Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1981
This is a list of Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1981. The Top 100, as revealed in the year-end edition of Billboard dated December 26, 1981, is based on Hot 100 charts from the issue dates of November 1, 1980 through October 31, 1981.
| No. | Title | Artist |
| 1 | "Bette Davis Eyes" | Kim Carnes |
| 2 | "Endless Love" | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie |
| 3 | "Lady" | Kenny Rogers |
| 4 | " Starting Over" | John Lennon |
| 5 | "Jessie's Girl" | Rick Springfield |
| 6 | "Celebration" | Kool & the Gang |
| 7 | "Kiss on My List" | Hall & Oates |
| 8 | "I Love a Rainy Night" | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 9 | "9 To 5" | Dolly Parton |
| 10 | "Keep on Loving You" | REO Speedwagon |
| 11 | "Theme from The Greatest American Hero " | Joey Scarbury |
| 12 | "Morning Train " | Sheena Easton |
| 13 | "Being with You" | Smokey Robinson |
| 14 | "Queen of Hearts" | Juice Newton |
| 15 | "Rapture" | Blondie |
| 16 | "A Woman Needs Love " | Raydio |
| 17 | "The Tide Is High" | Blondie |
| 18 | "Just the Two of Us" | Grover Washington, Jr. & Bill Withers |
| 19 | "Slow Hand" | The Pointer Sisters |
| 20 | "I Love You" | Climax Blues Band |
| 21 | "Woman" | John Lennon |
| 22 | "Sukiyaki" | A Taste of Honey |
| 23 | "The Winner Takes It All" | ABBA |
| 24 | "Stars on 45 Medley" | Stars on 45 |
| 25 | "Angel of the Morning" | Juice Newton |
| 26 | "Love on the Rocks" | Neil Diamond |
| 27 | "Every Woman in the World" | Air Supply |
| 28 | "The One That You Love" | Air Supply |
| 29 | "Guilty" | Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb |
| 30 | "The Best of Times" | Styx |
| 31 | "Elvira" | The Oak Ridge Boys |
| 32 | "Take It on the Run" | REO Speedwagon |
| 33 | " No Gettin' Over Me" | Ronnie Milsap |
| 34 | "Living Inside Myself" | Gino Vannelli |
| 35 | "Woman in Love" | Barbra Streisand |
| 36 | "The Boy from New York City" | The Manhattan Transfer |
| 37 | "Urgent" | Foreigner |
| 38 | "Passion" | Rod Stewart |
| 39 | "Lady " | Commodores |
| 40 | "Crying" | Don McLean |
| 41 | "Hearts" | Marty Balin |
| 42 | "It's My Turn" | Diana Ross |
| 43 | "You Make My Dreams" | Hall & Oates |
| 44 | "I Don't Need You" | Kenny Rogers |
| 45 | "How 'Bout Us" | Champaign |
| 46 | "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" | Pat Benatar |
| 47 | "The Breakup Song " | The Greg Kihn Band |
| 48 | "Time" | The Alan Parsons Project |
| 49 | "Hungry Heart" | Bruce Springsteen |
| 50 | "Sweetheart" | Franke and the Knockouts |
| 51 | "Somebody's Knockin'" | Terri Gibbs |
| 52 | "More Than I Can Say" | Leo Sayer |
| 53 | "Together" | Tierra |
| 54 | "Too Much Time on My Hands" | Styx |
| 55 | "What Are We Doin' in Love" | Dottie West & Kenny Rogers |
| 56 | "Who's Crying Now" | Journey |
| 57 | "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" | The Police |
| 58 | "This Little Girl" | Gary U.S. Bonds |
| 59 | "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" | Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty |
| 60 | "Giving It Up for Your Love" | Delbert McClinton |
| 61 | "A Little in Love" | Cliff Richard |
| 62 | "America" | Neil Diamond |
| 63 | "Ain't Even Done with the Night" | John Cougar |
| 64 | "Arthur's Theme " | Christopher Cross |
| 65 | "Another One Bites the Dust" | Queen |
| 66 | "Games People Play" | The Alan Parsons Project |
| 67 | "I Can't Stand It" | Eric Clapton |
| 68 | "While You See a Chance" | Steve Winwood |
| 69 | "Master Blaster " | Stevie Wonder |
| 70 | "Hello Again" | Neil Diamond |
| 71 | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | The Police |
| 72 | "Hey Nineteen" | Steely Dan |
| 73 | "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" | Stevie Wonder |
| 74 | "All Those Years Ago" | George Harrison |
| 75 | "Step By Step" | Eddie Rabbitt |
| 76 | "The Stroke" | Billy Squier |
| 77 | "Feels So Right" | Alabama |
| 78 | "Sweet Baby" | Stanley Clarke & George Duke |
| 79 | "Same Old Lang Syne" | Dan Fogelberg |
| 80 | "Cool Love" | Pablo Cruise |
| 81 | "Hold On Tight" | Electric Light Orchestra |
| 82 | "It's Now or Never" | John Schneider |
| 83 | "Treat Me Right" | Pat Benatar |
| 84 | "Winning" | Santana |
| 85 | "What Kind of Fool" | Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb |
| 86 | "Watching the Wheels" | John Lennon |
| 87 | "Tell It Like It Is" | Heart |
| 88 | "Smoky Mountain Rain" | Ronnie Milsap |
| 89 | "I Made It Through the Rain" | Barry Manilow |
| 90 | "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" | Hall & Oates |
| 91 | "Suddenly" | Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard |
| 92 | "For Your Eyes Only" | Sheena Easton |
| 93 | "The Beach Boys Medley" | The Beach Boys |
| 94 | "Whip It" | Devo |
| 95 | "Modern Girl" | Sheena Easton |
| 96 | "Really Wanna Know You" | Gary Wright |
| 97 | "Seven Year Ache" | Rosanne Cash |
| 98 | "I'm Coming Out" | Diana Ross |
| 99 | "Miss Sun" | Boz Scaggs |
| 100 | "Time Is Time" | Andy Gibb |