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4 Forgotten Pop Hits From 1981 That Still Sound Fresh Today
American Songwriter has revisited four pop songs from 1981 that the outlet argues have been unfairly forgotten despite their innovative, still-fresh sound. The piece highlights how the early-1980s charts embraced experimental electronic and new wave production, with several of these tracks achieving notable chart success abroad even where they failed to break through in other major markets, underlining how national chart performance often diverged sharply during this period.
The four picks are Pete Shelley's "Homosapien", which topped charts in Australia, Canada and New Zealand but missed the US and UK; Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark's "Souvenir", which reached No. 3 in the UK; The Human League's "Love Action (I Believe In Love)", also peaking at No. 3 in the UK; and Ultravox's "The Thin Wall", which reached No. 14 in the UK and performed similarly in Ireland without crossing over to the US.
– Four overlooked 1981 pop tracks singled out as still sounding fresh. – Songs by Pete Shelley, OMD, The Human League and Ultravox featured. – Several charted highly in the UK but not in the US.
Explained simply
Popular music in the early 1980s shifted dramatically towards electronic and new wave sounds, moving away from the dominant styles of the previous decade. During this period of musical innovation, several songs achieved notable success initially but have since largely faded from mainstream memory. Four songs from 1981 particularly exemplify this phenomenon: Pete Shelley's "Homosapien", Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark's "Souvenir", The Human League's "Love Action (I Believe In Love)" and Ultravox's "The Thin Wall".
Each track features the synthesiser work and electronic production that characterised new wave and electronic pop of the era. These songs achieved varying degrees of commercial success when released, with some reaching high chart positions in major markets. Despite their quality and initial popularity in certain regions, all four have largely disappeared from contemporary radio rotation and popular memory.
The commercial success of these tracks varied significantly by country. Whilst "Souvenir" and "Love Action" reached number 3 in the UK, "Homosapien" topped the charts in Australia and Canada but never gained significant traction in the United States. This geographical variation in chart performance was typical of the early 1980s and reflects how different national markets had distinct musical preferences at the time.