November 1981	n/a	7	4 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40])	6 (Belgium) - 9 (Netherlands [Single Top 100] - 28 (New Zealand)
"I Love You"	Climax Blues Band	February 1981	12	n/a	14 (Canada)	9 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 20 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 30 (Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary) - 59 (Australian)
"I Made It Through the Rain"	Barry Manilow	January 1981	10	37	20 (Ireland)	4 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 18 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100)
"I Missed Again"	Phil Collins	February 1981	19	14	6 (Canada)	See chart performance entry
"I Will Follow"	U2	August 1981*	n/a	n/a	34 (New Zealand)	20 (U.S. Billboard Top Tracks) - 71 (Australia) *song released in October 1980
"I Surrender"	Rainbow	February 1981	50	3	1 (Finland)	See chart performance entry
"I Want to Be Free"	Toyah	May 1981	n/a	8	8 (United Kingdom)	1 (UK Independent Singles Chart) - 10 (Ireland) - 10 (South Africa) - 30 (New Zealand) - 35 (Australia) - 61 (West Germany)
"I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World"	Ronnie Milsap	October 1981	20	n/a	20	1 (U.S. Hot Country Songs, Canadian RPM Country Tracks, Canada RPM Adult Contemporary) - 3 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 57 (Australia)
"If Leaving Me Is Easy"	Phil Collins	May 1981	n/a	17	17 (United Kingdom)	61 (Germany)
"If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?"	Mental As Anything	May 1981	n/a	n/a	4 (Australia)	16 (New Zealand)
"I'm in Love"	Evelyn King	June 1981	40	27	27 (United Kingdom)	1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles, U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs) - 33 (U.S. Record World) - 44 (U.S. Cash Box)
"In the Air Tonight"	Phil Collins	June 1981	19	2	(6 countries)	See chart performance entry
"In the Dark"	Billy Squier	August 1981	35	n/a	22 (Canada)	7 (U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks)
"Intuition"	Linx	February 1981	n/a	7	7 (United Kingdom)	10 (Ireland) - 38 (Netherlands [Single Top 100]) - 69 (Australia)
"Invisible Sun"	The Police	September 1981	n/a	2	2 (United Kingdom)	5 (Netherlands [Single Top 100]) - 89 (Australia)
"Is That Love"	Squeeze	May 1981	n/a	35	1 (Israel)	25 (Ireland)
"It Must Be Love"	Madness	November 1981	33	4	4 (United Kingdom)	5 (Ireland) - 6 (Australia) - 43 (Netherlands [Single Top 100])
"It Must Be Magic"	Teena Marie	May 1981	23	n/a	23 (United Kingdom)	2 (U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles)
"I've Done Everything for You"	Rick Springfield	February 1981	8	n/a	8 (United States)	19 (Canada RPM Charts) - 31 (Australia) - 40 (Canada)
"Jessie's Girl"	Rick Springfield	February 1981	1	n/a	1 (Australia, United States)	1 (U.S. Cash Box, U.S. Record World) - 6 (Canada) - 10 (U.S. Mainstream Rock) 21 (New Zealand)
"Jukebox Hero"	Foreigner	October 1981	26	48	7 (South Africa)	24 (Germany) - 34 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 39 (Canada) - 53 (Australia)
"Just Between You and Me"	April Wine	February 1981	21	52	21 (United States)	22 (Canada)
"Just Can't Get Enough"	Depeche Mode	September 1981	n/a	8	4 (Australia)	1 (UK Independent Singles Chart) - 14 (Sweden) - 16 (Ireland) - 18 (Spain) - 26 (U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs) - 29 (New Zealand) - 30 (Belgium)
"Just the Two of Us"	Grover Washington, Jr.	February 1981	2	34	2 (United States)	See chart performance entry
"Kids in America"	Kim Wilde	January 1981	25	2	1 (Finland, South African)	See chart performance entry
"Kiss on My List"	Hall & Oates	January 1981	1	33	1 (United States)	7 (Canada) - 13 (Australia) - 16 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 33 (New Zealand) - 54 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock)
"Labelled with Love"	Squeeze	September 1981	n/a	4	2 (Ireland)	46 (Netherlands [Single Top 100])
"Leader of the Band"	Dan Fogelberg	November 1981	9	n/a	9 (United States)	1 (U.S. Billboard Adult contemporary) - 35 (U.S. Billboard Top Pop Singles)
"Leather and Lace"	Stevie Nicks and Don Henley	October 1981	6	n/a	6 (United States)	See chart performance entry
