1981 in British music
1980s in music in the UK |
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This is a summary of 1981 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Events
- 9 February – Phil Collins releases his first solo album, although he would not leave the band Genesis until 1995.
- 14 February – Billy Idol leaves Generation X to begin a solo career.
- 26 February – The Symphony No. 2 by Peter Maxwell Davies commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in celebration of its centenary, receives its world premiere at Symphony Hall, Boston, with Seiji Ozawa conducting.
- 4 April – Bucks Fizz win the Eurovision Song Contest with "Making Your Mind Up".
- 7 April – Former Who manager Kit Lambert dies after falling down a flight of stairs in his mother's home in London.
- 17 April – Eric Clapton is released from St. Paul's Hospital in Minnesota following a month-long treatment for bleeding ulcers.
- 18 April – Yes announce that they are breaking up. They would, however, reunite frequently in the future.
- 25 April – Paul McCartney's band, Wings, officially breaks up.
- 2 May – Working as a local wedding singer 12 months previously, Scottish vocalist Sheena Easton hits number one in the US with "Morning Train (9 to 5)"
- 11 May – The musical Cats begins its 8,949-performance run on London's West End.
- August – 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.
- 17 June – Pink Floyd perform their last full concert with Roger Waters, as part of The Wall Tour, at Earls Court in London. Waters would not perform with the band again until a one-off performance for Live 8 in 2005.
- 14 September – Emma Kirkby and Gothic Voices record the album A Feather on the Breath of God in St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London.
Charts
Number-one singles
Issue Date | Song | Artist(s) |
---|---|---|
3 January | "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" | St Winifred's School Choir |
10 January | "Imagine" | John Lennon |
17 January | ||
24 January | ||
31 January | ||
7 February | "Woman" | |
14 February | ||
21 February | "Shaddap You Face" | Joe Dolce Music Theatre |
28 February | ||
7 March | ||
14 March | "Jealous Guy" | Roxy Music |
21 March | ||
28 March | "This Ole House" | Shakin' Stevens |
4 April | ||
11 April | ||
18 April | "Making Your Mind Up" | Bucks Fizz |
25 April | ||
2 May | ||
9 May | "Stand and Deliver" | Adam and the Ants |
16 May | ||
23 May | ||
30 May | ||
6 June | ||
13 June | "Being with You" | Smokey Robinson |
20 June | ||
27 June | "One Day in Your Life" | Michael Jackson |
4 July | ||
11 July | "Ghost Town" | The Specials |
18 July | ||
25 July | ||
1 August | "Green Door" | Shakin' Stevens |
8 August | ||
15 August | ||
22 August | ||
29 August | "Japanese Boy" | Aneka |
5 September | "Tainted Love" | Soft Cell |
12 September | ||
19 September | "Prince Charming" | Adam and the Ants |
26 September | ||
3 October | ||
10 October | ||
17 October | "It's My Party" | Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin |
24 October | ||
31 October | ||
7 November | ||
14 November | "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" | The Police |
21 November | "Under Pressure" | Queen and David Bowie |
28 November | ||
5 December | "Begin the Beguine" | Julio Iglesias |
12 December | "Don't You Want Me" | The Human League |
19 December | ||
26 December |
Number-one albums
Issue Date | Title | Artist(s) |
---|---|---|
3 January | Super Trouper | ABBA |
10 January | ||
17 January | ||
24 January | Kings of the Wild Frontier | Adam and the Ants |
31 January | ||
7 February | Double Fantasy | John Lennon and Yoko Ono |
14 February | ||
21 February | Face Value | Phil Collins |
28 February | ||
7 March | ||
14 March | Kings of the Wild Frontier | Adam and the Ants |
21 March | ||
28 March | ||
4 April | ||
11 April | ||
18 April | ||
25 April | ||
2 May | ||
9 May | ||
16 May | ||
23 May | Stars on 45 | Starsound |
30 May | ||
6 June | ||
13 June | ||
20 June | ||
27 June | No Sleep 'til Hammersmith | Motörhead |
4 July | Disco Daze and Disco Nites | Various Artists |
11 July | Love Songs | Cliff Richard |
18 July | ||
25 July | ||
1 August | ||
8 August | ||
15 August | The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding | Various Artists |
22 August | ||
29 August | Time | Electric Light Orchestra |
5 September | ||
12 September | Dead Ringer | Meat Loaf |
19 September | ||
26 September | Abacab | Genesis |
3 October | ||
10 October | Ghost in the Machine | The Police |
17 October | ||
24 October | ||
31 October | Dare | The Human League |
7 November | Shaky | Shakin' Stevens |
14 November | Greatest Hits | Queen |
21 November | ||
28 November | ||
5 December | ||
12 December | Chart Hits '81 | Various Artists |
19 December | The Visitors | ABBA |
26 December |
Year-end charts
The tables below include sales between 1 January and 31 December 1981: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue of Music Week dated 26 December 1981 and played on Radio 1 on 3 January 1982 only include sales figures up until 12 December 1981.
