The UK charts on December 4, 1981, were a perfect mix of innovation, nostalgia, and pure 80s magic.
This week, we count down 20 incredible tracks, featuring:
🎶 Queen and David Bowie teaming up for a legendary duet
🎶 The Human League leading the synthpop revolution
🎶 Soft Cell, OMD, and Ultravox bringing new wave brilliance
🎶 Diana Ross, Olivia Newton-John, and Rod Stewart proving the legends were still on top
🎶 Julio Iglesias taking a Spanish-language ballad all the way to number one
This countdown is a time capsule of 1981—an era where music was changing, evolving, and setting the stage for the decade ahead.
📢 Want even more? Over on Patreon, we just dropped Episode 2 of The Top 80 Protest Songs of the 80s! These are the songs that stood for something, shook the system, and still carry their message today.
📢 Follow us on social media! Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and Mastodon—we’re keeping the 80s alive everywhere!
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🔊 Turn it up and relive the music that made us!
