# 188: 1981 - Music & Headlines

Submitted by djbc on Sun, 07/31/2016 - 7:37pm
Cover (front)

Tonight on the Show, we're headed back to 1981. Columbia becomes the first re-usable Space Shuttle. Prince Charles marries Lady Diana in one fairytale wedding, while Luke and Laura (on General Hospital) get hitched in the other. MTV launches (in fact, it launched 35 years ago today). The first cases of AIDS are diagnosed. Ronald Reagan is sworn in as President, and both he and Pope John Paul II dodge separate assassination attempts. Solidarity is formed in Poland. Sadat is assassinated. Hill Street Blues & Dynasty debut, as does Indiana Jones. Dreamgirls, The Pirates of Penzance, and A Soldier's Play debut on Broadway. The Rubik's Cube is created. Those were just some of the happenings of 1981.

SONG LIST:
"(Just Like) Starting Over" - John Lennon
"Celebration" - Kool and the Gang
"Hill Street Blues Theme" - Mike Post, featuring Larry Carlton
"Believe It Or Not (The Greatest American Hero Theme)" - Joey Scarbury
"Autumn Breeze (General Hospital Theme)" - Jack Urbont
"Elvira" - The Oak Ridge Boys
"Queen of Hearts" - Juice Newton
"Morning Train (Nine to Five)" - Sheena Easton
"Wordy Rappinghood" - The Tom Tom Club
"Under Pressure" - Queen & David Bowie
"Just the Two of Us" - Bill Withers with Grover Washington Jr.
"Boogie Wonderland" - Earth, Wind, and Fire
"Take It On The Run" - REO Speedwagon
"The Indiana Jones Theme" - John Williams
"Start Me Up" - The Rolling Stones
"Endless Love" - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross
"Waiting for a Girl Like You" - Foreigner
"Angel of the Morning" - Juice Newton
"Sukiyaki" - A Taste of Honey
"Girls on Film" - Duran Duran
"Arthur's Theme/The Best That You Can Do" - Christopher Cross
"Jessie's Girl" - Rick Springfield
"Being With You" - Smokey Robinson
"Key Largo" - Bertie Higgins
"Stars on 45 Medley" - Stars on 45
"Hooked on Classics" - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
"Woman" - John Lennon

TONY AWARDS:
Best Play: Amadeus
Best Musical: 42nd Street

EMMY AWARDS:
Best Comedy: Taxi (ABC)
Best Drama: Hill Street Blues (NBC)
Best Limited Series: Shogun (NBC)
Best Daytime Drama: General Hospital (ABC)

LINKS:
Like Totally '80s, 1981: http://www.liketotally80s.com/2007/08/80s-capsules-1981/
Top End Sports, 1981: http://www.topendsports.com/world/timeline/1981.htm
The People's History, 1981: http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1981.html
1981 Memories: http://www.spiffy-entertainment.com/1981mem.html

SPORTS:
NBA Champions: Boston Celtics
Stanley Cup: New York Islanders
Major League Baseball: L.A. Dodgers
Super Bowl XV: Oakland Raiders
Memorial Tournament:
NCAA Tournament: Indiana Hoosiers
College Football: Clemson Tigers
Heisman Trophy: Marcus Allen, running back, University of Southern California
"The Game": The B*ckeyes, 14-9 over Michigan on November 21 in Ann Arbor

SHOWBIZ:
William Holden dies after a freak accident when he cuts his head open, and Natalie Wood drowns in a freak boating accident. Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin is killed in a car wreck. Bob Marley dies of cancer.

TONYS:
Best Musical: 42nd Street (also won a posthumous Choreography win for the late Gower Champion, who died of leukemia on the morning of the show's opening night in August 1980; Champion was also nominated for Directing)
Best Play: Amadeus

GRAMMYS (for 1981 music, presented in 1982):
Record/Song of the Year: "Bette Davis Eyes" (Kim Carnes)
Album of the Year: "Double Fantasy" (John Lennon & Yoko Ono; a posthumous win for Lennon, after his assassination in December 1980)

EMMYS:
Drama Series: Hill Street Blues (NBC; winning a THEN-record 8 Emmys)
Comedy Series: Taxi (ABC; third consecutive win)
Daytime Soap: General Hospital (ABC)
Limited Series: Shogun (NBC)

OSCARS (for 1981 films, presented April 1982):
Best Picture: Chariots of Fire
Best Director: Warren Beatty, Reds
Best Actor: Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond
Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond
Best Supporting Actor: Sir John Gielgud, Arthur
Best Supporting Actress: Maureen Stapleton, Reds
Best Original Song: "The Best That You Can Do (Arthur's Theme)" - Arthur, Music & Lyrics by Christopher Cross