3 Soft Rock Songs That Defined Summer for Millions of Americans in 1981

Remember summer break in 1981? If you were young back then, you probably remember many of the songs that were on the radio after school let out. The following three soft rock songs, specifically, are probably still stuck in your head after hearing them years ago during summer break in 1981. And you’re probably not complaining about it, either. Let’s take a look at a few gorgeous throwbacks, shall we?

“The One That You Love” by Air Supply from ‘The One That You Love’

“The One That You Love” by Air Supply was easily the soft rock song of the summer of 1981. This hit was all over the radio and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart by the time July rolled around. Surprisingly, this song is Air Supply’s only No. 1 hit on that chart. But what a song to be known for! Russell Hitchcock’s vocals are on another level.

“Time” by The Alan Parsons Project from ‘The Turn Of A Friendly Card’

This song is one of the most elegant and smooth soft rock ballads of 1981. Naturally, it got plenty of airplay throughout the summer of 1981. Written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, “Time” made it all the way to No. 15 on the Hot 100 chart and did similarly well on the Cash Box and Adult Contemporary charts. It’s one of the few Alan Parsons Project songs to feature Woolfson singing lead, and he really took the song to another level. “Time” dropped in April 1981 and quickly became radio fodder once summertime came along.

“Cool Love” by Pablo Cruise from ‘Reflector’

There’s something about breezy soft rock songs that just makes the fleeting freedom of summer break seem all the more passionate, and this 1981 hit definitely has that vibe. “Cool Love” by Pablo Cruise was a hefty hit on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 13. The song features David Jenkins singing lead. And the ballad is a memorable love song that plenty of young ones back in the day related to. “Cool Love” would also be the band Pablo Cruise’s final Top 40 hit of their career.

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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