About The Song
“Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind)” is an upbeat country anthem by Eddie Rabbitt, released in February 1976 as the lead single from his Elektra Records album Rocky Mountain Music. Co-written by Rabbitt and Even Stevens, it became his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, holding the top spot for one week in April 1976, charting for 12 weeks, and peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. The 2:26 track captures a heartbroken man drowning his sorrows in a bar: “Hey, bartender, pop the top on another can / I’m drinkin’ my baby off my mind.” Rabbitt’s smooth, rockabilly-tinged vocals and lively delivery turn heartache into a honky-tonk party, as Billboard noted: “Eddie’s voice blends grit and charm, perfect for the jukebox.” Rabbitt told Country Music in 1977, “It’s about losing love but finding a way to keep going—that’s real life.” The song earned him the 1977 ACM Top New Male Vocalist award, launching his crossover career.
Recorded in late 1975 at The Sound Shop in Nashville, the track was produced by David Malloy, with uncredited Nashville players likely including Billy Sanford on guitar, Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano, and Henry Strzelecki on bass, per Discogs. The rollicking arrangement—bright guitar, driving rhythm, and subtle steel—creates a danceable vibe, as AllMusic praises: “It’s a foot-stomping classic that set Eddie apart.” The album hit No. 14 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The G-C-D chord progression and “sinkin’ in a sea of sorrow” refrain, per Chordify, made it a radio and barroom staple. A 2009 remaster on Spotify’s Number One Hits collection and its use in the 2019 film The Peanut Butter Falcon kept it relevant.
Eddie Rabbitt, born November 27, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, started as a songwriter, penning “Kentucky Rain” for Elvis Presley (1970) and “Pure Love” for Ronnie Milsap (1974). His 1970s and 1980s hits, like “I Love a Rainy Night” (No. 1, 1980), blended country with pop-rock, shaping the era’s crossover sound, per Wikipedia. “Drinkin’ My Baby” was a live favorite, performed at his 1976 Knott’s Berry Farm ACM Awards set and 1978 Dolly Parton tour stops, with a YouTube clip showcasing his charisma. Covers are rare, but a 1977 version by The Kendalls exists, per SecondHandSongs. Reddit fans on r/country in 2022 called it “a forgotten banger,” with one X post in 2025 noting its nostalgic pull: “Brings back memories!” Rabbitt died of lung cancer on May 7, 1998, at 56, per post:0⁊.
The song’s barroom setting and mild drinking theme stirred no major controversy, thriving on Spotify and Smule karaoke, with Shazam users tagging its infectious energy. No Depression notes: “Eddie made heartbreak sound like a good time.” “Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind)” remains a cornerstone of Rabbitt’s legacy, a rollicking ode to moving on with a cold one in hand.
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Lyric
Hey, bartender, pop the top on another can
Give me ten dimes for this dollar in my hand
Turn the knob on the jukebox way up loud
I might drive out the whole damn crowd
But I’m drinkin’ my baby off my mindHey, Joe, you’re lookin’ at me like I was half crazy
But ain’t you never loved and lost a real special lady
She was a sweet lovin’ mama, she treated me right
I stepped out on her one too many times
Now I’m drinkin’ my baby off my mindDrinkin’ and thinkin’ ‘bout facin’ tomorrow
Sinkin’, sinkin’ in a sea of sorrowHey, bartender, line ‘em up down the bar
I’m gonna try and wash away all these lovin’ scars
Now don’t worry ‘bout me weavin’, I’ll be alright
Show me the door when you close up tonight
‘Cause I’m drinkin’ my baby off my mindNo, don’t you worry ‘bout me weavin’, I’ll be alright
Show me the door when you close up tonight
‘Cause I’m drinkin’ my baby off my mind
Yes, I’m drinkin’ my baby off my mind