Pulse Rankdown: 1981 Year-End Mainstream Rock (Finished)

[rowellfarm490]

1) PM me (rowellfarm490 ) your rankings of the top 100 Mainstream Rock songs of 1981. Rank the songs by your preference from #1 (best) down to #100 (worst).
2) An inverse point system will be used to determine the point total for each song. Song #1 gets 100 points, #2 gets 99 points... all the way down to #100 which gets 1 point.
3) The due date for submission is set for Friday July 16, 2021 at 10PM EST.
4) ALL songs must be ranked.
5) To avoid sending me a list with extra lines, please click BBCode below the text box before you paste your list.
6) The rankings of each participant will be posted when a song is revealed during this Rankdown.
7) You can make changes to your list but try not to do so excessively.
8) For reference, here are the top 100 Mainstream Rock songs of 1981. This list was compiled from Billboard's and Radio & Records chart data by peacebone .

1. The Moody Blues - The Voice
2. Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight
3. Billy Squier - In the Dark
4. Foreigner - Urgent
5. REO Speedwagon - Keep on Loving You
6. Pat Benatar - Fire and Ice
7. Billy Squier - The Stroke
8. Steve Winwood - While You See a Chance
9. Rush - Tom Sawyer
10. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
11. Blue Öyster Cult - Burnin' for You
12. Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
13. The Greg Kihn Band - The Break-Up Song
14. .38 Special - Hold on Loosely
15. Loverboy - Turn Me Loose
16. Foreigner - Juke Box Hero
17. Santana - Winning
18. The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
19. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - The Waiting
20. Outlaws - (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
21. The Police - Don't Stand So Close to Me
22. Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
23. Journey - Who's Crying Now
24. Donnie Iris - Ah! Leah!
25. Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen
26. The Who - You Better You Bet
27. Don Felder - Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)
28. Joe Walsh - A Life of Illusion
29. Eric Clapton and His Band - I Can't Stand It
30. Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
31. Journey - The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)
32. Squeeze - Tempted
33. AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
34. The Alan Parsons Project - Games People Play
35. Styx - Too Much Time on My Hands
36. Rush - Limelight
37. The Who - Another Tricky Day
38. Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
39. Dire Straits - Skateaway
40. The Tubes - Talk to Ya Later
41. Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen
42. ZZ Top - Tube Snake Boogie
43. Journey - Stone in Love
44. REO Speedwagon - Take It on the Run
45. Styx - The Best of Times
46. Jefferson Starship - Find Your Way Back
47. Pretenders - The Adultress
48. Electric Light Orchestra - Hold on Tight
49. Gary U.S. Bonds - This Little Girl
50. Jefferson Starship - Stranger
51. Bob Seger - Tryin' to Live My Life Without You
52. Phil Collins - I Missed Again
53. Fleetwood Mac - Fireflies (Live)
54. Pretenders - Message of Love
55. The Rolling Stones - Hang Fire
56. Foreigner - Night Life
57. Michael Stanley Band - In the Heartland
58. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Nightwatchman
59. The Moody Blues - Gemini Dream
60. Little River Band - The Night Owls
61. Rockpile - Teacher Teacher
62. REO Speedwagon - Don't Let Him Go
63. The Go-Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed
64. Pat Benatar - Promises in the Dark
65. Manfred Mann's Earth Band - For You
66. The Kinks - Better Things
67. Genesis - No Reply at All
68. Dan Fogelberg - Hard to Say
69. The Kinks - Destroyer
70. The Allman Brothers Band - Straight from the Heart
71. AC/DC - Back in Black
72. April Wine - Sign of the Gypsy Queen
73. Diesel - Sausalito Summernight
74. Garland Jeffreys - 96 Tears
75. Jim Steinman - Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through
76. Michael Stanley Band - He Can't Love You
77. Point Blank - Nicole
78. Styx - Rockin' the Paradise
79. Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes
80. Bruce Springsteen - Fade Away
81. Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver
82. Pat Benatar - Just Like Me
83. The Moody Blues - Meanwhile
84. Van Halen - Mean Street
85. The Jim Carroll Band - People Who Died
86. Peter Frampton - Breaking All the Rules
87. John Lennon - Woman
88. Blackfoot - Fly Away
89. Dave Edmunds - Almost Saturday Night
90. The A's - A Woman's Got the Power
91. Gary Wright - Really Wanna Know You
92. April Wine - Just Between You and Me
93. deleted Cruise - Cool Love
94. Delbert McClinton - Giving It Up for Your Love
95. The Rolling Stones - Little T&A
96. The Babys - Turn and Walk Away
97. Van Halen - Unchained
98. Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
99. Thin Lizzy - Chinatown
100. Billy Joel - Say Goodbye to Hollywood (Live)

