‘I Love a Rainy Night’: Eddie Rabbitt

"Approaching Thunder Storm," 1859, by Martin Johnson Heade. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Public Domain

Musician Eddie Rabbitt had a prolific recording career as a country artist in Nashville, Tennessee. He spent decades penning hits for other artists, and he released many country chart-toppers of his own. But one of his songs in particular stands out from the rest of his catalog, though it was released over four decades ago. In the case of the toe-tapping “I Love a Rainy Night,” his simple, straightforward lyrics and infectious beat made the perfect combination for a song that raced up the charts in 1980.

“I Love a Rainy Night” is a quick three minutes, but it took Rabbitt over a decade to record and publish the classic country tune.

A Head ‘Full of Music’

A father and son jam session pictured inside the 1978 album "Variations" by Eddie Rabbitt. Internet Archive. Public Domain

Eddie Rabbitt was born to an Irish immigrant family in Brooklyn, New York in 1941. He grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. His father, Thomas, was a fiddle and accordion player who often traveled to New York City for gigs. Rabbitt picked up his father’s love of music at a young age. While he was in the Boy Scouts of America, his scoutmaster showed him how to play a few country songs on the guitar. With that, Eddie’s lifelong love affair with the country genre began.

His mother, Mae, once said that her son’s head was “full of music.” By age 12, he was a serious guitar player with his sights set on becoming a professional musician. In his early adulthood, he played regular gigs throughout Newark, New Jersey. But Rabbitt he longed to be in the metropolis of country music. So in 1968, with just $1000 to his name, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Early Nashville Success

A detail from the back cover of Eddie Rabbitt's 1978 album "Variations" featuring hit song "Kentucky Rain." Internet Archive. Public Domain

Rabbitt spent his early days in Nashville working various odd jobs. But he was soon hired on as a staff writer for a publishing house in the city’s highly coveted Music Row business district. Just two years after moving to Music City, he got a huge break. Elvis Presley recorded one of Rabbitt’s songs, “Kentucky Rain,” and the single charted into the Top 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100. This initial success set the aspiring songwriter up for other modest hits with artists as well.

His songwriting success with other artists caught the attention of Elektra Records. In 1975, Rabbitt signed a deal with the company. It didn’t take long for him to begin releasing his own singles for his newly established solo career. He did have some initial success on country charts.

But five years after signing his record contract, in 1980, he scored his biggest hit to date. Rabbitt released a tune that became an evergreen single that music lovers of various genres still adore today.

An Unforgettable Beat

Cover for Rabbitt's 1980 album "Horizon." Internet Archive. Public Domain

At 39 years old, Rabbitt released his career-defining album “Horizon.” The record produced multiple hits. But the song that country music listeners latched onto the most was his simple yet impactful single, “I Love a Rainy Night.”

Over the years, his longtime songwriting partner, Nashville music veteran Even Stevens, has been asked to tell the backstory of the hit single. The song came to fruition during one their songwriting sessions. While they were trying to come up with material, Rabbitt mentioned a hook he came up with, “I love a rainy night.” In the late 1960s, he recorded it in his small apartment one stormy evening. Over the course of their songwriting session, Rabbitt rummaged through boxes in his basement to find the ten second recording of him singing the hook.

Normally, they’d nix it. After all, the only thing they had to go off of was that one line. But during that particular session, with an album release looming, the song poured out of them.

The lyrics are simple: Rabbitt declares how much he loves a good rain shower after the sun goes down. Over the years, some listeners have built on the meaning in a metaphorical way, thinking the song has to do with hope that comes after a storm washes troubles away. But in reality, Eddie simply loved inclement weather.

The lyrics are easy to remember, but what sets the unforgettable tone of the song is its beat. In an interview with The Tennessean, hosted by Nashville Songwriters Association, Stevens explained how the song’s unique groove featuring finger snaps and hand claps came to be:

“David [Malloy] was doing that while we recorded and we went ‘Man, we ought to use that.’ We recorded the song, and back then we didn’t use click tracks. … We tried to add in the hand claps … and each one of us took about 45 minutes in the studio trying to get it and all three of us couldn’t do it. …We called up Ferrell Morris, the percussion guy who used to be in town, and he did it the first take.”

Farrell Morris, one of Nashville’s late, great percussionists, rounded out the song by perfecting its unique beat, transforming the track into hit material.

Listeners over the years remain so taken with the song’s catchy beat, they’ve likened it to windshield wipers swishing back and forth during one of Rabbitt’s beloved rain showers.

A “Straight-arrow” in the Music Industry

A detail from the back cover of Rabbitt's 1980 album "Horizon" featuring hit song "I Love a Rainy Night." Internet Archive. Public Domain

When “I Love a Rainy Night” was released in November 1980 as a second single on “Horizon,” it rocketed to the top of charts. Not only was it a popular country hit, but it also reached No. 1  on Billboard’s Hot 100.

The record itself took the top spot on Billboard’s country albums chart as well. “Horizon” eventually went platinum.

In 1998, at 56 years old, Rabbitt passed away from lung cancer. His prolific recording career produced 26 No. 1 country hits. “I Love a Rainy Night” is considered one of country music’s most popular classic songs.

An archived tribute to Rabbitt at the Tampa Bay Times summed up his focused dedication to the craft of his own music by saying:

“Rabbitt was a straight-arrow in an industry with many renegades. He took pride in doing a clean show with no off-color humor or cursing.”

Rabbitt captained a career that spanned four decades. His clean cut, toe-tapping tune, “I Love a Rainy Night,” remains his signature single. It represents a style of music people of all ages and walks of life still enjoy playing on repeat.

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