"Let's Get It Up"	AC/DC	December 1981	n/a	n/a	18 (Sweden)	33 (West Germany) - 73 (Australia)
"Let's Groove"	Earth, Wind & Fire	September 1981	3	3	2 (France, New Zealand)	See chart performance entry
"Limelight"	Rush	February 1981	55	n/a	18 (Canada)	4 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock)
"A Little in Love"	Cliff Richard	January 1981	17	15	4 (Canada)	See chart performance entry
"Living Inside Myself"	Gino Vannelli	March 1981	6	n/a	6 (United States)	See chart performance entry
"Lock Up Your Daughters"	Slade	September 1981	n/a	29	19 (Netherlands [Dutch Singles Chart])	n/a
"Love Action (I Believe in Love)"	The Human League	July 1981	n/a	3	3 (United Kingdom)	11 (Ireland) - 12 (Australia) - 21 (New Zealand)
"Love is Alright Tonite"	Rick Springfield	August 1981	20	n/a	20 (United Kingdom)	26 (Canada RPM Top Singles) - 40 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock)
"Love on a Two-Way Street"	Stacy Lattisaw	June 1981	26	n/a	26 (United States)	2 (U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles) - 19 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 23 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 26 (U.S. Billboard Hot 100) - 39 (Canada)
"Message of Love"	The Pretenders	February 1981	n/a	11	9 (Ireland)	5 (U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks) - 15 (Australia) - 33 (Netherlands) - 44 (U.S. Billboard Dance/Disco)
"The Model"	Kraftwerk	November 1981	n/a	1	1 (United Kingdom)	4 (Ireland) - 7 (West Germany) - 20 (Finland) - 33 (Australia)
*"Modern Girl"	Sheena Easton	May 1981	18	8	8 (United Kingdom)	[[Modern Girl (Sheena Easton song)#Charts\|]]
"More Than I Can Say"	Leo Sayer	January 1981	2	2	1 (Australia)	1 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 2 (Ireland, South Africa) - 3 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 5 (New Zealand) - 7 (Canada) [1980 overlap]
"Musclebound" b/w "Glow"	Spandau Ballet	March 1981	n/a	10	10 (United Kingdom)	18 (Ireland) - 32 (Netherlands [Single Top 100)] - 97 (Australia)
"Never Too Much"	Luther Vandross	October 1981	33	13	13 (United Kingdom)	1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles) - 4 (U.S. Billboard Dance Club Songs) - 18 (Ireland) - 47 (New Zealand)
"New Life"	Depeche Mode	June 1981	n/a	11	11 (United Kingdom)	1 (UK Independent Singles chart) - 22 (Ireland) - 29 (U.S. Billboard Dance Clubs Songs)
"O Superman"	Laurie Anderson	October 1981	n/a	2	2 (United Kingdom)	See chart performance entry
"Oh No"	The Commodores	September 1981	4	44	3 (Canada)	5 (U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles) - 5 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 51 (Australia)
"Once in a Lifetime"	Talking Heads	January 1981	n/a	14	14 (United Kingdom)	16 (Ireland) - 23 (Australia) - 24 (Netherlands [Dutch Singles Chart]) - 28 (Canada) - 103 (U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100)
"One in Ten"	UB40	August 1981	n/a	7	7 United Kingdom)	87 Australia)
"One of Us"	ABBA	December 1981	n/a	3	1 (6 countries)	See chart performance entry
"Open Your Heart"	The Human League	October 1981	n/a	6	6 (United Kingdom)	8 (Ireland) - 12 (Belgium) - 20 (Netherlands [Single Top 100)] - 43 (New Zealand)
"Our Lips Are Sealed"	The Go-Go's	June 1981	20	47	2 (Australia)	See chart performance entry
"Ooa hela natten"	Attack	1981	n/a	n/a	1 (Sweden)	2 (Norway)
"Pac-Man Fever"	Buckner & Garcia	December 1981	9	n/a	9 (Canada, United States)	7 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100)
"Physical"	Olivia Newton-John	September 1981	1	7	1 (Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand)	See chart performance entry
"Planet Earth"	Duran Duran	February 1981	n/a	12	8 (Australia)	1 (French Airplay Chart) - 14 (Ireland) - 70 (France)
"Queen of Hearts"	Juice Newton	June 1981	2	n/a	2 (South Africa, United States)	See chart performance entry
"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"	Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers	July 1981	3	50	3 (United States)	2 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock) - 4 (South Africa) - 5 (Canada) - 10 (Australia) - 11 (New Zealand) - 43 (Netherlands [Single Top 100)
"While You See a Chance"	Steve Winwood	February 1981	7	45	3 (Canada)	See chart performance entry

