RockLists.com

Year-end countdown · KROQ · 1981

KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981

The year-end countdown for 1981 from KROQ in Los Angeles, CA ranks 106 songs, with “Mental Hopscotch” by Missing Persons at number one. The list features 74 different artists; Adam & the Ants has the most entries with five songs.

106songs
106.7countdown size
KROQstation
Los Angeles, CAmarket
Make your own version All 34 editions
# Song ListsBest
1 Mental Hopscotch Missing Persons 10 #1
2 Antmusic Adam & the Ants 34 #2
3 We Got the Beat The Go-Go's 38 #3
4 It's My Party Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin 1 #4
5 Johnny Are You Queer? Josie Cotton 6 #5
6 On the Outside Oingo Boingo 3 #6
7 Start Me Up The Rolling Stones 108 #7
8 Never Say Never Romeo Void 59 #8
9 We Want The Airwaves The Ramones 19 #9
10 I'm With the Guys The Penetrators 1 #10
11 Stand and Deliver Adam & the Ants 27 #11
12 Janitor Suburban Lawns 7 #12
13 Homosapien Pete Shelley 10 #13
14 The Adultress The Pretenders 2 #14
15 Funny Face Sparks 2 #15
16 White Girl X 10 #16
17 Jerkin' Back and Forth Devo 2 #17
18 New Toy Lene Lovich 9 #18
19 Lust to Love The Go-Go's 1 #19
20 Waiting on a Friend The Rolling Stones 33 #20
21 I Will Follow U2 96 #9
22 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic The Police 85 #20
23 Electricity Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 8 #23
24 Prince Charming Adam & the Ants 12 #24
25 Girls on Film Duran Duran 51 #18
26 W.O.R.K. Bow Wow Wow 3 #26
27 I Know What Boys Like The Waitresses 31 #27
28 Upstairs Sparks 3 #28
29 To Cut a Long Story Short Spandau Ballet 4 #29
30 The Friends of Mr. Cairo Jon Anderson & Vangelis 1 #30
31 Destroyer The Kinks 30 #22
32 Our Lips Are Sealed The Go-Go's 33 #32
33 It's Too Late Jim Carroll Band 3 #33
34 Dancin' With Myself Generation X 1 #34
35 Lunatic Fringe Red Rider 74 #20
36 U.F.O. Caution 1 #36
37 Tom Sawyer Rush 113 #2
38 Hard Act to Follow Split Enz 2 #38
39 Bang Bang Iggy Pop 3 #39
40 See You on the Other Side Brian Briggs 2 #40
41 Ghost Town The Specials 34 #21
42 Turn Me Loose Loverboy 27 #23
43 Dog Eat Dog Adam & the Ants 5 #43
44 Bad Boys Get Spanked The Pretenders 13 #44
45 Rock This Town The Stray Cats 40 #6
46 Primary The Cure 22 #19
47 Fascist Groove Thing Heaven 17 5 #29
48 Under Pressure Queen 130 #2
49 Elephant Talk King Crimson 4 #18
50 This Town The Go-Go's 5 #50
51 Neighbors The Rolling Stones 2 #51
52 Life of Illusion Joe Walsh 7 #52
53 Through Being Cool Devo 22 #53
54 Sex Junkie The Plasmatics 1 #54
55 Urgent Foreigner 65 #18
56 Red Light Wall of Voodoo 1 #56
57 Spirits In The Material World The Police 44 #57
58 What Does Sex Mean to Me? Human Sexual Response 2 #58
59 I Married a Martian Sparks 1 #59
60 You Better You Bet The Who 54 #16
61 Pack It Up The Pretenders 1 #61
62 Almost Saturday Night Dave Edmunds 1 #62
63 What You See Oingo Boingo 3 #63
64 Working In A Coal Mine Devo 12 #64
65 Shake It Up The Cars 45 #19
66 The Once Over Twice X 3 #66
67 Tips for Teens Sparks 4 #67
68 Mercury Blues David Lindley 2 #68
69 Nuclear Boy 20/20 2 #69
70 Chihuahua Bow Wow Wow 2 #70
71 Spellbound Siouxsie and the Banshees 10 #71
72 I Like Boys Missing Persons 1 #72
73 Better Be Good to Me Spider 1 #73
74 City Bound E Train Novo Combo 1 #74
75 Superfreak Rick James 4 #60
76 Jackie O Human Sexual Response 1 #76
77 Friends Adam & the Ants 1 #77
78 Goin' Under Devo 1 #78
79 Follow the Leader Killing Joke 1 #79
80 Problem Child AC/DC 14 #80
81 Lunacy The Plasmatics 1 #81
82 Mony Mony Billy Idol 46 #13
83 Jukebox Hero Foreigner 91 #6
84 Nightwatchman Tom Petty 1 #84
85 What We All Want Gang of Four 2 #85
86 Abacab Genesis 40 #86
87 How Much More The Go-Go's 1 #87
88 I Love Rock-N-Roll Joan Jett 115 #2
89 Day After Day The Pretenders 8 #89
90 Tempted Squeeze 89 #21
91 Slave The Rolling Stones 8 #91
92 Up All Night Boomtown Rats 21 #92
93 Mothers Little Helper P.S. 1 #93
94 People Who Died Jim Carroll Band 43 #17
95 From a Whisper to a Scream Elvis Costello & the Attractions 2 #95
96 Dream Away The Cars 1 #96
97 Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode 67 #2
98 Mirror in the Bathroom The English Beat 64 #38
99 Take Her Where The Boys Are Eye Protection 1 #99
100 The Stroke Billy Squier 88 #7
101 Little Sister Rockpile 1 #101
102 Now The Plimsouls 2 #102
103 Can't Stop Hurting Myself Greg Kihn 1 #103
104 One World (Not Three) The Police 10 #58
105 Adult Books X 1 #105
106 Amoeba The Adolescents 3 #106

More 1981 countdowns

Best songs of 1981 →

About this countdown

KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 was broadcast by KROQ (Los Angeles, CA). 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 Alternative & Modern Rock rankings.

Contributed by Wiota, Eric Schwartz. Thank you!

Spot an error? Suggest a correction.