Peter Weir was directing Gallipoli.

Peter Bogdanovich was directing Ben Gazzara in Saint Jack (1980). The film, which was shot entirely on location in Singapore, was subsequently banned there (until 2006).

Pat Benatar released her debut album, In the Heat of the Night.

French musician Patrick Hernandez scored an international hit with “Born to Be Alive.”

The Patti Smith Group released Wave.

Paul Hoover published Letter to Einstein Beginning Dear Albert.

Paul McCartney and Wings won a Grammy for “Rockestra Theme.”

Peaches & Herb (Herb Fame & Linda Greene) scored a couple of hits:

Peter Frampton, who had recently survived a near-fatal car crash, released Where I Should Be.

Peter Greenaway was directing his first feature-length film, The Falls (1980).

Peter Shaffer premiered the original version of his play Amadeus.

Peter Straub published Ghost Story.

Two years later, it was adapted to film.

Phil Ramone and Billy Joel won a Grammy for “Just the Way You Are.”

Philip Roth published The Ghost Writer, the first novel in his “Zuckerman Bound” trilogy.

Pierre Cabanne published his Dialogues with Marcel Duchamp.

Pink was born (on 8 September).

The Pretenders released their first single, a cover of the Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing” (produced by Nick Lowe).

Later that year, they’d score an even bigger hit with their single “Brass in Pocket.”

Both songs would appear on their debut album, The Pretenders (1980).

Prince released his second full-length album, Prince.

It was successful, but he had yet to find mainstream appeal.