Spotify playlist:






Song list without numbers:

SPOILER: Click to show

The Moody Blues - The Voice
Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight
Billy Squier - In the Dark
Foreigner - Urgent
REO Speedwagon - Keep on Loving You
Pat Benatar - Fire and Ice
Billy Squier - The Stroke
Steve Winwood - While You See a Chance
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
Blue Öyster Cult - Burnin' for You
Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
The Greg Kihn Band - The Break-Up Song
.38 Special - Hold on Loosely
Loverboy - Turn Me Loose
Foreigner - Juke Box Hero
Santana - Winning
The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - The Waiting
Outlaws - (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
The Police - Don't Stand So Close to Me
Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
Journey - Who's Crying Now
Donnie Iris - Ah! Leah!
Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen
The Who - You Better You Bet
Don Felder - Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)
Joe Walsh - A Life of Illusion
Eric Clapton and His Band - I Can't Stand It
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
Journey - The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)
Squeeze - Tempted
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
The Alan Parsons Project - Games People Play
Styx - Too Much Time on My Hands
Rush - Limelight
The Who - Another Tricky Day
Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
Dire Straits - Skateaway
The Tubes - Talk to Ya Later
Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen
ZZ Top - Tube Snake Boogie
Journey - Stone in Love
REO Speedwagon - Take It on the Run
Styx - The Best of Times
Jefferson Starship - Find Your Way Back
Pretenders - The Adultress
Electric Light Orchestra - Hold on Tight
Gary U.S. Bonds - This Little Girl
Jefferson Starship - Stranger
Bob Seger - Tryin' to Live My Life Without You
Phil Collins - I Missed Again
Fleetwood Mac - Fireflies (Live)
Pretenders - Message of Love
The Rolling Stones - Hang Fire
Foreigner - Night Life
Michael Stanley Band - In the Heartland
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Nightwatchman
The Moody Blues - Gemini Dream
Little River Band - The Night Owls
Rockpile - Teacher Teacher
REO Speedwagon - Don't Let Him Go
The Go-Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed
Pat Benatar - Promises in the Dark
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - For You
The Kinks - Better Things
Genesis - No Reply at All
Dan Fogelberg - Hard to Say
The Kinks - Destroyer
The Allman Brothers Band - Straight from the Heart
AC/DC - Back in Black
April Wine - Sign of the Gypsy Queen
Diesel - Sausalito Summernight
Garland Jeffreys - 96 Tears
Jim Steinman - Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through
Michael Stanley Band - He Can't Love You
Point Blank - Nicole
Styx - Rockin' the Paradise
Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes
Bruce Springsteen - Fade Away
Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver
Pat Benatar - Just Like Me
The Moody Blues - Meanwhile
Van Halen - Mean Street
The Jim Carroll Band - People Who Died
Peter Frampton - Breaking All the Rules
John Lennon - Woman
Blackfoot - Fly Away
Dave Edmunds - Almost Saturday Night
The A's - A Woman's Got the Power
Gary Wright - Really Wanna Know You
April Wine - Just Between You and Me
deleted Cruise - Cool Love
Delbert McClinton - Giving It Up for Your Love
The Rolling Stones - Little T&A
The Babys - Turn and Walk Away
Van Halen - Unchained
Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
Thin Lizzy - Chinatown
Billy Joel - Say Goodbye to Hollywood (Live)

Tags (You don't have to be tagged to participate. If anybody else would like to be added to this list for reminders please let me know!):

SPOILER: Click to show

Daryl the Beryl Red peacebone singingrulebritannia wheatsquares33 Doc Indie Party Rock American Idiot janinho lyhom craziaskowboi Beno Troy Geometrical House Lannister Juanca gonecountry Mirago newpower campbellssoup Alex1901 aerodynamite wrip thethirdcurry razorshark ccarter1023 DadJokes Gonza'90 tanooki

Participants:
singingrulebritannia
gonecountry
tanooki
razorshark
rowellfarm490
peacebone
Doc Indie Party Rock
Troy
aerodynamite
DJDaveMick69
Daryl the Beryl
Mirago
wheatsquares33
House Lannister
thethirdcurry
Clode

[rowellfarm490]

Welcome to the 1981 Mainstream Rock Chart rankdown! We've now reached the beginning of the Billboard era. The inaugural Top Rock Tracks chart was on March 21, 1981. To fill in for the missing months before this, Radio & Records data was incorporated to give us a complete chart year of music. Here are some highlights of note for Mainstream Rock 1981:

-18 artists make their rock rankdown debut including Electric Light Orchestra, Steely Dan, and Thin Lizzy
-12 songs are back to be ranked again from the Modern Rock rankdown
-28 of the songs on this list were in the Billboard Hot 100 year-end rankdowns
-16 more were big enough Hot 100 hits to be featured in the Lost Hits rankdowns

[gonecountry]

What a Fantastic List! And then I get to #98. Christopher Cross on Mainstream Rock. Wow.

