10 Best R&B Songs of 1981 — The Untold Stories Behind Every Hit

A song written as a favor for another artist became a career-defining hit for the man who wrote it instead. A band named itself after a destroyed neighborhood to keep its memory alive, then topped the charts with a song about a broken heart. A "silly" bassline thrown together in an afternoon ended up costing MC Hammer a lawsuit — and winning its original writer his only Grammy. These are the true, deeply researched stories behind the ten best R&B songs of 1981. Every chart position, songwriting credit, and behind-the-scenes story in this video is pulled from verified sources — Billboard chart data, Grammy records, and firsthand interviews with the artists and producers themselves. Featuring: Rick James, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Smokey Robinson, Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers, Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang, Teena Marie, The Gap Band, and Yarbrough & Peoples. 🔔 Subscribe to R&B Zoom for weekly deep dives into the greatest soul, funk, and R&B stories never told. #RandB #80sMusic #SoulMusic #RickJames #DianaRoss #LutherVandross #SmokeyRobinson #KoolAndTheGang #MusicHistory #RBZoom #QuietStorm #ClassicSoul