Number-one singles of 1981 (Ireland)

This is a list of singles which have reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart

Irish Singles Chart

The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

in 1981.

Week ending	Song	Artist
3 January	There's No-one Quite Like Grandma There's No-one Quite Like Grandma "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" was a number one hit single by Stockport-based primary school choir St Winifred's School Choir from 27 December 1980 to 3 January 1981. It was written by Gordon Lorenz....	St Winifred's School Choir St Winifred's School Choir St Winifred's School Choir, from St Winifred's Roman Catholic Primary School in Stockport, United Kingdom, was a choir of children whose single in 1980 became the British Christmas number one single of that year. The song was entitled "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma", and it spent two weeks at...
10 January	(Just Like) Starting Over (Just Like) Starting Over " Starting Over" is a song written and performed by John Lennon for his album, Double Fantasy. The B-side was Yoko Ono's "Kiss Kiss Kiss". It was released as a single on 24 October 1980 and reached number one in both the USA and UK two weeks after he was murdered. It is his biggest solo American...	John Lennon John Lennon John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
17 January	(Just Like) Starting Over	John Lennon
24 January	(Just Like) Starting Over	John Lennon
31 January	Imagine Imagine (song) "Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...	John Lennon
7 February	Woman	John Lennon
14 February	Woman	John Lennon
21 February	Woman	John Lennon
28 February	Shaddap You Face Shaddap You Face "Shaddap You Face" is an Australian novelty song written and performed by Joe Dolce in 1980. It has set a number of sales and longevity records. The song was full of broad Italian humour and included a recognizable chorus.-Sales and chart positions:It went to Number 1 on the Australian pop charts...	Joe Dolce Joe Dolce Joseph "Joe" Dolce is an American-born, Australian singer/songwriter who achieved fame with his multi-million-selling song, "Shaddap You Face", released under the name of his one-man show, Joe Dolce Music Theatre, in 1980...
7 March	Shaddap You Face	Joe Dolce
14 March	Shaddap You Face	Joe Dolce
21 March	Vienna	Ultravox Ultravox Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
28 March	More and More	Joe Dolan Joe Dolan Joseph "Joe" Francis Robert Dolan was an Irish entertainer, recorder and singer of easy listening songs...
4 April	This Ole House This Ole House "This Ole House" is a popular song written by Stuart Hamblen, and published in 1954.-Background:Hamblen was supposedly out on a hunting expedition when he and his fellow hunter, actor John Wayne, came across a tumbledown hut in the mountains, many miles from civilization...	Shakin' Stevens Shakin' Stevens Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw...
11 April	This Ole House	Shakin' Stevens
18 April	This Ole House	Shakin' Stevens
25 April	Making Your Mind Up Making Your Mind Up "Making Your Mind Up" is a song by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and a UK Number-one single...	Bucks Fizz Bucks Fizz (band) Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
2 May	Making Your Mind Up	Bucks Fizz
9 May	Stars on 45 Stars on 45 Medley "Stars on 45" was a song issued in 1981 by the studio group Stars on 45. In some countries including UK, Ireland and New Zealand the band was credited as 'Starsound' and the medley itself was named "Stars on 45"...	Starsound
16 May	Stars on 45	Starsound
23 May	You Drive Me Crazy	Shakin' Stevens
30 May	You Drive Me Crazy	Shakin' Stevens
6 June	You Drive Me Crazy	Shakin' Stevens
13 June	You Drive Me Crazy	Shakin' Stevens
20 June	You Drive Me Crazy	Shakin' Stevens
27 June	You Drive Me Crazy	Shakin' Stevens
4 July	One Day in Your Life One Day in Your Life (Michael Jackson song) "One Day in Your Life" is a song recorded by Michael Jackson for his 1975 album, Forever, Michael. and 1981 album, One Day in Your Life. Later released as a single in 1981 due to the strong buzz that generated from the sales of Jackson's hit 1979 album Off the Wall, even though Jackson released...	Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
11 July	One Day in Your Life	Michael Jackson