Best-selling singles
At the end of 1981, the official year-end charts provided by the UK's chart provider, the British Market Research Bureau, stated that the best-selling single of the year was "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell.[1][2] However, in March 2021, the Official Charts Company announced that new research had shown that "Don't You Want Me" by the Human League, previously thought to be the year's 21st-biggest seller, was in fact the biggest-selling single of 1981 with over one million sales, and the year-end charts were adjusted accordingly.[3]
No. | Title | Artist | Peak position |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Don't You Want Me" | The Human League | 1 |
2 | "Tainted Love" | Soft Cell | 1 |
3 | "Stand and Deliver" | Adam and the Ants | 1 |
4 | "Prince Charming" | 1 | |
5 | "This Ole House" | Shakin' Stevens | 1 |
6 | "Vienna" | Ultravox | 2 |
7 | "One Day in Your Life" | Michael Jackson | 1 |
8 | "Making Your Mind Up" | Bucks Fizz | 1 |
9 | "Shaddup You Face" | Joe Dolce Music Theatre | 1 |
10 | "The Birdie Song (Birdie Dance)" | The Tweets | 2 |
11 | "You Drive Me Crazy" | Shakin' Stevens | 2 |
12 | "Ghost Town" | The Specials | 1 |
13 | "It's My Party" | Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin | 1 |
14 | "Being with You" | Smokey Robinson | 1 |
15 | "Happy Birthday" | Altered Images | 2 |
16 | "Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)" | Ottawan | 3 |
17 | "Woman" | John Lennon | 1 |
18 | "Stars on 45" | Starsound | 2 |
19 | "Begin the Beguine (Volver a Empezar)" | Julio Iglesias | 1 |
20 | "Green Door" | Shakin' Stevens | 1 |
21 | "Imagine" | John Lennon | 1 |
22 | "Jealous Guy" | Roxy Music | 1 |
23 | "Kids in America" | Kim Wilde | 2 |
24 | "Japanese Boy" | Aneka | 1 |
25 | "Daddy's Home" | Cliff Richard | 2 |
26 | "Chi Mai" | Ennio Morricone | 2 |
27 | "Hooked on Classics" | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, arranged and conducted by Louis Clark | 2 |
28 | "Souvenir" | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | 3 |
29 | "Can Can" | Bad Manners | 3 |
30 | "Antmusic" | Adam and the Ants | 2 |
31 | "(Do) The Hucklebuck" | Coast to Coast | 5 |
32 | "Hold On Tight" | ELO | 4 |
33 | "More Than in Love" | Kate Robbins and Beyond | 2 |
34 | "Love Action (I Believe in Love)" | The Human League | 3 |
35 | "Body Talk" | Imagination | 4 |
36 | "Stars on 45 (Volume 2)" | Starsound | 2 |
37 | "Lately" | Stevie Wonder | 3 |
38 | "In the Air Tonight" | Phil Collins | 2 |
39 | "Under Pressure" | Queen and David Bowie | 1 |
40 | "Going Back to My Roots" | Odyssey | 4 |
41 | "Under Your Thumb" | Godley and Creme | 3 |
42 | "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" | The Police | 1 |
43 | "Happy Birthday" | Stevie Wonder | 2 |
44 | "Kings of the Wild Frontier" | Adam and the Ants | 2 |
45 | "I Surrender" | Rainbow | 3 |
46 | "Pretend" | Alvin Stardust | 4 |
47 | "How 'Bout Us" | Champaign | 5 |
48 | "Endless Love" | Diana Ross and Lionel Richie | 7 |
49 | Four from Toyah (EP) | Toyah | 4 |
50 | "Let's Groove" | Earth, Wind & Fire | 3 |
Best-selling albums
[4][5]
No. | Title | Artist | Peak position |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Kings of the Wild Frontier | Adam and the Ants | 1 |
2 | Greatest Hits | Queen | 1 |
3 | Dare | The Human League | 1 |
4 | Face Value | Phil Collins | 1 |
5 | Shaky | Shakin' Stevens | 1 |
6 | Ghost in the Machine | The Police | 1 |
7 | Love Songs | Cliff Richard | 1 |