Other Chart hit singles

"Ah! Leah!" – Donnie Iris
"Aie a Mwana" – Bananarama
"And the Bands Played On" – Saxon (# 12 UK)
"Another Tricky Day" – The Who
"Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love)" – Marty Balin (# 11 US Billboard Adult Contemporary, # 27 United States)
"Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey" – Modern Romance (# 10 UK)
"Boys and Girls" – The Human League (# 48 UK)
"Boys in Town" – Divinyls (# 8 Australia)
"Bringing on the Heartbreak" – Def Leppard (# 61 US)
"Chcem sa s tebou deliť" – Marika Gombitová (Winner of the Intervision Song Contest)
"Computer Love" – Kraftwerk (# 36 UK)
"Cool World" – Mondo Rock (# 8 Australia)
"Der Kommissar" – Falco
"Der blaue Planet" - Karat (# 2 East Germany)
"Don't Stop the Music" – Yarbrough and Peoples
"Double Dutch Bus" – Frankie Smith
"Eisbär" – Grauzone
"Fight the Good Fight" – Triumph (# 18 U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock)
"Funeral Pyre" – The Jam (# 4 UK)
"Heading Out to the Highway" – Judas Priest (# 10 U.S. Mainstream Rock)
"I Don't Wanna Dance" – Split Enz (# 65 Australia)
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" - Roger (# 79 United States, # 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles, # 25 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs)
"If I Was a Dancer (Dance Pt. 2)" – The Rolling Stones*"
"It's All I Can Do" - Anne Murray (# 53 United States)
"(Kom så ska vi) Leva livet" – Gyllene Tider (# 13 Sweden)
"La voix du bon Dieu" – Céline Dion (# 11 Quebec)
"Lonely Is the Night" – Billy Squier (# 28 U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock)
"Mean Street" – Van Halen (# 12 U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks)
"Oh No Not You Again" – Australian Crawl (# 58 Australia)
"Pearl Necklace" – ZZ Top (# 28 US)
"A Promise" – Echo & the Bunnymen (# 49 UK)
"Rapture" – Blondie
"Red Barchetta" – Rush
"Résiste" – France Gall
"Rise Above" – Black Flag
"The River" – Bruce Springsteen
"Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" – AC/DC
"Rock This Town" – The Stray Cats
"Romeo and Juliet" – Dire Straits
"Runaround Sue" – Racey
"Sailing" – Christopher Cross
"Same Old Lang Syne" – Dan Fogelberg
"Sat in Your Lap" – Kate Bush
"Sausalito Summernight" – Diesel
"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" – Billy Joel
"Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" – David Bowie
"Shake It Up" – The Cars
"She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)" – Carl Carlton
"She's Got a Way" (live) – Billy Joel
"Should I Do It" – The Pointer Sisters
"Shout and Deliver" – The Reels (# 43 Australia)
"Shut Up" – Madness
"(Si Si) Je Suis un Rock Star" – Bill Wyman
"Silly" – Deniece Williams
"Since You're Gone" – The Cars
"Slave" – The Rolling Stones
"Slow Hand" – The Pointer Sisters
"So This Is Love?" – Van Halen
"The Sound of the Crowd" – The Human League
"Souvenir" – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
"Spirits in the Material World" – The Police
"Start Me Up" – The Rolling Stones
"Stay Young" – INXS (# 21 Australia)
"Stone in Love" – Journey
"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" – Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Stop This Game" – Cheap Trick
"Straight from the Heart" – The Allman Brothers Band
"Stray Cat Strut" – The Stray Cats
"The Stroke" – Billy Squier
"Sukiyaki" – A Taste of Honey
"Super Freak" – Rick James
"Sweetheart" – Franke and the Knockouts
"Take It on the Run" – REO Speedwagon
"Take It to the Limit (Live)" – The Eagles
"Telstar" – The Shadows
"Tempted" – Squeeze
"That Old Song" – Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio
"That's Entertainment" – The Jam
"Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)" – Joey Scarbury
"There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" – Kirsty McColl
"(There's) No Gettin' Over Me" – Ronnie Milsap
"The Thin Wall" – Ultravox
"This Little Girl" – Gary U.S. Bonds
"Through the Years" – Kenny Rogers
"Time" – The Alan Parsons Project
"Together" – Tierra
"Tom Sawyer" – Rush
"Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)" – Rod Stewart
"Too Many Times" – Mental As Anything
"Too Much Time on My Hands" – Styx
"Treat Me Right" – Pat Benatar
"Tube Snake Boogie" – ZZ Top
"Tunnel of Love" – Dire Straits
"Turn Me Loose" – Loverboy (released in 1980)
"Turn Your Love Around" – George Benson
"Turning Japanese" – The Vapors (released in 1980)
"Two Hearts" – Stephanie Mills and Teddy Pendergrass
"Unchained" – Van Halen
"The Unguarded Moment" – The Church
"Urgent" – Foreigner
"Vienna" – Ultravox
"The Voice" – Moody Blues
"The Voice" – Ultravox
"The Waiting" – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Waiting For a Girl Like You" – Foreigner
"Waiting on a Friend" – The Rolling Stones
"Little T&A" – The Rolling Stones
"Walking on Thin Ice" – Yoko Ono
"The Wanderer" – Donna Summer
"Watching the Wheels" – John Lennon
"Water on Glass"/"Boys" – Kim Wilde
"We Don't Have to Hold Out" – Anne Murray
"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" – Heaven 17
"We Got the Beat" – The Go-Go's
"Wedding Bells" – Godley & Creme
"We'll Bring the House Down" – Slade
"We're in This Love Together" – Al Jarreau
"What Are We Doin' In Love" – Kenny Rogers and Dottie West
"What Kind of Fool" – Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb
"When He Shines" – Sheena Easton
"When She Was My Girl" – The Four Tops
"When You Were Sweet Sixteen" – The Fureys with Davey Arthur
"While You See A Chance" – Steve Winwood
"Whip It" – Devo
"Who Can It Be Now?" – Men At Work
"Who's Crying Now" – Journey
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love – Diana Ross
"Wild Colonial Boy" – Dr. Hook
"Wild is the Wind" – David Bowie
"Will You?" – Hazel O'Connor
"Winning" – Santana
"Wired For Sound" – Cliff Richard
"Working For the Weekend" – Loverboy
"Working in a Coalmine" – Devo
"You Better You Bet" – The Who
"You Got Nothing I Want" – Cold Chisel
"You Make My Dreams" – Hall & Oates
"Young Turks" – Rod Stewart

