List of number one hits in the UK charts (1981)

This is a list of the number one hits on the UK charts in 1981. It is based on the Official Singles Chart Top 75 and Official Albums Chart Top 100 , as determined by the Chart Information Network . There were 20 number-one singles and 18 number-one albums that year.

Singles • Albums • Hit parades of the year • Bottom of page

Singles

← 1980 ←	List of number one hits in the UK charts			1982 →
Period Where. total Interpreter Title Author (s) Additional Information (Period, weeks in first place, artist, title , author [s], additional information) December 21, 1980 - January 3, 1981 2 weeks 2 St Winifred's School Choir There's No One Quite like Grandma Gordon Albert Lorenz - January 4, 1981 - January 31, 1981 4 weeks 4th John Lennon Imagine John Winston Lennon - February 1, 1981 - February 14, 1981 2 weeks 2 John Lennon Woman John Winston Lennon - February 15, 1981 - March 7, 1981 3 weeks 3 Joe Dolce Music Theater Shaddap You Face Joseph Dolce - March 8, 1981 - March 21, 1981 2 weeks 2 Roxy Music Jealous Guy John Winston Lennon - March 22, 1981 - April 11, 1981 3 weeks 3 Shakin 'Stevens This Ole House Stuart Hamblen - April 12, 1981 - May 2, 1981 3 weeks 3 Bucks Fizz Making Your Mind Up John Danter , Andrew Gerard Hill - May 3, 1981 - June 6, 1981 5 weeks 5 Adam & the Ants Stand and Deliver Stuart Leslie Goddard , Marco Pirroni - June 7, 1981 - June 20, 1981 2 weeks 2 Smokey Robinson Being with You William Robinson Jr. - June 21, 1981 - July 4, 1981 2 weeks 2 Michael Jackson One Day in Your Life Samuel F. Brown III, Renee Armand - July 5, 1981 - July 25, 1981 3 weeks 3 The specials Ghost Town Jerry Dammers - July 26, 1981 - August 22, 1981 4 weeks 4th Shakin 'Stevens Green Door Bob Davie, Marvin J. Moore - August 23, 1981 - August 29, 1981 1 week 1 Aneka Japanese boy Robert Raymond Heatlie - August 30, 1981 - September 12, 1981 2 weeks 2 Soft cell Tainted Love Edward C. Cobb - September 13, 1981 - October 10, 1981 4 weeks 4th Adam & the Ants Prince Charming Stuart Leslie Goddard , Marco Pirroni - October 11, 1981 - November 7, 1981 4 weeks 4th Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin It's My Party Herbert Wiener, John Gluck Jr. Wally Gold, Cy Crane - November 8, 1981 - November 14, 1981 1 week 1 The Police Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic Gordon Matthew Sumner - November 15, 1981 - November 28, 1981 2 weeks 2 Queen & David Bowie Under Pressure David Bowie, Frederick Mercury , Roger Meddows Taylor , John Richard Deacon , Brian Harold May - November 29, 1981 - December 5, 1981 1 week 1 Julio Iglesias Begin the Beguine (Volver a empezar) Cole Porter ; additional text: Julio Iglesias de la Cueva - December 10, 1981 - January 9, 1982 4 weeks 4th The Human League Don't You Want Me John William Callis, Philip Adrian Wright , Philip Oakey -
← 1980				→ 1982 →

Albums

← 1980 ←	List of number one hits in the UK charts			1982 →
Period Where. total Interpreter title Additional Information (Period, weeks in first place, artist, title , additional information) November 16, 1980 - January 17, 1981 9 weeks 9 ABBA Super trouper - January 18, 1981 - January 31, 1981 2 weeks (total of 12) 12 Adam & the Ants Kings of the Wild Frontier - February 1, 1981 - February 14, 1981 2 weeks 2 John Lennon & Yoko Ono Double fantasy - February 15, 1981 - March 7, 1981 3 weeks 3 Phil Collins Face Value - March 8, 1981 - May 16, 1981 10 weeks (total of 12) 12 Adam & the Ants Kings of the Wild Frontier - May 17, 1981 - June 20, 1981 5 weeks 5 Star sound Stars on 45 - June 21, 1981 - June 27, 1981 1 week 1 Motorhead No Sleep 'til Hammersmith - June 28, 1981 - July 4, 1981 1 week 1 ( Various artists ) Disco Daze and Disco Nites - July 5, 1981 - August 8, 1981 5 weeks 5 Cliff Richard Love songs - August 9, 1981 - August 22, 1981 2 weeks 2 ( Various artists ) The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding - August 23, 1981 - September 5, 1981 2 weeks 2 ELO Time - September 6, 1981 - September 19, 1981 2 weeks 2 Meat loaf Dead ringer - September 20, 1981 - October 3, 1981 2 weeks 2 genesis Abacab - October 4, 1981 - October 24, 1981 3 weeks 3 The Police Ghost in the Machine - October 25, 1981 - October 31, 1981 1 week (4 in total) 4th The Human League Dare! - November 1, 1981 - November 7, 1981 1 week 1 Shakin 'Stevens Shaky - November 8, 1981 - December 5, 1981 4 weeks 4th Queen Greatest hits - December 6, 1981 - December 12, 1981 1 week 1 ( Various artists ) Chart Hits '81 - December 13, 1981 - January 2, 1982 3 weeks 3 ABBA The Visitors -
← 1980				→ 1982 →

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The figures are based on the Chart Information Network's official UK sales hit parades . The dates refer to the validity date of the charts, i.e. the week following the sales week.

Annual hit parades

← 1980 ←	List of number one hits in the UK charts			1982 →
Singles position# Albums Tainted Love Soft Cell Edward C. Cobb 1 Kings of the Wild Frontier Adam & the Ants Stand and Deliver Adam & the Ants Stuart Leslie Goddard , Marco Pirroni 2 Greatest Hits Queen Prince Charming Adam & the Ants Stuart Leslie Goddard , Marco Pirroni 3 Face Value Phil Collins This Ole House Shakin 'Stevens Stuart Hamblen 4th Shaky Shakin 'Stevens Vienna Ultravox Christopher Thomas Allen, Warren Reginald Cann , Billy Currie , Midge Ure 5 Ghost in the Machine The Police Making Your Mind Up Bucks Fizz John Danter , Andrew Gerard Hill 6th Love Songs Cliff Richard One Day in Your Life Michael Jackson Samuel F. Brown III, Renee Armand 7th Dare! The Human League Shaddap You Face Joe Dolce Music Theater Joseph Dolce 8th Double Fantasy John Lennon & Yoko Ono The Birdie Song (Birdie Dance) The Tweets Werner Thomas 9 The Jazz Singer Neil Diamond You Drive Me Crazy Shakin 'Stevens Ronald Frank Harwood 10 Stars on 45 Star Sound
← 1980				→ 1982 →

Web links

• Official Charts - Official site of the UK charts
• Annual hits: singles / albums

See also: 1981 number one hits in Australia , Belgium , Germany , Finland , France , Ireland , Italy , Japan , Canada , New Zealand , the Netherlands , Norway , Austria , Sweden , Switzerland , Spain, and the United States .