5 Rock Songs From 1981 That Sound Even Cooler Today

It may be hard to believe that songs from 1981 can actually sound cooler in the modern era than they did when they were released. Maybe it's the remastering that gives the tracks a state-of-the-art glow-up, or maybe the vibe was just ahead of its time. Whatever the reason, certain tunes from that year seem to crackle with new energy, especially as they come pulsating through newer sound systems.

To be sure, the memories captured by these tunes are conjured up anew every time you listen to them. The nostalgia gives the songs a new aura that they couldn't have had when they were new. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that the bone-crunching electric guitar in Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" and the zippity-zap synthesizer riff in The Cars' "Shake It Up" feel like they could be features of this week's new releases. They were incredible back in 1981, but 40-plus years of seasoning have made them even cooler.

In our estimation, a song sounds cooler today than it did in 1981 if you can hear it now and feel like it gained greater power as it aged. Many songs from that year feel dated in the modern era, but some sound even groovier. Here are five tunes that fall into the latter group.

All it takes is the slightly dissonant twang of the opening guitar riff to recognize "Urgent," one of Foreigner's catchiest tunes and a major player on the 1981 Billboard Hot 100 chart. This chugging slab of power rock zipped on up to No. 4, clinching the band's status as an '80s phenomenon. The best part is that you can fire it up today and rock out to what ends up being a tune about a booty call (though that term didn't exist when the song was written, obviously).

Even if it hadn't been a hit back then, it would still be a supercharged rock tune today — it feels more modern than most songs from that time. It helped that the band had two megawatt talents helping behind the scenes: producer Mutt Lange and synth whiz Thomas Dolby. You may not recognize Lange by name, but you'll recognize the music he's helped create with acts like Def Leppard, AC/DC, and Shania Twain. And Thomas Dolby had his own top 10 electro-pop hit a couple years later with "She Blinded Me With Science." 

"Urgent" was crafted with a formula for success that only gets more awesome with time. If you cue up the tune today, you'll likely get swept up in the mesmerizing rhythm and bluesy melody before the first chorus hits. Regardless of what the original members of the band Foreigner are doing today, this 1981 smash sounds like it just rolled off the press.

Fleetwood Mac's mystical princess spent her time between albums with the band crafting a striking debut LP that went platinum. With it, Stevie Nicks added "Edge of Seventeen" to the chronicle of rock music, and she unleashed a force of nature that never stopped churning. The song was an intoxicating brew from the moment it arrived, with a grinding 16th-note guitar riff, a choir of rock and roll angels emulating the cry of a white-winged dove, and lyrics about the loss of innocence in the face of death.

This scorcher flew up the charts, alighting at No. 11 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1982. "Stop Dragging My Heart Around," her duet with Tom Petty, may have soared higher to No. 3, but it was "Edge of Seventeen" that became a live-show staple that fans adore. Even with Stevie Nicks living a lavish life as a grand dame of the rock world, she can still create a frenzy with the song, as she did during her 2025 concerts.

This blazing song has reach, too. Destiny's Child seized the opportunity to sample the iconic opening riff for the band's popular "Bootylicious." And when Miley Cyrus admitted that "Edge of Seventeen" inspired her 2020 single "Midnight Sky," it led to a mashup called "Edge of Midnight" that merged the two songs. However and wherever it shows up, this Nicks tune sounds stronger today than when it originally landed.

"Under Pressure" brought together two of the most glam-tastic singers in the rock world: Freddie Mercury and David Bowie. If you heard it when it was first released, you know how much of an attention-getter it was, and it still holds us in its sway. Maybe that's because there's no age in which the pressures of life don't eventually grind on us all. Indeed, this soaring anthem reminds us that the struggle to survive is not only real, but it's also nothing new, and learning to love one another is the only way to get through it.

This U.K. No. 1 single resonated beyond the airwaves of the '80s. Part of the lasting magic is that it relies on the basic sounds of great rock music: guitar, drums, and that iconic bass-piano-and-finger-snap riff that circled back around as an unforgettable part of Vanilla Ice's chart-topping "Ice Ice Baby" in the '90s. The tune was also resurrected by David Bowie and Queen at the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness after the Queen front man's death, with Annie Lennox singing Mercury's part.

Whether you hear it in its original form, pick it up via "Ice Ice Baby" on '90s stations, or indulge in the thrilling reinvention by Bowie and Lennox, "Under Pressure" never seems to lose its spark. It sounds crisp and sharp, thanks in part to 21st-century remastering, but it also feels more raw and relatable than ever.

The upbeat, zippy-zappy synths that kick in from the beginning of "Shake It Up" tell you right away that this is a different kind of song than The Cars had given us prior. This new wave cha-cha has infectious energy and a message that beckons listeners to let their freak flags fly on the dance floor regardless of their abilities. It was such a joyous renewal of the band's sound that it can still put a generous bounce in your step today.

Ric Ocasek and his merry players were riding an up-and-down wave of success in 1981 when "Shake It Up" dropped into listeners' laps like a gift. The title single from the band's new album went all the way to No. 4 on Billboard's Hot 100 and became the band's first top 5 smash. It also helped propel the LP to No. 9, which meant a lot of music lovers were smitten with the buzzy tune. In 2019, Ocasek's death led to a surge in sales and streaming for The Cars, bringing "Shake It Up" back to the world along with other favorites.

Turn it on today and you'll find the mix of snappy electronics, crackling guitars, and bouncy rhythms feels ready-made for the digital music age. And the message of dancing as if no one is watching is a lesson we all could use, no matter what decade it shows up in.

When Genesis drummer and vocalist Phil Collins decided to step away from his day job to take a sip of his solo career, he went straight for the hard stuff. The result was the haunting "In the Air Tonight," a pulsating piece of eerie audio tension that feels like the soundtrack to a nightmare — but in the best possible way. The song was a distinct departure from the more radio-friendly music Collins had made with his band in the years after Peter Gabriel departed. The tightened-up trio had perfected a mainstream sound when Collins stepped away to make his solo debut, "Face Value." The lead single was this slice of brooding sonic melodrama, and the moodiness was authentic. He was making the record while his marriage was coming to an end, despite rumors that "In the Air Tonight" had a hidden meaning about Collins watching someone drown a man.

"In the Air Tonight" wasn't Collins' biggest hit of the '80s — it topped out at No. 19 on Billboard's Hot 100 — but it was his first single as a solo artist, and it caught a second wind in 1984 when it appeared in the premiere of the hit '80s crime show, "Miami Vice." It recharted in 2020, thanks to a fun reaction video of listeners hearing it for the first time, and landed at No. 9 on the Hot Rock & Alternative charts, almost 40 years after its release. Now that's cool.