List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1981
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These are the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits of 1981. The longest running number-one single of 1981 is "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John which stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks in 1981 and then for four additional weeks in 1982, with a total of 10 weeks at number-one. This also makes "Physical" the longest running number-one single of the 1980s.
That year, 10 acts hit number one for the first time, such as Kool & the Gang, Dolly Parton, Eddie Rabbitt, REO Speedwagon, Sheena Easton, Kim Carnes, Stars on 45, Air Supply, and Rick Springfield. Lionel Richie, already having hit number one with The Commodores, also receives his first number one song as a solo act. Blondie and Daryl Hall and John Oates were the only acts to hit number one more than once, with both acts hitting twice.
Chart history
| The yellow background indicates the No. 1 song on Billboard's 1981 Year-End Chart of Pop Singles. |
Notes
- This was an unpublished week, due to a special double issue that Billboard published in print the previous week, for the year-end charts, and covered two weeks; all Billboard weekly charts were "frozen" during the break.
Number-one artists
| Position | Artist | Weeks at No. 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim Carnes | 9 |
| Diana Ross | ||
| Lionel Richie | ||
| 4 | Olivia Newton-John | 6 |
| 5 | Daryl Hall and John Oates | 5 |
| 6 | John Lennon | 4 |
| 7 | Blondie | 3 |
| Christopher Cross | ||
| 9 | Kool & the Gang | 2 |
| Eddie Rabbitt | ||
| Dolly Parton | ||
| Sheena Easton | ||
| Rick Springfield | ||
| 14 | REO Speedwagon | 1 |
| Stars on 45 | ||
| Air Supply |