Notable singles

Song title	Artist(s)	Release date(s)	Other Chart Performance(s)
"Ceremony"	New Order	January 1981	7 (New Zealand) - 1 (UK Independent Singles Chart) - 62 (US Billboard Hot Dance Club Party)
"Christmas Wrapping"	The Waitresses	November 1981	See chart entry performance
"Closer to the Heart" (live)	Rush	November 1981	21 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock) - 69 (U.S. Billboard Hot 100)
"God morgon"	Chips	1981	2nd at the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1981
"I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)"	Grace Jones	May 1981	See chart performance entry
"Johnny Blue"	Lena Valaitis	1981	Winner of the German national final of the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
"Kick in the Eye"	Bauhaus	March 1981	29 (US Billboard Dance Club Songs) - 59 (UK Singles Chart)
"O Superman"	Laurie Anderson	October 1981	See chart performance entry
"Procession/Everything's Gone Green"	New Order	September 1981	1 (UK Independent Charts) - 38 (UK Singles Chart)
"Pull Up to the Bumper"	Grace Jones	June 1981	See chart performance entry
"Release the Bats"	The Birthday Party	July 1981	3 (UK Indie Charts)
"Walking in the Rain"	Grace Jones	October 1981	34 (New Zealand) - 67 (West Germany) - 94 (Australia)
"Walking on Thin Ice"	Yoko Ono	February 1981	See chart performance entry
"Wordy Rappinghood"	Tom Tom Club	June 1981	See chart performance entry

Other Notable singles

"A.D. 1928/Rockin' the Paradise" – Styx
"Alone with You" – Sunnyboys
"Black Limousine" – The Rolling Stones
"Happy Man" – Sunnyboys
"Henry Hudson" – Nico
"Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" – Joe Jackson
"It's a Tough Life" – Pat Benatar
"Maljčiki" – Idoli
"Nick The Stripper" - The Birthday Party
"No Word From China" – Pel Mel
"No.3" – The Reels
"October" – U2
"Photographic"- Depeche Mode
"Quasimodo's Dream" – The Reels
"Radio Free Europe" (original Hib-Tone version) – R.E.M.
"Rawhide" – Dead Kennedys
"Thirsty and Miserable" b/w "Life of Pain" - Black Flag
"We're Going to Live For a Very Long Time" – Heaven 17
"We've Got a Bigger Problem Now" – Dead Kennedys

