These 4 Rock Songs From 1981 Still Make Me Want To Dance Today

In 1981, rock music was at the beginning of what remains one of the best decades in rock music. Among the hair band songs and the newer pop sounds are these four songs, which still make me want to dance today.

“Physical” by Olivia Newton-John

A multi-platinum, international hit for Olivia Newton-John, “Physical” is written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick. The title track of Newton-John’s 1981 album, it spent a total of ten weeks in the No. 1 spot.

“Physical” is really a sexy, sultry song. But it also became popular on workout playlists in the 80s, especially with the popular aerobics craze. The song says, “Physical, physical, I wanna get / Physical, let’s get into physical / Let me hear your body talk, your body talk / Let me hear your body talk.”

“Centerfold” by The J. Geils Band

Their only No. 1 hit, “Centerfold” is on The J. Geils Band’s tenth album, Freeze Frame. Written by band member Seth Justman, the song is about a man’s high school crush, whom he later finds as the centerfold of a magazine.

“Centerfold” says, “Those soft, fuzzy sweaters / Too magical to touch / To see her in that negligee / Is really just too much / My blood runs cold / Yeah, my memory has just been sold / My angel is the centerfold.”

“Elvira” by The Oak Ridge Boys

A massive country and pop hit, The Oak Ridge Boys include “Elvira” on their Fancy Free record. Written by Dallas Frazier, “Elvira” became a country and pop No. 1 hit. It remains one of the quartet’s biggest singles of their career.

“Elvira” says, “Elvira / Elvira / My heart’s on fire for Elvira / Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow / Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow / High-ho silver, away.”

Buoyed by The Oak Ridge Boys’ Richard Sterban’s deep voice in the chorus, “Elvira” is still a mainstay in the group’s shows today.

“Rapture” by Blondie

Written by band members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, “Rapture” is on Blondie’s Autoamerican record. The song’s inspiration is the emerging rap scene in the early 80s in New York City.

“It was just super exciting and eye-opening to see all this going on at the same time as the downtown music scene. But there was really no connection between these two scenes at that point,”  Stein says in a 2022 podcast interview. “We had heard ‘Rapper’s Delight’ [The Sugarhill Gang] on the radio. So I had a basic conception of it, but seeing it in person was really eye-opening.”

“Rapture” says, “Toe to toe / Dancing very close / Barely breathing / Almost comatose / Wall to wall / People hypnotized / And they’re stepping lightly / Hang each night in Rapture.”

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