YEAR-END UK TOP 150 of 1981 (Singles)
Based on point-system NME Charts (nr. 1 75 points, nr. 2 74 etc)
| nr | title | artist | pnt | wk | hp |
| 1 | Birdie song | Tweets | 941 | 16 | 2 |
| 2 | Tainted love | Soft Cell | 874 | 16 | 1 |
| 3 | This ole house | Shakin' Stevens | 845 | 17 | 1 |
| 4 | Vienna | Ultravox | 830 | 14 | 2 |
| 5 | Body talk | Imagination | 819 | 18 | 4 |
| 6 | Ghost town | Specials | 785 | 14 | 1 |
| 7 | One day in your life | Michael Jackson | 782 | 14 | 1 |
| 8 | Stand and deliver | Adam & Ants | 782 | 15 | 1 |
| 9 | Can you feel it | Jacksons | 768 | 15 | 6 |
| 10 | Hands up | Ottawan | 757 | 15 | 3 |
| 11 | Do the huckle buck | Coast to Coast | 744 | 15 | 5 |
| 12 | Stars on 45 | Star Sound | 738 | 14 | 2 |
| 13 | Making your mind up | Bucks Fizz | 736 | 12 | 1 |
| 14 | Antmusic | Adam & Ants | 721 | 13 | 2 |
| 15 | Being with you | Smokey Robinson | 715 | 13 | 1 |
| 16 | It's my party | Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin | 708 | 13 | 1 |
| 17 | You drive me crazy | Shakin' Stevens | 700 | 12 | 2 |
| 18 | Kids in America | Kim Wilde | 692 | 13 | 2 |
| 19 | Four from Toyah | Toyah | 692 | 14 | 4 |
| 20 | Dancing on the floor | Third World | 692 | 15 | 10 |
| 21 | Can can | Bad Manners | 691 | 13 | 3 |
| 22 | Hold on tight | Electric Light Orchestra | 689 | 12 | 4 |
| 23 | Love action | Human League | 685 | 13 | 3 |
| 24 | Going back to the roots | Odyssey | 664 | 12 | 4 |
| 25 | Lately | Stevie Wonder | 663 | 13 | 3 |
| 26 | Prince Charming | Adam & Ants | 661 | 12 | 1 |
| 27 | Attention to me | Nolans | 659 | 13 | 9 |
| 28 | Einstein a gogo | Landscape | 657 | 13 | 5 |
| 29 | Chi Mai Theme | Ennio Morricone | 649 | 12 | 2 |
| 30 | Green door | Shakin' Stevens | 648 | 12 | 1 |
| 31 | How 'bout us | Champaign | 647 | 13 | 5 |
| 32 | New life | Depeche Mode | 646 | 15 | 11 |
| 33 | Imagine | John Lennon | 645 | 11 | 1 |
| 34 | Jealous guy | Roxy Music | 641 | 11 | 1 |
| 35 | Woman | John Lennon | 640 | 11 | 1 |
| 36 | Japanese boy | Aneka | 638 | 12 | 1 |
| 37 | Hooked on classics | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Louis Clarke | 638 | 11 | 2 |
| 38 | Souvenir | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | 630 | 12 | 3 |
| 39 | Happy birthday | Altered Images | 629 | 14 | 2 |
| 40 | Kings of the wild frontier | Adam & Ants | 625 | 13 | 2 |
| 41 | For your eyes only | Sheena Easton | 615 | 13 | 8 |
| 42 | Begin the beguine | Julio Iglesias | 601 | 10 | 1 |
| 43 | It's a love thing | Whispers | 601 | 13 | 8 |
| 44 | Keep on lovin' you | REO Speedwagon | 597 | 14 | 7 |
| 45 | Physical | Olivia Newton-John | 596 | 12 | 7 |
| 46 | Shaddap your face | Joe Dolce | 593 | 10 | 1 |
| 47 | Happy birthday | Stevie Wonder | 589 | 11 | 2 |
| 48 | Reward | Teardrop Explodes | 588 | 13 | 6 |
| 49 | Girls on film | Duran Duran | 587 | 11 | 5 |
