On This Day in 1981, the Most Successful Band in Country Music History Released Their First No. 1 Album—Including a Signature Love Ballad One Decade in the Making

On this day (February 5) in 1981, Alabama released Feels So Right. Later that year, it became their first No. 1 album on the country chart. It also peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200, giving the band their first crossover hit. The LP also produced multiple No. 1 singles, adding to what would be a years-long string of chart-toppers.

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Feels So Right was the band’s fifth studio album. However, it was only their second to reach the Billboard chart. They released their first three albums on independent labels between 1976 and 1979. Their fourth album, My Home’s in Alabama, was their major label debut. It reached No. 3 on the country chart and produced two No. 1 singles.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1981, Alabama Notched Their First Multi-Week No. 1 with “Feels So Right”]

The band dominated the country singles chart throughout the 1980s. They launched a string of 21 consecutive No. 1 singles that began with “Tennessee River” in 1980 and ended with “You’ve Got the Touch” in 1987.

Alabama Lands Their First Multi-Week No. 1

Feels So Right was more than Alabama’s first No. 1 album. Its title track also gave the band their first multi-week No. 1. They released it as the second single from the album in May 1981. It spent two weeks at the top of the country chart in July of that year. Moreover, it became one of their signature songs.

Interestingly, Randy Owen had been holding onto “Feels So Right” for around a decade before the band recorded it. He wrote it when he was 17 years old about his then-girlfriend. He reportedly wrote it in fifteen minutes. Then, he spent untold hours shopping it all around Nashville. No one wanted to record it, thought. He was told it was a good start, but it lacked a bridge, and no one believed it would be a hit. Fortunately, they were all wrong.

The song didn’t just give Alabama their first multi-week No. 1. It also became their first single to cross over to the pop chart. It peaked at No. 20 on the Hot 100.

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