I am SO in...

[Troy]

May 27, 2021 10:21:29 GMT -5 gonecountry said:

What a Fantastic List! And then I get to #98. Christopher Cross on Mainstream Rock. Wow.

I am SO in...

imagine a station that would play Christopher Cross followed by Ozzy & then Soft Cell?!? these charts were a mix of all 3 of what we think of rock radio today (AAA, Active, & Alt)…but even stranger than that, many of these AOR stations featured Jazz specialty shows … R&R actually had a Top 10 jazz songs chart in the rock section of its magazine

[thethirdcurry]

May 27, 2021 11:24:23 GMT -5 Troy said:

May 27, 2021 10:21:29 GMT -5 gonecountry said:

What a Fantastic List! And then I get to #98. Christopher Cross on Mainstream Rock. Wow.

I am SO in...

imagine a station that would play Christopher Cross followed by Ozzy & then Soft Cell?!? these charts were a mix of all 3 of what we think of rock radio today (AAA, Active, & Alt)…but even stranger than that, many of these AOR stations featured Jazz specialty shows … R&R actually had a Top 10 jazz songs chart in the rock section of its magazine

Go back a few years further into the '70s and things get even wilder than that. R&B crossovers were quite common, with Barry White, Marvin Gaye, The Average White Band, Stevie Wonder, The Spinners, and Earth, Wind & Fire all charting top 20 albums. Country artist Emmylou Harris charted regularly as well, and even disco and dance music got some spins - the Bee Gees' "You Should Be Dancing" and "Jive Talking" both got enough play to make R&R's progressive singles chart.

[Deleted]

I *might* do this... this would be my second Mainstream/Active RD ever, lol. There are several songs I'm definitely interested in ranking... the list also has what I consider to be one of the absolute worst songs of all-time, though.

[razorshark]

Banging list, I'll get started as soon as I'm done with the Alternative list.

[gonecountry]

I usually do the alternative list first and then the mainstream list next, but I was so excited by this one that I had to reverse the order.

This top 10 is going to be a killer.

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

May 27, 2021 10:21:29 GMT -5 gonecountry said:

What a Fantastic List! And then I get to #98. Christopher Cross on Mainstream Rock. Wow.

I am SO in...

That's the worst song for Cristopher Cross to score on mainstream. "All Right" would have been more adequate , but anyway I'm all for "Ride The The Wind" for '80

[gonecountry]

Jun 2, 2021 0:01:40 GMT -5 Doc Indie Party Rock said:

May 27, 2021 10:21:29 GMT -5 gonecountry said:

What a Fantastic List! And then I get to #98. Christopher Cross on Mainstream Rock. Wow.

I am SO in...

That's the worst song for Cristopher Cross to score on mainstream. "All Right" would have been more adequate , but anyway I'm all for "Ride The The Wind" for '80

Completely agree.  Think of Laura would have been up there as well as ill-fitting for Mainstream.  His first album really captured the late 70's/early 80's.

[DadJokes]

Jun 2, 2021 0:01:40 GMT -5 Doc Indie Party Rock said:

May 27, 2021 10:21:29 GMT -5 gonecountry said:

What a Fantastic List! And then I get to #98. Christopher Cross on Mainstream Rock. Wow.

I am SO in...

That's the worst song for Cristopher Cross to score on mainstream. "All Right" would have been more adequate , but anyway I'm all for "Ride The The Wind" for '80

Funny story about Christopher Cross - when I was in 5th or 6th grade, my parents told me we were going to see a free concert by Christopher Cross at our town's park/amphitheater. I thought they said we were getting to see Kriss Kross. Imagine my disappointment when we got there and I didn't get to "jump jump." 

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

This list is alright. I say there is a good 40-50 songs I really know and love. The rest are kinda dull. When I went back and did my retro 1981 charts I used a lot more songs from KROQ Modern Rock. and more album tracks from The Cars "Panorama", and "Back In Black". Too many great songs are missing. For instance where the hell is Loverboy "The Kid Is Hot Tonight"? I'm wondering if I'll recognize more songs once the extras are posted?

