I Bet You Forgot That These 4 Songs From Classic Rock Legends Hit the Top 10 in 1981

Some songs were never hits in their day but are now universally known and beloved. Other songs scaled the charts initially only to be somewhat forgotten down the road. In the latter case, it’s sometimes because the songs themselves didn’t hold up well over time. How then do you explain this quartet of songs from 1981, all from classic rock legends, all excellent tracks? They all hit the Top 10 that year, but we’re guessing that you might be surprised that they made it that far.

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“Hold On Tight” by ELO

By 1981, Jeff Lynne was starting to fool around with the ELO formula of songs. Strings were largely shunned on the album Time in favor of sparkling synths. That decision made sense because Lynne composed a concept album about a man lost in the future. Give credit to the band for also realizing that a successful single that could work out of context was a good idea. “Hold On Tight”, which was also the last song on the album, was chosen as that single. It features ELO sinking their teeth into an effective rockabilly groove while Lynne sings about conjuring resilience against all negative forces. And he even sings part of this No. 10 smash in French to keep us on our toes.

“I Can’t Stand It” by Eric Clapton

Clapton’s solo career featured a few stretches of non-activity, at least when it came to the studio. What’s fascinating is that he showed little interest in following trends with his stuff whenever he did resurface, instead sticking to his grinding blues-rock. Every now and again, the public would meet him at his wheelhouse halfway, and he’d end up with a hit. “I Can’t Stand It”, the lead single off Another Ticket in 1981, was one of those occasions. Slowhand gets in some searing licks while fronting a sparkling band featuring fellow guitar ace Albert Lee and Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker on keyboards. The No. 10 hit offers some of Clapton’s most authoritative vocals of his career.

“Tell It Like It Is” by Heart

A well-timed cover song can do wonders for a band that might be struggling a bit. Heart found itself in just a tiny bit of a rut in 1980, at least when it came to their success at pop radio. After “Straight On” hit No. 15 in 1978, the band’s singles from the album Bebe Le Strange struggled to make the same kind of mark. Looking to draw some attention to a live album, the band went back to “Tell It Like It Is”. The legendary Aaron Neville took the ballad to No. 2 back in 1966. Luckily, Heart had their own powerhouse vocalist in Ann Wilson, who knew how to caress such a song. Released late in 1980 as a single among the album’s songs, Heart’s version of the track peaked at No. 8 in early 1981.

“While You See A Chance” by Steve Winwood

Many people associated Steve Winwood’s solo success with the late 80s, which is when he scored a pair of No. 1 singles (“Higher Love” and “Roll With It”). But Winwood first found his solo mojo on Arc Of A Diver, released at the very end of 1980. It was the first album where Winwood left the lyrics to Will Jennings. The two men developed a simpatico working relationship. For example, the upward-striving melody Winwood created on the No. 7 hit “While You See A Chance” begged for the aspirational words that Jennings concocted. Winwood also makes his mark on the song with a synthesizer sound that allowed him to deliver expressive, horn-like solos.

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