Published popular music

"9 To 5" w.m. Dolly Parton from the film Nine to Five
"All Those Years Ago" w.m. George Harrison
"Allentown" w.m. Billy Joel
"Allergies" w.m. Paul Simon
"America" w.m. Neil Diamond from the film The Jazz Singer
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" w. Tom Eyen m. Henry Krieger from the musical Dreamgirls
"Arthur's Theme" w.m. Carole Bayer Sager, Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross & Peter Allen from the film Arthur
"At This Moment" w.m. Billy Vera
"Baby, Come To Me" w.m. Rod Temperton
"Being With You" w.m. William "Smokey" Robinson
"Believe it or Not (Theme From The Greatest American Hero)" w. Stephen Geyer m. Mike Post
"The Best of Times" w.m. Dennis DeYoung
"Bette Davis Eyes" w. Donna Weiss m. Jackie DeShannon
"Black Limousine" w.m. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood
"Bruce" w.m. Rick Springfield
"Chariots of Fire" w. Jon Anderson m. Vangelis
"Dynasty theme song" m. Bill Conti
"The First Time it Happens" w.m. Joe Raposo, from the film The Great Muppet Caper
"Good Thing Going (Going Gone)" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"Hill Street Blues theme song" m. Mike Post
"Key Largo" w.m. Bertie Higgins & Sonny Limbo
"Memory w. Trevor Nunn & T. S. Eliot m. Andrew Lloyd Webber. Introduced by Elaine Paige in the musical Cats.
"One of the Girls" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander introduced by Lauren Bacall in the musical Woman of the Year

Classical music

Milton Babbitt
- Don, for piano four-hands
- Ars Combinatoria, for small orchestra
Leonard Bernstein
- Olympic Hymn, chorus and orchestra
Rob du Bois
- String Quartet no. 3
- Sonata for solo viola
George Crumb – Gnomic Variations for piano
Peter Maxwell Davies – Piano Sonata
Joël-François Durand – String Trio
Morton Feldman
- Bass Clarinet and Percussion, for bass clarinet, cymbals and gongs
- Triadic Memories, for piano
- For Aaron Copland, for violin
Lorenzo Ferrero
- Balletto
- Arioso II
- Variazioni sulla notte, for guitar
Cristóbal Halffter
- Fantasia sobre una sonoridad de G. F. Haendel, for string orchestra
- Ricercare, for organ
Bengt Hambraeus – Voluntary on a Swedish Hymn Tune from Dalecarlia
Wojciech Kilar – Exodus, a vocal-symphonic poem for mixed choir and orchestra
George Lloyd – Tenth Symphony (for brass)
Tome Mančev
- Symphonic Poem, for large orchestra, Op. 16
- Dance, for piano and percussion, Op. 19
- The Year 1014, for mixed chorus, Op. 20
- March of the Bicyclists, for children's chorus
Miroslav Miletić
- Sonatina for violin and guitar
- Sonata for viola and piano
- Three Popular Songs from Dalmatia for voice and guitar
Steve Reich – Tehillim
Roger Sessions – Concerto for Orchestra (recorded by Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and for which the composer receives the Pulitzer Prize for Music)
Robert Simpson
- Quintet for clarinet and strings
- Symphony No. 8
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski – Clarinet Concerto
Alfred Schnittke
- Symphony No. 3
- Minnesang, for 52 voices
- String Quartet No. 2
Karlheinz Stockhausen
- Klavierstück XIII
- Traum-Formel, for basset horn

Opera

Lorenzo Ferrero – La figlia del mago
Conrad Susa and Richard Street – Black River
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Donnerstag aus Licht (March 15, La Scala, Milan, but without act 3, due to a choir strike; first full performance on April 3)

Jazz

Main article: 1981 in jazz

Musical theater

Barnum – London production opened at the London Palladium on June 11 and ran for 655 performances
Bring Back Birdie – Broadway production
Cats (Andrew Lloyd Webber) – London production opened at the New London Theatre on May 11 and ran for 8949 performances
Dreamgirls – Broadway production opened on December 20 at the Imperial Theatre and ran for 1522 performances
March of the Falsettoes – off-Broadway production
Merrily We Roll Along – Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 16 and ran for 16 performances
The Pirates of Penzance – Broadway revival
Song and Dance – London production
Woman of the Year – Broadway production opened at the Palace Theatre on March 29 and ran for 770 performances

