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"That music's lost its taste, so try another flavour....". Antmusic ruled the
roost for much of 1981, clocking up a still-unrivalled 92 chart weeks in the
calendar year, but their temporary domination of British pop was slightly
delayed by the murder of John Lennon.
The former Beatle began 1981 with not one
but two back-to-back chart toppers. The first was the title track from his
second solo album Imagine, originally released a full decade earlier (and which had
belatedly been a UK hit before in 1975). Imagine had risen to #1 on the first
new chart week of the year and would be replaced by Woman, the second single
from then-new Double Fantasy set, which was already at #2.
Adam & The Ants: Kings of the Wild Frontier
Lennon was not the only act with more than one hit in the Top 10 on the chart
of 23 years ago. The aforementioned Adam and (his trusty) Ants were at #4 with
Antmusic (falling from its peak of #2) and at #9 with Young Parisians. The
latter was an old recording re-issued by their previous label; the archetypal
cash-in, and one of many during the year.
Their 1980 debut for CBS, Kings Of The Wild Frontier, was at #1 having
finally dethroned ABBA's Super Trouper. It would be the biggest-selling album
of 1981, eclipsing even their own Prince Charming which appeared later
in the year.
(For a recent compilation, check out the
Antbox Box Set)
Phil Collins: Hits
The track that a newly-solo Phil Collins would later come to deprecatingly
refer to as "that bloody song", the ubiquitous In The Air Tonight, was another
classic-in-the-making which was denied #1 status by the understandable
Lennonmania. It had soared #36-#4 but then only inched up a place to #3, eventually
peaking at #2.
Blondie: Greatest Hits
Blondie's star was beginning to wane as Rapture, the outstanding moment from
November 1980's Autoamerican release, could only climb as high as #5. It thus
ended a run of three consecutive UK number ones for the band, although the
groundbreaking single went all the way in the US. They wouldn't appear in the
British Top 10 again for 18 years.
Ultravox: Vienna
This meant nothing to them, but Vienna was in the process of making the Midge
Ure-fronted Ultravox a household name and chart regular during the first half
of the 80s. In their early John Foxx days, they had never made it anywhere
near the Top 20; once his replacement came in, their fortunes changed
dramatically.
Rising purposefully from its entry position of #16 up to #6, Vienna the
single was taken from their album of the same name released the previous year,
which enjoyed renewed and greater success as a result. Ure also had a
behind-the-scenes role in Visage, a studio-bound project given a strong visual identity
by Steve Strange. Fade To Grey, their breakthrough hit, climbed 13 places to
#12. Several Top 20 singles followed in the next 18 months, but Fade To Grey's
#8 peak would never be bettered.
David Bowie: Scary Monsters
After a phenomenally creative and commercially successful decade in the
1970s, Stevie Wonder was still coming up with the goods as the 1980s arrived; I
Ain't Gonna Stand For It (up 2 places to #10) would however prove to be one of
his last great singles.
David Bowie, meanwhile, lifted a third hit from Scary
Monsters & Super Creeps but after reaching #1 and #5 with the album's first two
singles (Ashes To Ashes and Fashion respectively), the title track rose no
higher than a modest #20.
At #16, Dire Straits were enjoying a rare brush with the
upper reaches of the Singles chart with Romeo & Juliet (climbing from #25 the
previous week). It would be one of just four Top 10 hits for Mark Knopfler
and co. in their 15-year existence between 1977 and 1992.
Madness: The Lot
The week's highest climber was Madness' latest opus The Return Of The Los
Palmas 7, which had made a muted entrance at #38 but now soared to #18. A unique
symmetry was achieved by former hit Embarrassment falling to #38 as it came
towards the end of its 11-week run.
New to the Top 40 were Spandau Ballet with The Freeze at #24 (before they
became blue-eyed soul boys), XTC at #34 with one of their most notable singles
Sgt Rock Is Going To Help Me (it would ultimately reach #16 and become their
second-biggest hit) and, at #40, erstwhile chart champs The Boomtown Rats with
The Elephant's Graveyard. The Rats' appeal had definitely lost its taste. The
Ants were the new flavour.
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Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
