Country crossover surges, Pop is migrating from AM to FM and the charts are a mishmash the year before MTV changes the game. Meanwhile, the Iran hostages are free, Reagan takes office and Americans are choosing confidence and optimism over '70s malaise, strapping on their Walkmans, hitting the gym and getting "Physical;" and there's a new spotlight on the dark side of fandom after John Lennon and the President are shot just months apart, Lennon fatally.
The Chartcrush Top Ten Countdown Show is a one-hour deep-dive into a year in Pop music and pop culture history, viewed through the prism of the ten songs that were most popular. Chartcrush's rankings are compiled from the ground-up using Billboard's weekly charts, counting every song's full chart run and applying the exact same point ranking system for all years.
Transcript (and other goodies!): www.chartcrush.com/1981-main/1981-podcast/
