Billboard Top 100 Hits of 1981

[@mdickinurhole7460]

Excelente colección de videos que ud nos prodigó de 1981. La verdad es que son dignos de guardarlos

[@molinalong3468]

Celebrities was 29 years old in 1981 Patrick Swayze Rosanne Barr David Hasselhoff

[@cijidunne1356]

I remember listening to these year-end countdowns on the radio. Sometimes the logic didn't make sense. "Arthur's Theme" went to #1 for three weeks, right? How is it below "Ain't Even Done with the Night" that peaked at #17? And how did Sheena Easton go to #4 with "For Your Eyes Only" but lands down in the 90's for the year? I know a lot of it is that songs charted for a lesser time, overall, but still, some of it does not add up if Billboard was using a formula of sales + airplay.

[@Tony-f5s9s]

Some songs get the shaft due to their unfortunate time of charting along with billboards cut off time and point system. Billboard ran their year end charts from (I think it was the 2nd week) of November prior year (1980) to november of the current (1981) year. So, any week's that the song spent on the chart after the cut off time the song didn't get credit for on the current year end survey. Arthur's theme and for your eyes only both peaked late in the year (October and november). So, any week's that they spent on the chart after the cut off time was not accounted for the year 1981. Arthur's theme actually ranked 98 for year end of 1982 due to accounting of week's spent on the chart (24 week's total on hot 100). When you look at the song "ain't even done with the night" even though it only peaked at #17 it spent 21 weeks on hot 100 BUT it spent the entire chart run in the year 1981. Also, yes they based rankings on sales and airplay however that was for their weekly charts. For the year end chart they ranked the songs by a point system. So many points for weeks being on hot 100, so many points for week's in top 40, top 20, top 10, top 5, or length of its peak at a particular position whether it being number #1 or #17. I've seen songs peak as low as #29 hit the year end survey. Very odd calculations but that's the way billboard did it at the time. Billboard was always considered to be the most accurate source possible for its rankings but really, to have really accurate results would be virtually impossible. One that baffles me is queens "another one bites the dust". Was number 1 for 3 weeks in October 1980 and doesn't even chart year end of 1980 however it ranks #65 in 1981. It spent 13 weeks in top 5, 15 week's in top 10 and 31 week's in its entire chart run. The only reason I would think it didn't hit the year end chart of 1980 is because it went to number 1 very quickly and didn't spend enough time on the charts by the cut off time to even rank. I dunno, maybe your right. No logic. Lol😅

[@cijidunne1356]

@@Tony-f5s9s Thanks for the information. I did know some of that. It still seems like the assessment system for year end is off. I do know some songs charted lower but stay on the chart much longer, so they have more points than you'd think from their peak position. I believe you are referring to What About Me by Moving Pictures peaking at 29 but then being on the year end. I do think it climbed and fell very slowly as opposed to a song that debuted high, went to #1 and then fell fast. It's very weird though, for sure.

[@Tony-f5s9s]

@@cijidunne1356 You are correct, I was referring to the moving pictures song "what about me" that peaked at 29. lol. Where I lived it did have a extreme amount of radio airplay for awhile (winter 82 to spring of 83).

[@molinalong3468]

Next January 1982

[@paulsonj72]

This a year where there were only 16 songs to hit #1. 1982 was worse with only 15. The music industry was in a deep sales slump which contributed to the low number of songs to hit #1

[@thedigitalaverage8054]

Wow Is this the only billboard year end where the top 10 songs all went to #1?

[@stevenmclamb7851]

Endless Love Should've Been #1 4 The Entire Year Instead Of Bette Davis Eyes