Diane Tell’s stunning “Si j’etais un homme” was 1981’s most successful Canadian Franco hit according to the year-end CKOI chart (4th of the year). As far as Anglo hits go, Canadian folk ensemble The (Irish) Rovers enjoyed the year’s biggest Canadian hit, a beefed up version of US folk singer Tom Paxton’s “Wasn’t That a Party” (#11 on the RPM year-end chart). Stars on 45’s medley of classics with a dance beat took the year’s top honours beating out Kim Carnes’ smash “Bette Davis Eyes” (#2 of the year). Besides Canadian entries on the year-end CKOI and RPM charts, we have also included below all songs by Canadians that made RPM’s weekly Top 40 throughout the year, listing their peak position. Bear in mind that this is a picture of cross-Canada success. Songs may have charted much higher or lower in various cities as radio stations usually give local artists more support.
YE= Year-End chart position.
WP = Weekly chart peak position.
1981 FRANCO HITS
| TITLE | ARTIST | YE |
| Si j’etais un homme | Diane Tell | 4 |
| Meo penche | Pierre Bertrand | 21 |
| Travailler | Michel Pagliaro | 25 |
| As-tu du feu? | Bill | 34 |
| Rock de v’lours | Offenbach | 47 |
1981 ANGLO HITS
| TITLE | ARTIST | YE | WP |
| Wasn’t That a Party | The Rovers | 11 | 3 |
| My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone) | Chilliwack | 29 | 3 |
| Turn Me Loose | Loverboy | 48 | 7 |
| Limelight | Rush | 75 | 18 |
| Magic Power | Triumph | 79 | 14 |
| Living Inside Myself | Gino Vannelli | 85 | 13 |
| Blessed Are the Believers | Anne Murray | 86 | 13 |
| High School Confidential | Rough Trade | 88 | 12 |
| Thirsty Ears | Powder Blues | 95 | 17 |
| All Touch | Rough Trade | 97 | 12 |
| Working for the Weekend | Loverboy | 10 | |
| Happy Birthday Kid | Geoff Hughes | 20 | |
| Just Between You and Me | April Wine | 22 | |
| Say What | Jesse Winchester | 23 | |
| Tom Sawyer | Rush | 24 | |
| Women Around the World at Work | Martha & the Muffins | 24 | |
| Fashion Victim | Rough Trade | 25 | |
| Hold On | Ian Thomas | 28 | |
| Does a Fool Ever Learn | Eddie Schwartz | 29 | |
| Innocence | Harlequin | 29 | |
| Chains | Ian Thomas | 29 | |
| You Saved My Soul | Burton Cummings | 31 | |
| Sign of the Gypsy Queen | April Wine | 40 |
1981 CHOICE TRIVIA
Canadian Music Blog 
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