Musical films

Births

January 2 - JT Daly, American indie rock musician, producer, songwriter, and visual artist (K Flay, Demi Lovato)
January 4 – Silvy De Bie, Belgian singer
January 5 – Carmen Monarcha, Brazilian operatic soprano
January 7 – Ania, Polish singer-songwriter and composer
January 15
- Howie Day, American singer-songwriter
- Pitbull, Cuban-American rapper
January 16
- Marta Roure, Andorran singer and actress
- Mỹ Tâm, Vietnamese singer and songwriter
January 19 – Thaila Zucchi, British singer and actress (allSTARS*)
January 21
- Andy Lee, South Korean singer and actor (Shinhwa)
- Floor Jansen, Dutch singer, songwriter, and vocal coach.
January 22 – Willa Ford, American pop singer-songwriter, model, musician and actress
January 25 – Alicia Keys, American singer-songwriter, record producer, pianist, actress and activist
January 28 – Gen Hoshino, Japanese singer
January 29 – Jonny Lang, American blues artist
January 31 – Justin Timberlake, American singer (NSYNC), collaborator with Britney Spears (Married to Jessica Biel, Worked with JC Chasez)
February 1 – Jay R Sillona, Filipino singer
February 3 - Micah P. Hinson an American Americana singer and guitarist and recording artist
February 5 – Zameer Rizvi, Canadian singer/songwriter, composer and record producer
February 9
- Tom Hiddleston, English actor, film producer and musician (Taylor Swift)
- The Rev, American musician (Avenged Sevenfold) (d. 2009)^[39]
February 10 – Natasha St-Pier, Canadian singer
February 11 – Kelly Rowland American singer-songwriter, member of Destiny's Child
February 12 – Lisa Hannigan, Irish singer-songwriter, musician and voice actress.
February 15
- Matt Hoopes, musician, guitarist and singer-songwriter, (Relient K)
- Olivia, American singer-songwriter and actress
February 17 – Paris Hilton, American singer-songwriter, DJ, YouTuber and writer (Friend of Britney Spears)
February 18 – Kamasi Washington, American crossover jazz saxophonist
February 19 – Beth Ditto, American singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur (Gossip)
February 26 – Sharon Van Etten, American singer-songwriter and actress
February 27 – Josh Groban, American crossover singer-songwriter
March 3
- Tobias Forge, Swedish musician
- Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean singer and actress
- Shatha Hassoun, Iraqi singer
- Cristina Scarlat, Moldovan singer
March 7 – Anna Leese, New Zealand operatic soprano
March 9 – Chad Gilbert, American musician, singer-songwriter (New Found Glory)
March 11
- Russell Lissack (Bloc Party)
- LeToya Luckett (Destiny's Child)
March 14 - Katarína Knechtová, Slovak singer-songwriter and guitarist
March 16 - Danny Brown, American rapper, singer and songwriter
March 20 – Declan Bennett, English singer-songwriter
March 26
- Anaïs Mitchell, American singer-songwriter, producer and musician (Rachel Ries, Jefferson Hamer, Ani DiFranco, Justin Vernon, Greg Brown and Ben Knox Miller)
- Jay Sean, British singer-songwriter
March 27 – JJ Lin, Singaporean singer
March 29 - Megan Hilty, American singer
April 1
- Theresa Sokyrka, Canadian Idol 2 runner-up
- Hannah Spearritt, English singer and actress (S Club 7)
April 2 – Raghav, Canadian singer
April 5 – Mariqueen Maandig, a Filipino American musician and singer-songwriter. (How To Destroy Angels, West Indian Girl, Trent Reznor)
April 6 – Aidonia, Jamaican dancehall artist
April 8 – Gummy, Korean singer
April 9 - Geneviève Castrée, a Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, and musician from Quebec. (D. 2016) (Married to Phil Elverum)
April 10 – Laura Bell Bundy, American actress and singer
April 12 – Fahad Al Kubaisi, Qatari singer and activist
April 16 – Loulou Lamotte, Swedish singer-songwriter (The Mamas)
April 17 – Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer^[40]
April 27 – Sandy Mölling, German pop singer
April 29 – Tom Smith (Editors)
April 30 – Justin Vernon, American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer (Bon Iver, Taylor Swift's Folklore and Evermore)
May 3
- Farrah Franklin, American singer-songwriter, actress (Destiny's Child)
- Father John Misty, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, drummer and record producer
May 4, Dallon Weekes, American singer, songwriter, musician and producer (Of Bands: Panic! At The Disco, & I Dont Know How But They Found Me
May 5
- Jesse Colburn, Canadian guitarist and songwriter
- Craig David, British singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer
May 10 - Tom Vek, English indie self-taught multi-instrumentalist musician
May 12 – Hannah Ild, Estonian singer-songwriter and pianist
May 13 - Mozella, American songwriter and singer
May 16 - Brooke McClymont, Australian singer-songwriter, musician and guitarist (sister of Samantha McClymont)
May 19 - Yo Gotti, American rapper
May 20
- Sean Conlon, English pop singer (5ive)
- Rachel Platten, American singer-songwriter
May 21 – Stig van Eijk, singer, composer and lyricist
May 23
- Dessa, American rapper, singer, spoken word artist, writer and record executive
- Pierre Lapointe, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- Gwenno Saunders, Welsh singer and dancer (The Pipettes)
May 25 - Autumn Rowe, American singer-songwriter, TV personality, DJ and activist
May 28 - Victoria Legrand, French-American musician (Beach House)
May 30 – Devendra Banhart, Venezuelan American singer-songwriter and visual artist
June 1 – Brandi Carlile, American folk rock and Americana singer-songwriter
June 2
- Brandon Jenner, indie pop musician (Brandon & Leah)
- Catherine Manoukian, Canadian violinist
June 7 – Dave Catching, American guitarist, songwriter and producer (Earthlings? and Mondo Generator)
June 8 – Alex Band, American rock singer-songwriter (The Calling)
June 9
- Vic Chou, Taiwanese actor, singer and model
- Anoushka Shankar, British Indian sitar player
June 10 – Hoku Ho, Hawaiian singer and musician
June 15 – Billy Martin (guitarist), American guitarist
June 17 – Ken the 390, Japanese rapper
June 20 – Alisan Porter, American singer, winner of season 10 of The Voice (US)