8 | Chart Hits '81 | Various Artists | 1 |
9 | Prince Charming | Adam and the Ants | 2 |
10 | Double Fantasy | John Lennon and Yoko Ono | 1 |
11 | The Jazz Singer | Neil Diamond | 3 |
12 | Making Movies | Dire Straits | 4 |
13 | Stars on 45 | Starsound | 1 |
14 | Hotter than July | Stevie Wonder | 3[a] |
15 | Vienna | Ultravox | 3 |
16 | Secret Combination | Randy Crawford | 2 |
17 | The Visitors | ABBA | 1 |
18 | The Best of Blondie | Blondie | 4 |
19 | Bat Out of Hell | Meat Loaf | 9 |
20 | Manilow Magic: The Best of Barry Manilow | Barry Manilow | 4[b] |
21 | Time | Electric Light Orchestra | 1 |
22 | Pearls | Elkie Brooks | 5 |
23 | Dead Ringer | Meat Loaf | 1 |
24 | Anthem | Toyah | 2 |
25 | Hooked on Classics | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | 4 |
26 | Guilty | Barbra Streisand | 3[c] |
27 | Duran Duran | Duran Duran | 3 |
28 | Present Arms | UB40 | 2 |
29 | Super Hits 1 & 2 | Various Artists | 2 |
30 | This Ole House | Shakin' Stevens | 2 |
31 | Wired for Sound | Cliff Richard | 4 |
32 | Abacab | Genesis | 1 |
33 | Disco Daze/Disco Nites | Various Artists | 1 |
34 | Architecture and Morality | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | 3 |
35 | Tattoo You | The Rolling Stones | 2 |
36 | The Simon and Garfunkel Collection: 17 of Their All-Time Greatest Recordings | Simon & Garfunkel | 4 |
37 | Hi Infidelity | REO Speedwagon | 6 |
38 | If I Should Love Again | Barry Manilow | 5 |
39 | The Best of Bowie | David Bowie | 3 |
40 | Super Trouper | ABBA | 1 |
41 | No Sleep 'til Hammersmith | Motörhead | 1 |
42 | The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding | Various Artists | 1 |
43 | Christopher Cross | Christopher Cross | 1 |
44 | 7 | Madness | 5 |
45 | The River | Bruce Springsteen | 2 |
46 | Tonight I'm Yours | Rod Stewart | 8 |
47 | Greatest Hits | Dr. Hook | 2 |
48 | Difficult to Cure | Rainbow | 3 |
49 | Barry | Barry Manilow | 5 |
50 | Signing Off | UB40 | 2 |
Notes:
Classical music: new works
- Peter Maxwell Davies – Piano Sonata
- George Lloyd – Symphony No 10, November Journeys (for brass)
- Adrian Williams – String Quartet No. 2
Opera
- Iain Hamilton – Anna Karenina[6]
Musical theatre
- 11 May – Cats, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, opens in London's West End.
- 16 December – Alan Ayckbourn's Making Tracks, with music by Paul Todd, opens at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.
Musical films
Births
- 11 January
- Jamelia, singer
- Tom Meighan, lead singer of Kasabian
- 22 January – Sarah Davies, bassist (Hepburn)
- 19 January – Thaila Zucchi, singer (allSTARS*) and actress
- 24 February – Gwilym Simcock, pianist and composer
- 11 March – Russell Lissack, guitarist with Bloc Party
- 13 March – Ivo Neame, jazz pianist and saxophonist
- 20 March – Declan Bennett, singer (Point Break)
- 26 March – Jay Sean, singer
- 1 April – Hannah Spearritt, actress and singer (S Club 7)
- 2 April – Linzi Martin, singer (Girl Thing)
- 10 April – Liz McClarnon, singer (Atomic Kitten)
- 21 April – Mike Christie, baritone (G4)
- 26 April – Ms Dynamite, singer
- 4 May – Ryan Elliott, singer (Ultimate Kaos)
- 5 May – Craig David, singer
- 20 May – Sean Conlon, musician (5ive)
- 22 May – Su-Elise Nash, singer (Mis-Teeq)
- 23 May – Gwenno Saunders, singer
- 5 June – Anika Bostelaar, Dutch-born singer (Girl Thing)
- 22 June – Chris Urbanowicz, guitarist (Editors)
- 23 June – Antony Costa, singer (Blue)
- 27 June – Colin and Joe O'Halloran, Irish singers (Reel)
- 6 July – Vicky Palmer, singer (Boom!)
