3 Nostalgic Songs You’ll Remember if You Were a Kid in 1981

Were you a kid around the year 1981? If so, you got to experience a pretty cool time for music. The 70s had come to a close and new wave was taking over the airwaves. Country and rock were evolving in new directions. It was actually a really unique time in music history. And I bet any 80s kid would recognize the following nostalgic songs that made their debut in 1981. Let’s take a look!

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“Feels So Right” by Alabama

How about we start off with a little bit of country goodness? “Feels So Right” by Alabama came out in May 1981 and was an almost immediate hit. The song made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, their first song to hit No. 1 for more than one week.

Younger listeners might know this song by Clay Walker and Randy Owen’s cover of the tune from 2010, but you really can’t beat the mellowness and surprisingly vulgar lyricism of the original tune. If you got in trouble for getting caught listening to this song as a kid, you’re definitely not alone there.

“Hold On Tight” by Electric Light Orchestra

The early 1980s were a good time for Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and Jeff Lynne. One great song to come out of that era was “Hold On Tight”, released in July 1981. This roots rock tune hit the Top 10 in multiple countries, making it to No. 10 on the Hot 100 chart.

Fun fact: The music video for “Hold On Tight” by ELO was, at the time, the most expensive music video ever produced. The black and white MV features shots of ELO playing the song with splices of what appear to be clips of 1940s serial films. The song is an affectionate nod to the 1950s era of rock and roll, and you can’t ignore that clear Jerry Lee Lewis inspiration.

“Winning” by Santana

This classic by Santana is actually a cover song. The original “Winning” was released in 1976 by Russ Ballard. Santana’s version was an enormous hit for the band that made it to No. 17 on the Hot 100 in 1981. While both versions of this tune are great, you just can’t beat Santana’s version. This is one of the most nostalgic songs to come out of the year 1981, and it’s a standout single from the album Zebop!

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