3 Top 40 Hits From 1981 That Every 80s Kid Still Knows by Heart Today

The year 1981 will likely always be considered one of the best years in music. At the start of what remains one of the most revered eras of music, these are three of the best top 40 hits from 1981. They are all so memorable, it’s pretty much guaranteed that every 80s kid still knows them by heart today.

“Watching The Wheels” by John Lennon

John Lennon’s “Watching The Wheels” is on his Double Fantasy album, a record he released with his wife, Yoko Ono, in November of 1980. Tragically, Lennon was killed only a few weeks after the record was released. Still, Lennon posthumously had several Top 40 hits, including “Watching The Wheels”.

Written solely by Lennon, “Watching The Wheels” says, “I’m just sittin’ here watchin’ the wheels go ’round and ’round / I really love to watch them roll. / No longer ridin’ on the merry-go-round / I just had to let it go.”

Interestingly, the title of this song does not appear anywhere in the lyrics. Double Fantasy also includes “Woman”, the first Lennon song that reached No. 1 after he passed away.

“In The Dark” by Billy Squier

Billy Squier was still early in his career when he released “In The Dark”. Only his second Top 40 single, Squier is the only writer of “In The Dark”. The song is part of Don’t Say No, his sophomore album.

“In The Dark” is an encouraging song, although the message can get lost in the uptempo, rhythmic sound of this song. “In The Dark” says in part, “Do you need a friend / Would you tell no lies / Would you take me in / Are you lonely in the dark

Not only did Squier write all ten songs on Don’t Say No, but he also played a lot of the instruments, including guitar, percussion, and piano.

“Winning” by Santana

Russ Ballard is the sole writer of “Winning”, a song that appears on Santana’s Zebop! album. Before Santana released “Winning”, Ballard released the song on his own in 1976, as the title track of an album that came out the same year.

Five years later, Santana had a hit with this song. An anthem of overcoming, the chorus of “Winning” simply says, “I’m winning / I’m winning / I’m winning / And I don’t intend on losing again.”

“Winning” is Santana’s only Top 20 hit in 1981, and their first big hit since “Everybody’s Everything” came out in 1971. “Winning” also hit the Top 5 on the rock chart.

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