Flashback: August 31, 1981

Time Travelers, Take Your Seats

The summer of 1981 was wrapping up, but the culture was heating up. MTV had just turned one month old, blasting music videos into living rooms that had only ever known Top 40 radio and American Bandstand.

Diana Ross and Lionel Richie had us swaying to Endless Love, while Rick Springfield made us all secretly hum about wanting our best friend’s girlfriend.

It wasn’t just music shaping the vibe. On the big screen, Raiders of the Lost Ark had us holding our breath, and An American Werewolf in London was redefining horror with groundbreaking special effects.

Fashion was all about bold colors, skinny ties, and feathered hair, while politics saw   pushing his first tax cuts and cable news beginning to stretch its influence.

Sports kept us tuned in, too. In tennis, John McEnroe reclaimed his Wimbledon crown, proving his fiery talent matched his temper, while baseball fans were glued to a strike-shortened season that still had the Dodgers and Yankees chasing glory.

Speaking of timing, let’s dive into what was spinning on our turntables and what we were watching on our wood-grain TVs during the final days of summer ’81.

This Mixtape Memory Lane is sponsored by 50 Ways to Keep Your Lover.

Mixtape Memory Lane 

This Week’s Billboard Hot 100 – August 31, 1981

🎧 “Endless Love” – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
Whether you were at the roller rink, a school dance, or just daydreaming with headphones on, this duet set the gold standard for love songs in the ’80s. Even today, its soaring harmonies are impossible not to feel.

🎧 “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” – Christopher Cross
Written for Arthur, the Dudley Moore comedy about a lovable drunk billionaire, this song captured the bittersweet magic of falling in love against the odds. It even went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

🎧 “Jessie’s Girl” – Rick Springfield
Soap star turned rock star, Rick Springfield brought teen longing to life with this catchy anthem about crushing on your best friend’s girlfriend. Equal parts awkward, angsty, and fun, it struck a chord with anyone who ever wanted what they couldn’t have.

🎧 “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” – Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty
When Fleetwood Mac’s queen teamed up with the Heartbreakers’ frontman, the result was pure rock radio perfection. It wasn’t just a duet…it was a collision of two icons at the top of their game.

🎧 “I Don’t Need You” – Kenny Rogers
By 1981, Kenny Rogers had already conquered country and crossed into pop superstardom. This ballad showed his softer side, swapping swagger for vulnerability as he sang about letting go of a love that wasn’t right.

🎧 Bonus Track #1:  “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” – Pat Benatar
Her powerhouse voice and tough-but-glam image gave GenX girls (and plenty of guys) a new kind of role model. She wasn’t just singing rock…she was rock.

🎧 Bonus Track #2: “Shake It Up” – The Cars
With Ric Ocasek’s distinct voice and those synth-driven riffs, The Cars became the soundtrack of choice for anyone straddling the line between edgy and mainstream.

👆 Watch the full throwback video playlist on YouTube Music.

Screen Time Rewind 

August 1981 felt like the future arriving early. On the big screen, the horror-comedy An American Werewolf in London howled its way to the top of the charts, dazzling audiences with groundbreaking makeup effects and dark humor that made them second-guess neighborhood shadows.

Meanwhile, adventure reigned with Raiders of the Lost Ark keeping its momentum from earlier in the summer, reminding us why Indiana Jones became the embodiment of cool escapism.

Not far behind, tough-guy thriller Body Heat was heating up the box office with its smoldering performances and razor-sharp noir edge.

Just 30 days before on the small screen, MTV went live, and Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles became the first video ever aired on the network.

By month’s end, we were still spinning our heads around the idea of music as a visual medium…MTV’s first VJs like Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, and Martha Quinn were fast becoming icons in their own right as they turned the music video into an appointment viewing.

CBS was still the undisputed king of television. Dallas, with its dramatic oil-rich cliffhangers, was the #1 show of the season.