[rowellfarm490]

3 weeks left to send in your rankings!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Tags}Daryl the Beryl Red peacebone wheatsquares33 Doc Indie Party Rock American Idiot janinho lyhom craziaskowboi Beno Troy Geometrical House Lannister Juanca Mirago newpower campbellssoup Alex1901 aerodynamite wrip thethirdcurry razorshark ccarter1023 DadJokes Gonza'90 tanooki

[tanooki]

Should have a list soon

[Troy]

i have all of the songs divided into 10 groups of 10...now for the fine-tuning of my list

[rowellfarm490]

I've been having some major issues with my Internet this week so that's why I haven't been able to give an update about this before now. I am going to extend the deadline for this by another week to July 9th so you still have 2 weeks to submit your rankings.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Tags}Daryl the Beryl Red peacebone wheatsquares33 Doc Indie Party Rock American Idiot janinho lyhom craziaskowboi Beno Troy Geometrical House Lannister Juanca Mirago newpower campbellssoup Alex1901 aerodynamite wrip thethirdcurry ccarter1023 DadJokes Gonza'90

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

Great news for me. I get so side tracked into listening to the whole album when I preview these songs.

[House Lannister]

Had no idea that Rock and Roll Dreams Come True wasn't Meat Loaf's originally?

Yeah, I'm in for this one. Classic AC/DC, Stevie Nicks and Foreigner? Sign me up!

[Troy]

there’s way too much ‘70s holdovers in this list for my taste…but still, plenty of classics too

[rowellfarm490]

I figured that it's about time I started posting some extras for this. There are only 271 of them so I should be done with these in no time flat. Much like before the first extras I will post are the songs that have already been covered in other rankdowns. For the chart data I am only listing how the songs did on the Billboard chart. The number of chart points is also noted as well.

Update: The R&R chart data is now listed. Songs that split their chart runs between R&R and Billboard have their chart data in italics whereas songs that had their entire chart run in the R&R days have their data in bold.

---

This year's extras begin with 6 songs that we just ranked in the 1981 Modern Rock rankdown

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
118.	Adam and the Ants - Antmusic	14	12	300	Link
188.	Adam and the Ants - Dog Eat Dog	15	6	125	Link
286.	Devo - Working in a Coal Mine	53	7	27	Link
242.	Elvis Costello and the Attractions - From a Whisper to a Scream	18	2	58	Link
190.	Jon & Vangelis - The Friends of Mr. Cairo	33	11	124	Link
158.	U2 - I Will Follow	20	13	197	Link

[rowellfarm490]

The 22 extras that follow all made the Hot 100 year-end lists in either 1981 or 1982. These next 5 songs were particularly successful as each went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. We also just ranked "Rapture" in the Modern Rock rankdown.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
130.	Blondie - Rapture	19	9	268	Link
129.	Blondie - The Tide Is High	15	7	269	Link
252.	Daryl Hall & John Oates - Kiss on My List	51	6	45	Link
169.	Daryl Hall & John Oates - Private Eyes	33	8	153	Link
103.	John Lennon - (Just Like) Starting Over	2	11	345	Link

[rowellfarm490]

Although they didn't quite reach the top of the Hot 100 several other extras here peaked in the top 5 on that chart. All of the songs in this set peaked between #2 and #5 on the Hot 100.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
243.	Daryl Hall & John Oates - You Make My Dreams (Come True)	35	3	55	Link
114.	George Harrison - All Those Years Ago	6	7	312	Link
347.	Juice Newton - Angel of the Morning	57	1	4	Link
301.	Leo Sayer - More Than I Can Say	53	3	22	Link
101.	Rod Stewart - Passion	2	8	347	Link
217.	Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster (Jammin')	32	6	84	Link

[rowellfarm490]

6 more songs also reached the top 10 on the Hot 100. These extras had a Hot 100 peak of either #8, #9, or #10.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
121.	Dan Fogelberg - Same Old Lang Syne	22	12	289	Link
132.	Franke and the Knockouts - Sweetheart	27	11	263	Link
141.	Heart - Tell It Like It Is	9	9	235	Link
115.	John Lennon - Watching the Wheels	1	10	305	Link
144.	Marty Balin - Hearts	20	10	220	Link
165.	The Police - De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da	2	5	169	Link

[rowellfarm490]

