1981 ROCK Number One Song Calendar |
| red # = weekly rock chartblue # = pop chart |
| 1 | Keep On Loving You | 1 | 2 | 12-27-80 |
| REO Speedwagon |
 |  |
| 2 | Woman | 1 | 1 | 1-10-81 |
| John Lennon |
| | |
| 3 | Don't Stand So Close To Me | 1 | 6 | 1-31-81 |
| The Police |
| | |
| 4 | While You See A Chance | 1 | 3 | 2-14-81 |
| Steve Winwood |
| | |
| 5 | Turn Me Loose | 1 | 19 | 2-28-81 |
| Loverboy |
| | |
| 6 | Tom Sawyer | 1 | 3-07-81 |
| Rush |
| | |
| 7 | I Can't Stand It | 1 | 7 | 3-14-81 |
| Eric Clapton |
| | |
| 8 | You Better You Bet | 1 | 12 | 3-21-81 |
| The Who |
| | |
| 9 | Limelight | 1 | 4-11-81 |
| Rush |
| | |
| 10 | In The Air Tonight | 1 | 6 | 4-18-81 |
| Phil Collins |
| | |
| 11 | Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap | 1 | 4-25-81 |
| AC/DC |
| | |
| 12 | The Waiting | 1 | 10 | 5-02-81 |
| Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers |
| | |
| 13 | Winning | 1 | 7 | 5-16-81 |
| Santana |
| | |
| 5-23-81 |
| The Waiting by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers returns to number one |
| 14 | Crazy Train | 1 | 5-30-81 |
| Ozzy Osbourne |
| | |
| 15 | A Life Of Illusion | 1 | 25 | 6-06-81 |
| Joe Walsh |
| | |
| 16 | The Stroke | 1 | 22 | 6-13-81 |
| Billy Squier |
| | |
| 17 | The Voice | 1 | 6 | 6-27-81 |
| The Moody Blues |
| | |
| 18 | A Woman In Love (It's Not Me) | 1 | 7-11-81 |
| Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers |
| | |
| 19 | Urgent | 1 | 2 | 7-18-81 |
| Foreigner |
| | |
| 20 | Burnin' For You | 1 | 23 | 8-08-81 |
| Blue Oyster Cult |
| | |
| 21 | Stop Draggin' My Heart Around | 1 | 1 | 8-15-81 |
| Stevie Nicks With Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers |
| | |
| 22 | Start Me Up | 1 | 2 | 8-29-81 |
| The Rolling Stones |
| | |
| 23 | Don't Stop Believin' | 1 | 7 | 9-26-81 |
| Journey |
| | |
| 24 | Tryin' To Live My Life Without You | 1 | 3 | 10-03-81 |
| Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band |
| | |
| 25 | No Reply At All | 1 | 17 | 10-10-81 |
| Genesis |
| | |
| 26 | Hang Fire | 1 | 10-17-81 |
| The Rolling Stones |
| | |
| 27 | Destroyer | 1 | 10-24-81 |
| The Kinks |
| | |
| 28 | Magic Power | 1 | 11-07-81 |
| Triumph |
| | |
| 29 | Waiting For A Girl Like You | 1 | 1 | 11-14-81 |
| Foreigner |
| | |
| 30 | Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic | 1 | 2 | 11-21-81 |
| The Police |
| | |
| 31 | Abacab | 1 | 20 | 11-28-81 |
| Genesis |
| | |
| 32 | Flying High Again | 1 | 12-12-81 |
| Ozzy Osbourne |
| | |
| 33 | Centerfold | 1 | 2 | 12-26-81 |
| The J. Geils Band |
| | |