- 12 July – Rebecca Hunter, singer (allSTARS*)
- 19 July – Didz Hammond, singer and bass player (Dirty Pretty Things and The Cooper Temple Clause)
- 24 July – Lisa Lister, guitarist (Hepburn)
- 8 August – Bradley McIntosh, singer (S Club 7)
- 11 August – Sandi Thom, singer-songwriter
- 21 August – Jenilca Giusti, Puerto Rican-born singer (Solid HarmoniE)
- 29 September – Suzanne Shaw, singer (Hear'Say) and actress
- 6 October – Sarah Keating, Irish singer (Six)
- 10 October – Una Healy, Irish singer (The Saturdays)
- 13 October – Kele Okereke, singer (Bloc Party)
- 31 October – Liam McKenna, Northern Irish singer (Six)
- 17 November – Sarah Harding, singer (Girls Aloud)
- 20 November – Kimberley Walsh, singer (Girls Aloud)
- 22 November – Ben Adams, singer (A1)
- 26 November – Natasha Bedingfield, singer[7]
- 19 December – Sam Bloom, singer (allSTARS*)
Deaths
- 19 February
- Olive Gilbert, actress and singer, 82[8]
- Frank Merrick, pianist, 95[9]
- 21 February – Ron Grainer, Australian-born electronic music pioneer and composer involved with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, 58 (spinal cancer)[10]
- 10 March – Bill Hopkins, pianist, composer and critic, 37 (heart attack)
- 24 March – George Charles Gray, cathedral organist, 83
- 7 April – Kit Lambert, manager and producer, 45 (fall)
- 8 April – Eric Rogers, composer, 59
- 14 April – Christian Darnton, composer, 75
- 21 April – Ivor Newton, pianist and accompanist, 88
- 28 April – Steve Currie, bassist of T.Rex, 33 (car crash)[11]
- 12 May – Frank Weir, orchestra leader and jazz musician, 70
- 17 May – Alan Gowen, keyboardist (Gilgamesh), 33 (leukaemia)
- 29 May – Sir John Dykes Bower, cathedral organist, 75
- 18 July – Janet Craxton, oboist, 52
- 5 August – Reginald Kell, clarinettist, 75
- 29 August – Guy Stevens, band manager, record producer and DJ, 38 (overdose)
- 23 September – Sam Costa, dance band singer and DJ, 71
- 29 September – Tommy Moore, former drummer of the Beatles, 50 (brain haemorrhage)
- 30 September – Boyd Neel, orchestral conductor, 76
- 15 October – Elsie Randolph, actress, dancer and singer, 77
- 9 November – Willis Grant, cathedral organist, 74
- 13 December – Cornelius Cardew, experimental music composer, 45 (hit-and-run car accident)[12]
- 17 December – Sybil Gordon, operatic mezzo-soprano, 79
- date unknown – Albert Ernest Sims, composer, conductor and music director of The Central Band of H.M. Royal Air Force, 85[13]
See also
- 1981 in British radio
- 1981 in British television
- 1981 in the United Kingdom
- List of British films of 1981
References
- ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1982). "The Top 200 Singles: January–December 1981". BPI Year Book 1982 (5th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 46–49. ISBN 0-906154-03-0.
- ^ Jones, Alan; Lazell, Barry; Rees, Dafydd (1982). "The Top 200 Singles (UK)". Chart File 1982. London, England: Virgin Books. pp. 74–77. ISBN 0-907080-49-9.
- ^ Copsey, Rob (5 March 2021). "The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1981". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ Scaping (1982). "The Top 200 LPs: January–December 1981". pp. 50–53.
- ^ Jones; Lazell; Rees (1982). "The Top 200 Albums (UK)". pp. 78–81.
- ^ Dean, Winton (1981). "Music in London: Anna Karenina". The Musical Times Vol. 122, No. 1661 (July 1981), p. 487. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ Tracie Ratiner (May 2010). Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music. Cengage Gale. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-7876-9617-7.
- ^ "Miss Olive Gilbert", The Times, 20 February 1981, p. 16, col. G
- ^ Gerald Norris (1981). A Musical Gazetteer of Great Britain & Ireland. David & Charles. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7153-7845-8.
- ^ Lone Eagle Publishing Co (2000). Film Composers Directory. Lone Eagle. p. 199.
- ^ Nick Talevski (1999). The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries. Omnibus. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7119-7548-4.
- ^ Tilbury, John. Cornelius Cardew: A Life Unfinished Harlow: Copula, an imprint of Matchless Recordings and Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-0-9525492-3-9
- ^ Bierley, Paul E; Rehrig, William H (1991). The heritage encyclopedia of band music : composers and their music. Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press. ISBN 0-918048-08-7.
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