Year-end countdown · KISW · August 21, 2021
KISW 25 Biggest Rock Songs from 1981
The year-end countdown (August 21, 2021) from KISW in Seattle-Tacoma, WA ranks 25 songs, with “Limelight” by Rush at number one. The list features 21 different artists.
Aired in 2021 as part of KISW's 50th-anniversary '25 from 50' weekend countdowns (counted down from 25 to 1). Retrospective list of songs from 1981.
| # | Song | Lists | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 |
 Limelight
Rush
|
98 | #25 |
| 24 |
 Hold On Loosely
.38 Special
|
84 | #12 |
| 23 |
 Over the Mountain
Ozzy Osbourne
|
58 | #22 |
| 22 | Destroyer The Kinks | 30 | #22 |
| 21 | Stop Draggin' My Heart Around Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty | 8 | #21 |
| 20 |
 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
The Police
|
85 | #20 |
| 19 |
 Shake It Up
The Cars
|
45 | #19 |
| 18 |
 Urgent
Foreigner
|
65 | #18 |
| 17 |
 Who's Crying Now
Journey
|
38 | #17 |
| 16 |
 You Better You Bet
The Who
|
54 | #16 |
| 15 | Live Wire Motley Crue | 4 | #15 |
| 14 | The Waiting Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | 82 | #14 |
| 13 |
 Edge of Seventeen
Stevie Nicks
|
75 | #13 |
| 12 |
Tom Sawyer
Rush
|
113 | #2 |
| 11 | High N Dry Def Leppard | 6 | #11 |
| 10 |
Flying High Again
Ozzy Osbourne
|
71 | #10 |
| 9 |
 Start Me Up
The Rolling Stones
|
108 | #7 |
| 8 |
 In the Air Tonight
Phil Collins
|
99 | #8 |
| 7 |
 The Stroke
Billy Squier
|
88 | #7 |
| 6 |
Jukebox Hero
Foreigner
|
91 | #6 |
| 5 |
 Centerfold
J. Geils Band
|
82 | #5 |
| 4 | I Love Rock-N-Roll Joan Jett | 115 | #2 |
| 3 | Don't Stop Believing Journey | 116 | #1 |
| 2 | Unchained Van Halen | 74 | #2 |
| 1 | For Those About to Rock AC/DC | 79 | #1 |
More 1981 countdowns
Best songs of 1981 →About this countdown
KISW 25 Biggest Rock Songs from 1981 was broadcast by KISW (Seattle-Tacoma, WA) in August 21, 2021. Positions are shown exactly as the station ranked them; artist and song names have been standardized so that every entry links to that song’s complete chart history across all stations. It counts toward the Hard Rock & Metal rankings.
Source: KISW 99.9 (Audacy), "The 25 Biggest Rock Songs from 1981".
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