| 50 | Endless love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie | 576 | 12 | 7 |
| 51 | Return of the Las Palmas | Madness | 575 | 11 | 7 |
| 52 | Good thing going | Sugar Minott | 574 | 12 | 4 |
| 53 | You'll never know | Hi Gloss | 571 | 13 | 12 |
| 54 | I surrender | Rainbow | 569 | 10 | 3 |
| 55 | You might need somebody | Randy Crawford | 567 | 13 | 11 |
| 56 | Swords of a thousand men | Tenpole Tudor | 566 | 12 | 6 |
| 57 | Back to the sixties | Tightfit | 565 | 11 | 4 |
| 58 | I want to be free | Toyah | 564 | 11 | 8 |
| 59 | Pretend | Alvin Stardust | 561 | 10 | 4 |
| 60 | In the air tonight | Phil Collins | 560 | 10 | 2 |
| 61 | Under your thumb | Godley & Creme | 560 | 11 | 3 |
| 62 | Chant no. 1 | Spandau Ballet | 555 | 10 | 3 |
| 63 | Fade to grey | Visage | 555 | 12 | 8 |
| 64 | Take it on the run | REO Speedwagon | 555 | 14 | 19 |
| 65 | Memory | Elaine Page | 552 | 12 | 6 |
| 66 | More than in love | Kate Robbins & Beyond | 550 | 10 | 2 |
| 67 | Caribbean disco | Lobo | 550 | 11 | 8 |
| 68 | Good year for the roses | Elvis Costello | 547 | 11 | 6 |
| 69 | Stars on 45 vol. 2 | Star Sound | 544 | 10 | 2 |
| 70 | Intuition | Linx | 543 | 11 | 7 |
| 71 | Slow hand | Pointer Sisters | 541 | 11 | 10 |
| 72 | Joan of Arc | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | 538 | 10 | 5 |
| 73 | Romeo & Juliet | Dire Straits | 534 | 11 | 8 |
| 74 | Every little thing she does is magic | Police | 532 | 10 | 1 |
| 75 | Night games | Graham Bonnet | 532 | 11 | 6 |
| 76 | Tonight I'm yours | Rod Stewart | 532 | 11 | 8 |
| 77 | Just can't get enough | Depeche Mode | 531 | 10 | 8 |
| 78 | No woman no cry | Bob Marley & Wailers | 530 | 11 | 8 |
| 79 | Beach Boy gold | Gidea Park | 529 | 13 | 11 |
| 80 | Let's hang on | Barry Manilow | 527 | 11 | 12 |
| 81 | Don't stop the music | Yarbrough & Peoples | 521 | 10 | 7 |
| 82 | One in ten | UB40 | 520 | 10 | 7 |
| 83 | Southern freeez | Freeez | 518 | 11 | 8 |
| 84 | Young Parisians | Adam & Ants | 518 | 11 | 9 |
| 85 | Wired for sound | Cliff Richard | 515 | 9 | 4 |
| 86 | When she was my girl | Four Tops | 510 | 10 | 3 |
| 87 | Grey days | Madness | 505 | 10 | 4 |
| 88 | Favourite shirts | Haircut One Hundred | 502 | 10 | 4 |
| 89 | Thunder in mountains | Toyah | 496 | 9 | 4 |
| 90 | Walk right now | Jacksons | 496 | 11 | 7 |
| 91 | Let's groove | Earth Wind & Fire | 495 | 8 | 3 |
| 92 | Open your heart | Human League | 494 | 9 | 6 |
| 93 | When you were sweet sixteen | Fureys and Davie Arthur | 493 | 11 | 14 |
| 94 | Hand held in black and white | Dollar | 492 | 12 | 19 |
| 95 | Why do fools fall in love | Diana Ross | 491 | 8 | 4 |
| 96 | Only crying | Keith Marshall | 490 | 10 | 12 |
| 97 | Chequered love | Kim Wilde | 486 | 9 | 4 |
| 98 | Labelled with love | Squeeze | 486 | 10 | 4 |
| 99 | Will you | Hazel O'Connor | 482 | 10 | 8 |
| 100 | Oldest swinger in town | Fred Wedlock | 475 | 10 | 6 |
