# 3 Top 40 Hits From 1981 That Every 80s Kid Still Knows by Heart Today

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/3-top-40-hits-from-1981-that-every-80s-kid-still-knows-by-heart-today/
- Published: 2026-11-02T01:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T02:11:39+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/3-top-40-hits-from-1981-that-every-80s-kid-still-knows-by-heart-today/
- Topics: Art, Culture

## Key points

- Three memorable 1981 hits are revisited.
- Lennon’s song became a hit after his death.
- Santana’s “Winning” reached the rock chart’s Top 5.

## Summary

The article revisits three songs that became Top 40 hits in 1981: John Lennon’s “Watching the Wheels”, Billy Squier’s “In the Dark” and Santana’s “Winning”. It presents them as memorable songs from an influential year in music, with themes ranging from letting go to encouragement and perseverance.

“Watching the Wheels” appeared on Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1980 album *Double Fantasy* and became a hit after Lennon’s death; its title is absent from its lyrics. “In the Dark” was Squier’s second Top 40 single, from an album on which he wrote all ten songs and played several instruments. Russ Ballard wrote “Winning” and first released it in 1976; Santana’s 1981 version was the band’s only Top 20 hit that year and reached the rock chart’s Top 5.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.