June 21 – Brandon Flowers, American singer-songwriter, musician, Multi-instrumentalist, advocate, member of (The Killers)
June 23
- Mikey Bustos, Filipino-Canadian singer and entertainer
- Antony Costa (Blue)
- Shi Xin Hui, Malaysian singer
June 28
- Michael Crafter, Australian singer-songwriter (Confession, I Killed the Prom Queen, Carpathian and Bury Your Dead)
- Savage (AKA Demetrius Savelio) New Zealand born Samoan rapper
July 1 – Clemency Burton-Hill, English classical music broadcast presenter
July 3 – Hayley Holt, New Zealand snowboarder, host and ballroom dancer
July 6 – Emily West, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
July 7 – Synyster Gates, American musician (Avenged Sevenfold)
July 8
- Oka Antara, Indonesian rapper and actor
- Dagmar Oja, Estonian singer
July 12
- Rebecca Hunter, English pop singer (allSTARS*) and actress
- Maya Sar, Bosnian singer
July 14 – Milow, Belgian singer-songwriter
July 15 – OC Ukeje, Nigerian actor, model and musician
July 20
- Lowkey, American rapper and producer
- Dayang Nurfaizah, Malaysian singer
July 21
- Paloma Faith, English singer-songwriter
- Blake Lewis, American Idol 6 runner-up
- Claudette Ortiz, American singer and model (City High)
July 22 – Anthony Santos, American singer-songwriter and composer
July 25 – Kizito Mihigo, Rwandan gospel singer, organist and peace activist (d. 2020)^[41]
July 31
- Mesut Kurtis, British Turkish Islamic singer
- Ira Losco, Maltese singer
- M. Shadows, American singer-songwriter and musician (Avenged Sevenfold)
August 1 – Vaiko Eplik, Estonian singer-songwriter
August 3 - Scroobius Pip, English actor and podcaster as well as a spoken word poet and hip hop recording artist from Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. (Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip)
August 4 – Florian Silbereisen, German singer and television presenter
August 5 – Ko Shibasaki, Japanese singer and actress
August 6 – Leslie Odom Jr., American singer and actor
August 8
- Vanessa Amorosi, Australian singer-songwriter, musician, guitarist and rock star (Dave Stewart)
- Bradley McIntosh, English pop singer (S Club 7)
- Kaori Iida, Japanese singer and actress
August 11
- Sandi Thom, Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
- Fiona Sit, Hong Kong singer and actress
August 24 – Jiro Wang, Taiwanese actor and singer (Fahrenheit)
August 28 – Iracema Trevisan (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
September 4
- Beyoncé, American singer-songwriter, dancer and actress
- Lacey Sturm, American singer-songwriter (Flyleaf)
September 6 – Yumiko Cheng, Hong Kong singer
September 7 – Do, Dutch singer
September 14 – Ashley Roberts American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress, model, presenter and television personality (The Pussycat Dolls)
September 16 – Nazril Irham, Indonesian singer
September 18 – Jesse Frasure, American music publisher, record producer, songwriter and DJ
September 25
- Perfume Genius, American indie EDM musician, singer-songwriter and artist
- Shane Tutmarc, American producer, songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist. (Jessica Lea Mayfield, Tristen_Gaspadarek)
September 26
- Christina Milian, American singer-songwriter, dancer and actress
- Aras Baskauskas, Yogi, musician and reality TV personality, worked musically under name: Odd Us
September 29 – Suzanne Shaw, English singer (Hear'Say) and actress
October 1 – Jamelia, British singer-songwriter
October 5 – Breakbot, producer and DJ
October 8 – Ruby, Egyptian singer
October 10 – Una Healy, Irish singer (The Saturdays)
October 13
- Doveman, American singer, pianist and producer
- Kele Okereke, Kele, English musician (Bloc Party)
October 14 – Ruslan Alekhno, Russian-Belarusian singer
October 15 – Nick White (Tilly and the Wall)
October 19 – Christian Bautista, Filipino singer, actor, host and model
October 25 – Josh Henderson, American actor, singer and model
October 29 – Angelika Dela Cruz, Filipina actress and singer^[42]
October 31 – Frank Iero, American rock guitarist (My Chemical Romance)
November 1
- Tommy Karevik, Swedish metal vocalist (Kamelot, Seventh Wonder, Ayreon)
- LaTavia Roberson, American R&B singer-songwriter (Destiny's Child)
November 2 - Ai (singer), a Japanese-American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, spokeswoman, and actress.
November 7 – Krystal Harris, American singer-songwriter
November 13 – Shawn Yue, Hong Kong actor and singer
November 16 – Kate Miller-Heidke, Australian crossover singer-songwriter and actress
November 17 – Sarah Harding, English pop singer-songwriter, dancer, model and actress (Girls Aloud) (d. 2021)
November 20
- Scott Hutchison, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist and artist (d. 2018)
- Kimberley Walsh, English pop singer-songwriter (Girls Aloud)
November 22
- Ben Adams, English pop singer-songwriter (A1)
- Jenny Owen Youngs, American singer-songwriter
November 26 – Natasha Bedingfield, English singer-songwriter
November 30 – Mavado, Jamaican deejay and singer-songwriter
December 2 – Britney Spears, American singer-songwriter, dancer, performer, musician, author, activist, advocate, businesswoman, and clothes designer
December 9 – Camoflauge, American rapper (d. 2003)
December 11 – Zacky Vengeance, heavy metal rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist (Avenged Sevenfold)
December 13
- Gary Innes, Scottish accordionist, shinty player and broadcaster
- Amy Lee, American singer-songwriter, harpist, pianist, musician, multi instrumentalist and activist (Evanescence)
December 16
- Gaby Moreno, Guatemalan singer
- Krysten Ritter, American musician and actress
December 17
- Wacław Kiełtyka, Polish musician and composer
- Houari Manar, Algerian raï singer (d. 2019)
- S3RL, Australian Hardcore DJ
December 21 – Lynda Thomas, Mexican musician, singer-songwriter, eurodance and alternative rock musician
December 23 – Beth, Spanish singer and actress
December 28 – Frank Turner, English punk and folk singer-songwriter

