# Best #1 single of the year retrospective: 1981 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977 "2014-10-10T15:56:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/21 "2014-10-10T18:02:19Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I had the opposite reaction - too many good choices to be easy. _I Love A Rainy Night, Arthur’s Theme, Endless Love_ - all good, but I picked _Physical_ because it gives me a feeling between my toes.The big ones.I was dating my wife then, and she did aerobic dance even then. And I went to pick her up at the gym, where she was dancing to that number. Little beads of sweat on her upper lip, and elsewhere. > > Hoo boy. > > Regards, > Shodan Good memories, huh? Not my favorite song in the world, but I can understand why it would be one of yours. “And elsewhere,” indeed. 😃 As for me, I’m not all that taken by any of these songs - it’s not like they’re bad, it’s just that none of them are really _that_ good - and I voted for the Lennon song in the 1980 poll, so I’m gonna go with “Tide Is High” here, because why not? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/22 "2014-10-10T18:03:44Z")
I’m voting for “Stars On 45” just to demonstrate my total disdain for the music of this era. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/23 "2014-10-10T18:04:34Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I had the opposite reaction - too many good choices to be easy. _I Love A Rainy Night, Arthur’s Theme, Endless Love_ - all good, but I picked _Physical_ because it gives me a feeling between my toes.The big ones.I was dating my wife then, and she did aerobic dance even then. And I went to pick her up at the gym, where she was dancing to that number. Little beads of sweat on her upper lip, and elsewhere. > > Hoo boy. > > Regards, > Shodan Don’t know if that is gross or hot, but it’s sweet and cute. I went with Stars on 45, love the mashup of different Beatles songs, with the slight disco background. It is very catchy and I love all those Beatles songs used, and not to mention their take is spot on! I wanted to vote for Kool and the Gang, but seems that it ahead so far. My other favorites are getting much love so I decided to go for the underdog here. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/24 "2014-10-10T18:23:09Z")
This is the year a vote, resoundingly, for Blondie, because “Rapture” is a PHENOMENAL tune. Those that just missed were: “Jessie’s Girl”, “Kiss on My List”, “The Tide Is High”, and “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)”. Oh, yeah, and despite how delectable she looks in the video, FRIG “Physical”. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/25 "2014-10-10T18:32:05Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I picked _Physical_ because it gives me a feeling between my toes. Athlete’s foot? ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/26 "2014-10-10T19:37:41Z")
I voted for “(Just Like) Starting Over” even though I think the song is only okay. I’m mostly indifferent about the other songs with the special exceptions of “Endless Love” and “Physical”. I LOATHE both of those. Listening to “Endless Love” is like being drowned in corn syrup and “Physical” automatically conjures up the image of an aerobics class in hell. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/27 "2014-10-10T20:11:48Z")
This year finally puts a stop to the startling shutout of the Beatles from my votes. “Just Like Starting Over” wasn’t quite good enough to vote for in the 1980 poll, but it’s an easy choice for this year. “Celebration” is a distant second (unless you count the version that Erik Estrada sang in a CHiPs episode; this would have been the winner. Too bad Ponch never reached #1.) The Stars on 45 finish dead-ass last, just behind Air Supply. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/28 "2014-10-10T20:49:49Z")
I was seriously considering “Rapture”, but I didn’t want to vote for Blondie two years in a row. So, I voted for “Jessie’s Girl”. (After voting, I went back to see who won 1980 and found that I voted for “Another One Bites the Dust”. Oops.) ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/29 "2014-10-10T21:14:06Z")
I had lots of fun in the '80s so it is difficult not to conflate “actually good songs really” with “songs that evoke great memories.” Quite a few good choices. I went with Eddie Rabbit. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/30 "2014-10-10T21:58:46Z")
Hmm, another pass on this one. I don’t think I ever liked any of these songs. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/31 "2014-10-10T22:12:30Z")
No contest: Kim Carnes. Lennon and Cross come in second, but Carnes is outstanding! ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/32 "2014-10-10T23:18:08Z")
Celebration. Kool and the Gang could have massive crossover appeal today if they pushed the envelope of their sound more towards the funk and rock and dance, as opposed to the generic R&B crud that their last album was. But Celebration, one of my favorite songs of all time. Jessies Girl and Bette Davis Eyes were pretty important songs as well though for really setting the bar for what the 80s would sound like. Physical was a huge hit but I think owed more to the 70s than a signal of what was to come. Celebration did too of course, but unlike Olivia Newton-John, Kool and the Gang still had a couple of #1’s left in them heading into the mid-80s. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/33 "2014-10-10T23:21:44Z")
It’s all dreck, but my vote was easy: _Morning Train_. This is because it was my very favorite song when I was 4 and I had a record of it which I played on my Fisher Price record player until my parents’ ears bled. The reason is that had the word “train” in it, and when I was 4 I really, _really_ liked trains and anything remotely associated with trains. I still like trains but I no longer like the song. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/34 "2014-10-11T00:11:28Z")
[9 to 5!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dthBYB-2hk) Seriously, I think it’s a great song. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/35 "2014-10-11T01:19:21Z")
The Stones’ “Start Me Up” didn’t reach #1? I’m surprised. Don’t laugh, but I went with REO Speedwagon. Decent mid-tempo rock ballad from a goofy Illinois act that would have been nothing without MTV. ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/36 "2014-10-11T01:22:37Z")
I was tempted to go with Lennon, because … well… he’s Lennon. And “Starting Over” is a darn good song. But really, there were a lot of good choices. Ultimately I went with Speedwagon, because it was for me, at that time, the most memorable. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/37 "2014-10-11T01:25:40Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > The Stones’ “Start Me Up” didn’t reach #1? I’m surprised. Considering their stature, the Stones have had remarkably few #1s in their long career. “Miss You” was the last one. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Start Me Up” are especially eyebrow-raising, and “It’s Only Rock & Roll” didn’t even come _close_. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/38 "2014-10-11T02:22:50Z")
I think there were quite a few songs on the list that did eactly what they set out to do, and did it well: Jessie’s Girl, Arthur’s Theme, Morning Train, and several others. But the only song that stays in my mind thirty seconds after it’s over is Rapture. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/39 "2014-10-11T02:35:58Z")
I can’t view Youtube at work, so I was surprised about the song “Rapture.” Sure enough, I’ve never heard it in my life. And now that I have heard it I know why: it sucks. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977/40 "2014-10-11T02:39:04Z")
OOf. “Celebration” for me here. This is so far the musical nadir for me from all these polls. Hope it gets more interesting in '82, but I’m not gonna cheat and look ahead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1981/700977.md?page=3)