Rewind: Top Songs of 1981

Like 1976 (the last rewind post in our twice-a-decade march to the best of 2011), 1981 was surrounded by more interesting music than the year itself contained. The Clash, Talking Heads, The Specials and several other favorites from the era mostly sat out the year. That said, there is still plenty to enjoy, including probably the last unquestionably classic Bowie and Jagger songs, some early new wave and the rise of a strange new form of music with record scratching, samples and spoken rhyme.

Grooveshark playlist is at the bottom of the post.

Top 10 Songs of 1981

1. "Under Pressure" / David Bowie and Queen / Under Pressure - Single
   "This is out last dance / this is ourselves"
2. "Don't Stop Believin'" / Journey / Escape
   "For a smile they can share the night"
3. "Start Me Up" / The Rolling Stones / Tattoo You
   " I can't compete / with the riders in the other heats"
4. "Tainted Love" / Soft Cell / Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
   "Take my tears and that's not nearly all"
5. "Rock This Town" / Stray Cats / Stray Cats
   "Well we found a little place that really didn't look half bad / I'll have a whiskey on the rocks and change of a dollar for the jukebox"
6. "Tempted" / Squeeze / East Side Story
   "At my bedside / empty pocket / a foot without a sock"
7. "Pretty in Pink" / The Psychedelic Furs / Talk Talk Talk 
   "All of her lovers all talk of her notes / and the flowers that they never sent"
8. "Master Blaster (Jammin')" / Stevie Wonder / Hotter than July
   "We're in the middle of the makings of the master blaster jammin'"
9. "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" / The Police / Ghost in the Machine
   "It's a big enough umbrella / but it's always me that ends up getting wet"
10. "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash On the Wheels of Steel" / Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five / n/a
    "Grandmaster, cut faster"