Deaths

January 1 – Hephzibah Menuhin, pianist and human rights campaigner, 60
January 4 – Ruth Lowe, pianist and songwriter, 66
January 23 – Samuel Barber, composer, 70
January 25 – Adele Astaire, US dancer, actress and singer, 84
February 1
- Frank Merrick, pianist
- Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian composer, 72
- Ernst Pepping, composer, 79
February 9 – Bill Haley, rock and roll pioneer, 55 (heart attack)
February 15
- Mike Bloomfield, blues guitarist, 37 (accidental drug overdose)
- Karl Richter, German organist and conductor, 54
February 19 – Olive Gilbert, actress and singer, 82
February 21 – Ron Grainer, electronic music pioneer and composer, 58
February 26 – Howard Hanson, composer, 84
April 5
- Bob Hite, vocalist (Canned Heat), 38 (heart attack)
- Maurice Zbriger, violinist, composer and conductor
April 7 – Kit Lambert, former manager and producer of The Who, 45 (fell downstairs)
April 8 – Burt Shevelove, librettist, 66
April 14 – Ivan Galamian, violin teacher, 78
April 28 – Steve Currie, bassist of T.Rex, 33 (car crash)
May 11 – Bob Marley, reggae musician, 36 (cancer)
May 25 – Roy Brown, blues singer, 55
May 28 – Mary Lou Williams, jazz pianist, 71
July 1 – Rushton Moreve, US bass player and songwriter (Steppenwolf), 32
July 16 – Harry Chapin, US singer-songwriter, 38 (car crash)
August 18 – Robert Russell Bennett, composer and arranger, 87
August 26 – Lee Hays, folk singer, 67
September 2 – Tadeusz Baird, composer, 53
September 8 – Master Venu, film composer, 65
September 14 – Furry Lewis, country blues guitarist and songwriter, 88
September 15 – Chick Bullock, US singer, 72
September 22 – Henry Warren, film songwriter, 87
October 2 – Hazel Scott, classical pianist and singer, 61
October 5 – Sven Gyldmark, film composer, 77
October 13 – Marius Casadesus, violinist and composer, 88
October 15 – Elsie Randolph, English actress, dancer and singer, 77
October 29 – Georges Brassens, singer-songwriter, 60
November 27 – Lotte Lenya, actress and singer, wife of Kurt Weill, 83
December 13 – Cornelius Cardew, avant-garde composer, 45 (road accident)
December 27 – Hoagy Carmichael, pianist, singer and songwriter, 82