Here are the rest of the Hot 100 extras. Although not as successful as their counterparts in the last 3 sets, these songs still did well enough to make a year-end list each peaking between #11 and #18 on the chart.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
256.	Boz Scaggs - Miss Sun	51	6	44	Link
335.	Climax Blues Band - I Love You	55	1	6	Link
287.	John Mellencamp - Ain't Even Done with the Night	44	2	26	Link
105.	Pat Benatar - Treat Me Right	16	11	343	Link
145.	Stevie Wonder - I Ain't Gonna Stand for It	29	11	219	Link

[rowellfarm490]

Wrapping up the "extras that we've ranked before" are all of the songs that were featured in the Lost Hits rankdowns. There are 5 of them although a few more extras here will likely be in the Early 80s III rankdown but I haven't finalized that song list yet.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
123.	Chilliwack - My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)	16	17	286	Link
200.	James Taylor & J.D. Souther - Her Town Too	21	6	110	Link
154.	Phil Seymour - Precious to Me	30	10	205	Link
109.	Randy Meisner - Hearts on Fire	14	10	326	Link
313.	The Kings - Switchin' to Glide/This Beat Goes On	52	2	18	Link

[gonecountry]

Jun 29, 2021 14:28:58 GMT -5 rowellfarm490 said:

Wrapping up the "extras that we've ranked before" are all of the songs that were featured in the Lost Hits rankdowns. There are 5 of them although a few more extras here will likely be in the Early 80s III rankdown but I haven't finalized that song list yet.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
123.	Chilliwack - My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)	16	17	286	Link
200.	James Taylor & J.D. Souther - Her Town Too	21	5	110	Link
154.	Phil Seymour - Precious to Me	-	-	205	Link
109.	Randy Meisner - Hearts on Fire	14	3	326	Link
313.	The Kings - Switchin' to Glide/This Beat Goes On	-	-	18	Link

Switching to Glide - what a fun song. Love it.

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

The Adam and The Ants classics might have gotten in my way, but I still could squeeze them into my top 50.

""I Will Follow" would sit high on my list since it is my favorite U2 jam of all time.

Love Hall & Oates, but no way.

Heart, John Mellencamp , Police, and especially "Treat Me Right" would all make my top half. In fact I would give "Treat Me Right" a top 30 rank. Higher than her other songs appearing here.

[rowellfarm490]

Much like I had done for the 1983 Mainstream Rock rankdown I am going to try and highlight the most noteworthy extras during the rankdown itself. Since there are so many of them left though, I will be posting a significant portion of the extras beforehand. There's not too much to say about this first set although it does include the title track from .38 Special's 4th studio album.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
280.	.38 Special - Wild-Eyed Southern Boys	35	2	29	Link
363.	707 - Live with the Girl	60	1	1	Link
337.	707 - Tonite's Your Nite	56	1	5	Link
258.	Adam and the Ants - Physical (You're So)	19	1	42	Link
244.	The Alan Parsons Project - Snake Eyes	22	2	53	Link
137.	The Alvin Lee Band - Ridin' Truckin'	27	10	246	Link

[rowellfarm490]

"Hold On" was the final charting single for Badfinger and reached #56 on the Hot 100. This set also features 3 songs by the lead singer of the Australian rock band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
189.	April Wine - All Over Town	29	5	125	Link
345.	April Wine - Tellin' Me Lies	57	1	4	Link
284.	The Babys - Too Far Gone	34	1	27	Link
216.	Badfinger - Hold On	42	6	85	Link
283.	Billy Thorpe - 21st Century Man	34	1	27	Link
273.	Billy Thorpe - In My Room	34	5	32	Link
290.	Billy Thorpe - Solar Dawn	36	1	25	Link

[rowellfarm490]

This next set features a pair of top 40 Hot 100 hits from Billy Vera and the Blues Brothers. "Who's Making Love" is also a cover of the 1968 soul song by Johnnie Taylor. I was unable to find an audio link anywhere online for "Dream Life" but the song is from the Brains' album Electronic Eden.

YE Rank	Artist - Song	Peak	Weeks	Points	Video
318.	Billy Vera and the Beaters - I Can Take Care of Myself	53	2	16	Link
262.	Blondie - T-Birds	23	1	38	Link
110.	The Blues Brothers - Who's Making Love	14	9	322	Link
214.	Bob Dylan - Shot of Love	38	6	87	Link
369.	The Boomtown Rats - The Elephants Graveyard	60	1	1	Link
348.	The Brains - Dream Life	57	1	4	Nope