About The Song
on’s run at the top of the Hot 100 with “9 to 5.”
“I Love a Rainy Night” was a lucky find on Rabbitt’s part. He discovered fragments of it among his old songwriting tapes and resurrected the idea with collaborators David Molloy and Even Stevens.
The song is brilliant in its simplicity. Crossover hits of this time have a reputation for being syrupy and overproduced, but “I Love a Rainy Night” could’ve been released thirty years earlier, driven by finger snaps and acoustic guitars. It has a Rockabilly feel that makes it fit comfortably among the current hits of the day on pop and country radio. Rabbitt’s performance is light and airy, giving the song an additional layer of charm.
Parton and Rabbitt remain the only country artists to replace each other at No. 1 on the Hot 100, with Parton returning to No. 1 after Rabbitt displaced her for a week with “I Love a Rainy Night.” With such massive success, you can understand why so many artists chased the crossover sound for the next couple of years. Few of them did it with such spectacular results as Parton and Rabbitt in early 1981.
Rabbitt’s next single will also top the charts, and we’ll cover it very soon.
Video
Lyrics
Well, I love a rainy night
I love a rainy night
I love to hear the thunder
Watch the lightnin’ when it lights up the skies
You know it makes me feel good
Well, I love a rainy night
It’s such a beautiful sight
I love to feel the rain on my face
Taste the rain on my lips
In the moonlight shadows
Showers wash all of my cares away
I wake up to a sunny day
‘Cause I love a rainy night
Yeah, I love a rainy night
Well, I love a rainy night
Well, I love a rainy night
Ooh, ooh
I love a rainy night
I love a rainy night
I love to hear the thunder
Watch the lightnin’ when it lights up the skies
You know it makes me feel good
Well, I love a rainy night
It’s such a beautiful sight
I love to feel the rain on my face
Taste the rain on my lips
In the moonlight shadows
Puts a song in this heart of mine
Puts a smile on my face every time
‘Cause I love a rainy night
Yeah, I love a rainy night
Ooh, I love a rainy night
Yeah, I love a rainy night
Ooh, ooh
Showers wash all of my cares away
I wake up to a sunny day
‘Cause I love a rainy night
Yeah, I love a rainy night
Well, I love a rainy night
I love a rainy night
Well, I love a rainy night
You can see it in my eyes
Yeah, I love a rainy night
Well, it makes me high
Ooh, I love a rainy night
You know I do
Yeah, yeah, I love a rainy night
I love a rainy night
You can see it in my eyes
I love a rainy night
Makes me high
Well, I love a rainy night
And I love you too
Yeah, I love a rainy night
Well, I love a rainy night
Well, I love a rainy night
I love a rainy night
I love a-