40 years ago, the saxophone reigned supreme. It appeared on epic solos (Hall & Oates), as main riffs (Men at Work), alongside drums as the driving force of dance-punk (Pigbag, Romeo Romeo, etc.). It’s an excellent instrument but is unfortunately now mostly a timestamp for a bygone era. If this list of the 50 best songs of 1981 proves anything, it’s that the music industry needs more sax. Maybe also proven? Disco never really died; it just morphed into subtler, more abrasive territory and kept its stranglehold across American nightclubs. Also of note, 1981 birthed two of the most important bands of the ’80s, across the Atlantic from each other — New Order and R.E.M.. Oh and another thing — rock music became much more experimental and went very underground: Minor Threat, Black Flag, Flipper, Wipers, This Heat, Glenn Branca (AKA a murderer’s row of hardcore and experimental rock).
Here are my choices for the 50 Best Songs of 1981 with a playlist at the end! Thanks!
50. Altered Images – “Happy Birthday”
49. Wipers – “Youth of America”
48. This Heat – “Paper Hats”
47. Bobby Womack – “If You Think You’re Lonely Now”
46. Spandau Ballet – “Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)”
45. Quincy Jones – “Ai No Corrida”
44. Gang of Four – “To Hell With Poverty!”
43. Kim Carnes – “Bette Davis Eyes”
42. Kool & the Gang – “Get Down on It”
41. Inner Life – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
40. Kate Bush – “Sat in Your Lap”
39. The Rolling Stones – “Start Me Up”
38. Stevie Nicks (ft. Tom Petty) – “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”
37. Soft Cell – “Tainted Love”
36. Siouxsie and the Banshees – “Spellbound”
35. Flipper – “Sex Bomb”
34. Smokey Robinson – “Being With You”
33. The Police – “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
32. The Go-Go’s – “We Got the Beat”
31. Pigbag – “Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag”
30. Taana Gardner – “Heartbeat”
29. Kraftwerk – “Numbers”
28. Scritti Politti – “The Sweetest Girl”
27. The Human League – “Don’t You Want Me”
26. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel”
25. Dinosaur L – “#5 (Go Bang)”
24. Romeo Void – “Never Say Never”
23. Yoko Ono – “Walking on Thin Ice”
22. Kraftwerk – “Pocket Calculator”
21. Fela Kuti – “Coffin for Head of State (Parts 1 & 2)”
20. Earth, Wind & Fire – “Let’s Groove”
19. Mission of Burma – “That’s When I Reach for My Revolver”
18. Prince – “Controversy”
17. Minor Threat – “Minor Threat”
16. Rick James – “Give It to Me Baby”
15. The Go-Go’s – “Our Lips Are Sealed”
14. Grace Jones – “Pull Up to the Bumper”
13. Luther Vandross – “Never Too Much”
12. ESG – “Moody”
11. The Specials – “Ghost Town”
10. R.E.M. – “Radio Free Europe”
9. Phil Collins – “In the Air Tonight”
8. Black Flag – “Rise Above”
7. Queen & David Bowie – “Under Pressure”
6. Stevie Nicks – “Edge of Seventeen”
5. Tom Tom Club – “Genius of Love”
4. Kraftwerk – “Computer Love”
3. Daryl Hall & John Oates – “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)”
2. Laurie Anderson – “O Superman”
1. New Order – “Ceremony”
Bitter Melodies 