Number One Hits

Between 1976 and 1989, Eddie Rabbitt was one of country music’s most successful hit makers, scoring 17 #1 Country hits (and 33 top tens altogether). His easy listening country music played loosely with the genre, incorporating pop elements in the modern productions that allowed several of his songs to crossover to mainstream audiences without losing his country folks in the process. “I Love a Rainy Night,” “Drivin’ My Life Away,” and “Step By Step” represent his strong mainstream appeal, while songs like “Suspicions,” “Gone Too Far” and “Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight” represent a further immersion in rock, R&B and adult-contemporary sounds. His duets with Crystal Gayle (the piano laced “You and I”) and Juice Newton (“Both To Each Other (Friends and Lovers)") offer a further look into Rabbitt’s ability to handle material that never adhered strictly to the country line. Rabbitt would never be confused with a hardcore country practitioner, though “Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind),” with its barroom piano and tight harmonies, is about as close as he’d come to the honky-tonk sound of his forbearers.