Not far behind, 60 Minutes carried its investigative credibility into millions of living rooms every Sunday night, shaping conversations from the dinner table to the board room.

The Jeffersons delivered laughs and social commentary, while Three’s Company earned its stripes as the sitcom that kept viewers giggling through misunderstandings.

Across channels, Alice brought warmth and wit to late-night routines, and The Dukes of Hazzard kept viewers laughing and occasionally gasping thanks to Daisy Duke’s charm and those unforgettable car chases.

On ABC, The Love Boat added a breezy, vacation-from-your-living-room feel to Friday nights, sending romance and clichés across the screen with equal grace.

These weren’t just ratings champs; they were appointments we planned around and keep watching week after week.

his Life Reboot is sponsored by La’Merde Designs apparel.

Life Reboot: Money

In 1981, money felt simple. If you wanted your savings to grow, you didn’t need apps or complex strategies…you went to the bank. Certificates of deposit (CDs), ordinary savings accounts, and those little paper savings bonds tucked into birthday cards were the building blocks of financial security. Back then, interest rates were high enough that even modest savings felt like they could get somewhere.

But there was always a catch: inflation. While CDs or savings bonds might pay impressive rates on paper, the cost of living was climbing too. Filling your tank or buying groceries could wipe out the gains. It was a lesson in perspective…earning and spending were always in a dance.

Here’s the fun part: some of those childhood savings bonds might still be out there, quietly earning interest. Many GenXers have bonds they forgot about, sitting in drawers or safe deposit boxes. If you’re curious, you can actually look them up to see if they’ve matured at the U.S. Treasury’s site: TreasuryDirect.gov. It’s worth a quick check…sometimes forgotten bonds hold a little hidden windfall.

Fast forward to 2025. Ordinary savings accounts earn next to nothing unless you move your money into a high-yield option online. CDs and savings bonds are still around, but the modern “set it and forget it” choice for people willing to take a small step beyond “safe” has become the low-cost index fund. By spreading your investment across hundreds of companies, index funds keep the risk lower while still giving you a shot at long-term growth.

The lesson? Whether it was a bond from grandma in 1981 or a smart index fund choice today, the principle is the same: put your money where it works, not where it naps.

This week’s challenge: Take a few minutes to check in on your savings. Do you have an old bond lying around that might be worth more than you remember? And for your current cash, compare what your bank is paying against a high-yield account or even look into a starter index fund. Your future self will thank you for giving those dollars a job.

Visual Feature is sponsored by Practical Advice from the Scriptures.

Visual Feature: Throwback Ad

The Pepsi Challenge

In 1981, Pepsi doubled down on its boldest move yet: the Pepsi Challenge. Set up in malls, fairs, and city sidewalks, the taste test asked regular people to pick between Coke and Pepsi without knowing which was which. The campaign didn’t just sell soda, it sold drama, inviting us all to take sides in the ultimate cola showdown.

Life Reboot is sponsored by La’Merde Designs.

Mixtape Memory Lane is sponsored by 50 Ways to Keep Your Lover.

Visual Feature is sponsored by Practical Advice from the Scriptures.

Thanks for Coming Along for the Ride

That’s our rewind to August 1981…a summer of fresh sounds, big hair, and quarters burning holes in our pockets. MTV was shaking up music, savings bonds and CDs were teaching us patience, and the Pepsi Challenge had us questioning our loyalties with every sip.

Looking back, it wasn’t just about what we watched or listened to, it was about how we connected with each other and the culture around us. Fast forward to today, and the tools have changed, but the joy of discovering, debating, and sharing still holds true.

If this trip sparked a memory, invite someone to subscribe who would’ve been right there with you…standing in line at the arcade, swapping tapes, or arguing over Coke vs. Pepsi. After all, nostalgia’s more fun when it’s shared.

See you next week for another turn through the time machine.

Until then, if you catch someone from the younger generations trying to call us out, just channel your inner Flo from Mel's Diner and tell them to “kiss my grits.”