| 101 | New Orleans | Gillan | 474 | 10 | 17 |
| 102 | Wordy rappinghood | Tom Tom Club | 473 | 9 | 7 |
| 103 | Muscle bound | Spandau Ballet | 470 | 10 | 10 |
| 104 | Planet earth | Duran Duran | 464 | 11 | 12 |
| 105 | What becomes of the broken hearted | Dave Stewart & Colin Blunstone | 461 | 10 | 13 |
| 106 | Under pressure | Queen & David Bowie | 460 | 7 | 1 |
| 107 | Chariots of fire | Vangelis | 460 | 10 | 12 |
| 108 | D-Days | Hazel O'Connor | 455 | 9 | 10 |
| 109 | Jones vs Jones | Kool and the Gang | 455 | 11 | 17 |
| 110 | Shut up | Madness | 452 | 9 | 7 |
| 111 | Bad sitter | Soft Cell | 451 | 7 | 4 |
| 112 | All stood still | Ultravox | 450 | 10 | 8 |
| 113 | Ai no corrida | Quincy Jones | 449 | 10 | 14 |
| 114 | I am the beat | Look | 445 | 9 | 6 |
| 115 | Just a feeling | Bad Manners | 443 | 9 | 13 |
| 116 | Piece of the action | Bucks Fizz | 442 | 9 | 12 |
| 117 | The sound of the crowd | Human League | 440 | 10 | 12 |
| 118 | Rapture | Blondie | 439 | 8 | 5 |
| 119 | It's raining | Shakin' Stevens | 439 | 9 | 10 |
| 120 | Rock this town | Stray Cats | 435 | 8 | 9 |
| 121 | Bette Davis eyes | Kim Carnes | 431 | 9 | 10 |
| 122 | Stray Cat strut | Stray Cats | 428 | 10 | 11 |
| 123 | Star | Kiki Dee | 428 | 10 | 13 |
| 124 | Ay ay ay Moosey | Modern Romance | 427 | 8 | 10 |
| 125 | Walkin' in the sunshine | Bad Manners | 425 | 9 | 10 |
| 126 | Start me up | Rolling Stones | 424 | 9 | 7 |
| 127 | Steppin' out | Kool and the Gang | 424 | 9 | 12 |
| 128 | Everybody salsa | Modern Romance | 420 | 10 | 12 |
| 129 | Once in a lifetime | Talking Heads | 419 | 10 | 14 |
| 130 | In and out of love | Imagination | 415 | 9 | 16 |
| 131 | Ain't no stopping | Enigma | 413 | 8 | 11 |
| 132 | Can't get enough of you | Eddy Grant | 412 | 10 | 13 |
| 133 | I go to sleep | Pretenders | 410 | 7 | 7 |
| 134 | Invisible sun | Police | 409 | 8 | 2 |
| 135 | St. Valentine's day massacre | Motorhead / Girlschool | 409 | 8 | 5 |
| 136 | Mind of a toy | Visage | 404 | 8 | 13 |
| 137 | Passionate friend | Teardrop Explodes | 404 | 10 | 25 |
| 138 | Hold me | B.A. Robertson & Maggie Bell | 403 | 8 | 11 |
| 139 | Abacab | Genesis | 401 | 8 | 9 |
| 140 | Take it to the top | Kool and the Gang | 399 | 9 | 15 |
| 141 | Je suis un rock star | Bill Wyman | 397 | 9 | 14 |
| 142 | Rainy night in Georgia | Randy Crawford | 397 | 9 | 18 |
| 143 | One of those nights | Bucks Fizz | 396 | 10 | 20 |
| 144 | Water on glass | Kim Wilde | 395 | 8 | 11 |
| 145 | Sgt. Rock is going to help me | XTC | 395 | 9 | 16 |
| 146 | You better you bet | Who | 394 | 8 | 9 |
| 147 | Razzamataz | Quincy Jones | 394 | 9 | 11 |
| 148 | Is Vic there | Department S | 394 | 10 | 22 |
| 149 | Daddy's home | Cliff Rochard | 392 | 6 | 2 |
| 150 | Do nothing / Maggie's farm | Specials | 392 | 7 | 4 |
Charts 1940 - 1949 Charts 1950 - 1959
Charts 1960 - 1969 Charts 1970 - 1979
Charts 1980 - 1989 Charts 1990 - 1999