On This Day in 1981, Alabama Was at the Top of the Country Chart with Their First Multi-Week No. 1

On this day (July 31), Alabama was at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “Feels So Right.” It was the second single and title track from their 1981 album, which was their first to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

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Alabama is the most successful country band in the history of the genre. They dominated the country airwaves and charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Between 1979 and 1999, the group released 61 singles, and all of them landed well within the top 40 on the country chart. Thirty-three of those songs went to the top of the chart. Only ten singles, including one Christmas song, missed the top 10.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1980, Alabama Released the First of 21 Consecutive No. 1 Singles]

“Feels So Right” stands out from their long list of No. 1 singles, though. It wasn’t just the title track from their first No. 1 album. It was also their first multi-week No. 1. The song topped the country chart on July 18 and stayed there for two weeks. It was also their first crossover hit, peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Alabama Lead Singer, Randy Owen, Wrote “Feels So Right” About a Former Girlfriend

“Feels So Right” is one of the steamiest songs in Alabama’s discography. At the time, it was deemed almost too intimate for country radio. However, the song is more suggestive and sexy than explicit, so it had no trouble climbing to the top of the chart.

Randy Owen reportedly wrote “Feels So Right” when he was only 17 years old. He wrote it about the girl he had been dating for a couple of years. At the time, their relationship was getting serious enough that they had enjoyed at least a few steamy encounters. Owen seemingly penned the song while thinking back on those intimate moments.

After writing the song, Owen shopped it around Nashville and heard countless variations of “No” and ways he could improve the song. However, he knew he had something special. So, he decided to keep the song as-is and record it himself. “Feels So Right” has been a cornerstone of Alabama’s concerts for decades.

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