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Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · one countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 1981

One radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 1981: KROQ. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 1981 is “Mental Hopscotch” by Missing Persons, which appeared on one of the one countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. Adam & the Ants was the year’s most-charted artist, with five different songs placing 5 times across the countdowns.

1countdowns
106songs charted
1different #1s

Top 100 songs of 1981

All 106 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 1981 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Mental Hopscotch Missing Persons
100		 1 #1 1
2 Antmusic Adam & the Ants
99		 1 #2 –
3 We Got the Beat The Go-Go's
98		 1 #3 –
4 It's My Party Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin
97		 1 #4 –
5 Johnny Are You Queer? Josie Cotton
96		 1 #5 –
6 On the Outside Oingo Boingo
95		 1 #6 –
7 Start Me Up The Rolling Stones
94		 1 #7 –
8 Never Say Never Romeo Void
93		 1 #8 –
9 We Want The Airwaves The Ramones
92		 1 #9 –
10 I'm With the Guys The Penetrators
92		 1 #10 –
11 Stand and Deliver Adam & the Ants
91		 1 #11 –
12 Janitor Suburban Lawns
90		 1 #12 –
13 Homosapien Pete Shelley
89		 1 #13 –
14 Adultress The Pretenders
88		 1 #14 –
15 Funny Face Sparks
87		 1 #15 –
16 White Girl X
86		 1 #16 –
17 Jerkin' Back and Forth Devo
85		 1 #17 –
18 New Toy Lene Lovich
84		 1 #18 –
19 Lust to Love The Go-Go's
83		 1 #19 –
20 Waiting on a Friend The Rolling Stones
82		 1 #20 –
21 I Will Follow U2
81		 1 #21 –
22 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic The Police
80		 1 #22 –
23 Electricity Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
79		 1 #23 –
24 Prince Charming Adam & the Ants
78		 1 #24 –
25 Girls on Film Duran Duran
77		 1 #25 –
26 W.O.R.K. (N.O. Nah, No No My Daddy Don't) Bow Wow Wow
76		 1 #26 –
27 I Know What Boys Like The Waitresses
75		 1 #27 –
28 Upstairs Sparks
75		 1 #28 –
29 To Cut a Long Story Short Spandau Ballet
74		 1 #29 –
30 The Friends of Mr. Cairo Jon Anderson & Vangelis
73		 1 #30 –
31 Destroyer The Kinks
72		 1 #31 –
32 Our Lips Are Sealed The Go-Go's
71		 1 #32 –
33 It's too late Jim Carroll
70		 1 #33 –
34 Dancin' With Myself Generation X
69		 1 #34 –
35 Lunatic Fringe Red Rider
68		 1 #35 –
36 U.F.O. Caution
67		 1 #36 –
37 Tom Sawyer Rush
66		 1 #37 –
38 Hard Act to Follow Split Enz
65		 1 #38 –
39 Bang Bang Iggy Pop
64		 1 #39 –
40 See You on the Other Side Brian Briggs
63		 1 #40 –
41 Ghost Town The Specials
62		 1 #41 –
42 Turn Me Loose Loverboy
61		 1 #42 –
43 Dog Eat Dog Adam & the Ants
60		 1 #43 –
44 Bad Boys Get Spanked The Pretenders
59		 1 #44 –
45 Rock This Town The Stray Cats
58		 1 #45 –
46 Primary The Cure
58		 1 #46 –
47 Fascist Groove Thing Heaven 17
57		 1 #47 –
48 Under Pressure David Bowie/Queen
56		 1 #48 –
49 Elephant Talk King Crimson
55		 1 #49 –
50 This Town The Go-Go's
54		 1 #50 –
51 Neighbors The Rolling Stones
53		 1 #51 –
52 Life of Illusion Joe Walsh
52		 1 #52 –
53 Through Being Cool Devo
51		 1 #53 –
54 Sex Junkie The Plasmatics
50		 1 #54 –
55 Urgent Foreigner
49		 1 #55 –
56 Red Light Wall of Voodoo
48		 1 #56 –
57 Spirits In The Material World The Police
47		 1 #57 –
58 What Does Sex Mean to Me? Human Sexual Response
46		 1 #58 –
59 I Married a Martian Sparks
45		 1 #59 –
60 You Better You Bet The Who
44		 1 #60 –
61 Pack It Up The Pretenders
43		 1 #61 –
62 Almost Saturday Night Dave Edmunds
42		 1 #62 –
63 What You See Oingo Boingo
42		 1 #63 –
64 Working In A Coal Mine Devo
41		 1 #64 –
65 Shake It Up The Cars
40		 1 #65 –
66 The Once Over Twice X
39		 1 #66 –
67 Tips for Teens Sparks
38		 1 #67 –
68 Mercury Blues David Lindley
37		 1 #68 –
69 Nuclear Boy 20/20
36		 1 #69 –
70 Chihuahua Bow Wow Wow
35		 1 #70 –
71 Spellbound Siouxsie and the Banshees
34		 1 #71 –
72 I Like Boys Missing Persons
33		 1 #72 –
73 Better Be Good to Me Spider
32		 1 #73 –
74 City Bound E Train Novo Combo
31		 1 #74 –
75 Superfreak Rick James
30		 1 #75 –
76 Jackie O Human Sexual Response
29		 1 #76 –
77 Friends Adam & the Ants
28		 1 #77 –
78 Goin' Under Devo
27		 1 #78 –
79 Follow the Leader Killing Joke
26		 1 #79 –
80 Problem Child AC/DC
25		 1 #80 –
81 Lunacy The Plasmatics
25		 1 #81 –
82 Mony Mony Billy Idol
24		 1 #82 –
83 Jukebox Hero Foreigner
23		 1 #83 –
84 Nightwatchman Tom Petty
22		 1 #84 –
85 What We All Want Gang of Four
21		 1 #85 –
86 Abacab Genesis
20		 1 #86 –
87 How Much More The Go-Go's
19		 1 #87 –
88 I Love Rock-N-Roll Joan Jett
18		 1 #88 –
89 Day After Day The Pretenders
17		 1 #89 –
90 Tempted Squeeze
16		 1 #90 –
91 Slave The Rolling Stones
15		 1 #91 –
92 Up All Night Boomtown Rats
14		 1 #92 –
93 Mothers Little Helper P.S.
13		 1 #93 –
94 People Who Died Jim Carroll
12		 1 #94 –
95 From a Whisper to a Scream Elvis Costello & the Attractions
11		 1 #95 –
96 Dream Away The Cars
10		 1 #96 –
97 Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode
9		 1 #97 –
98 Mirror in the Bathroom The English Beat
8		 1 #98 –
99 Take Her Where The Boys Are Eye Protection
8		 1 #99 –
100 The Stroke Billy Squier
7		 1 #100 –

Every station’s number one of 1981

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Mental Hopscotch Missing Persons KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981

All 1981 countdowns in this ranking

About the 1981 ranking

Radio stations count down their listeners’ favorite songs at the end of every year. Each station’s list reflects its own audience, so a song that ruled Los Angeles could miss the top ten in Chicago. To find the songs that defined 1981 everywhere, RockLists gives every appearance percentile-based points (a number one earns 100, the last position earns close to zero) and adds them up across all one qualifying countdowns. Each radio format is ranked separately, so classic rock and hard rock countdowns never shift the alternative results; use the tabs above to switch formats. Read the full methodology.