18 July	When You Were Sweet Sixteen When You Were Sweet Sixteen "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" is a popular song. It was written by James Thornton. The song was published in 1898. Its chorus:- Early recordings :George J. Gaskin Jere Mahoney Henry Macdonough J. W. Myers *Al Jolson...	The Fureys and Davy Arthur The Fureys The Fureys are an Irish male folk band of four brothers - Eddie, Finbar, Paul and George, from Ballyfermot, Dublin. They have also been credited as The Fureys and Davey Arthur.The group formed in 1978 and consisted initially of four brothers....
25 July	The Streets of New York	Wolfe Tones Wolfe Tones The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band who incorporate elements of Irish traditional music in their songs. They are named after the Irish rebel and patriot Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double entendre that a wolf tone is a spurious sound...
1 August	The Streets of New York	Wolfe Tones
8 August	The Streets of New York	Wolfe Tones
15 August	Green Door Green Door " Green Door" is a 1956 popular song with music composed by Bob Davie and lyrics written by Marvin Moore. The lyrics describe a nondescript establishment, with a green door, behind which "a happy crowd" play piano, smoke and "laugh a lot", and inside which the singer is not allowed.-Possible...	Shakin' Stevens
22 August	Green Door	Shakin' Stevens
29 August	Green Door	Shakin' Stevens
5 September	Green Door	Shakin' Stevens
12 September	A Bunch of Thyme	Foster and Allen
19 September	Japanese Boy	Aneka Aneka Aneka is a Scottish singer.In 1981 she hit number one in the UK Singles Chart with her song, "Japanese Boy". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song...
26 September	Prince Charming	Adam and the Ants Adam and the Ants Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
3 October	Prince Charming	Adam and the Ants
10 October	Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)	Ottawan Ottawan Ottawan were a French eurodisco duo in the late 1970s and early 1980s.-Career:They were fronted by lead singer Jean Patrick and Annette , with Daniel Vangarde and Jean Kluger the main songwriters. They are best known for their two hit singles "D.I.S.C.O." and "Hands Up "...
17 October	Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)	Ottawan
24 October	It's My Party It's My Party (song) "It's My Party" is a song most famously sung by American singer Lesley Gore in 1963. This song hit #1 on the pop and rhythm and blues charts in the United States. "It's My Party", peaked at #9 in the United Kingdom, becoming Gore's only major hit there...	Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin Barbara Gaskin Barbara Gaskin is a British singer who, with her musical partner, the keyboardist Dave Stewart, formed a duo in 1981. In September of that year they had a number one single in the UK with a cover version of the song "It's My Party"...
31 October	It's My Party	Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin
7 November	It's My Party	Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin
14 November	It's My Party	Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin
21 November	Every Little Thing She Does is Magic Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is a song by British rock group The Police from their album Ghost in the Machine. It was also a hit single that reached the top of the charts in the United Kingdom in November 1981 and hit number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart that same...	The Police The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
28 November	Begin the Beguine Begin the Beguine "Begin the Beguine" is a song written by Cole Porter . Porter composed the song at the piano in the bar of the Ritz Hotel in Paris. In October 1935, it was introduced by June Knight in the Broadway musical Jubilee produced at the Imperial Theatre in New York City.-Music:The beguine music and dance...	Julio Iglesias Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
5 December	Begin the Beguine	Julio Iglesias
12 December	Begin the Beguine	Julio Iglesias
19 December	Don't You Want Me Don't You Want Me "Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...	The Human League The Human League The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
26 December	One of Us One of Us (ABBA song) "One of Us" from 1981 was the first single from Swedish pop group ABBA's final studio album The Visitors, their eighth for Polar, and their seventh for Epic and Atlantic...	ABBA ABBA ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

24 Number Ones
Most weeks at No.1 (song): "You Drive Me Crazy" - Shakin' Stevens (6)
Most weeks at Number One (artist): Shakin' Stevens (13)
Most No.1s: John Lennon, Shakin' Stevens (3)

See also