Love in the First Degree (Alabama song)

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"Love in the First Degree"
Single by Alabama
from the album Feels So Right
B-side"Ride the Train"
ReleasedOctober 2, 1981 (U.S.)
Format7"
RecordedAugust 30, 1980
GenreCountry, country pop
Length3:19
LabelRCA 12288
Songwriter(s)Tim DuBois, Ian Moore, Jim Hurt
Producer(s)Harold Shedd and Alabama
Alabama singles chronology
"Feels So Right"
(1981) 		"Love in the First Degree"
(1981) 		"Mountain Music"
(1982)

"Love in the First Degree" is a song written by Jim Hurt, Ian Moore, and Tim DuBois, and recorded by American country music band Alabama. It was released in October 1981 as the third single from the band's album Feels So Right. It became the group's fifth straight No. 1 single (and second multi-week No. 1) on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.[1]

"Love in the First Degree" became Alabama's biggest crossover hit, peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1982.[2]

As with the previous single, "Feels So Right," the song's pop "love ballad" style — along with the country rock style of its other songs — became the cornerstone of Alabama's sound throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Today, "Love in the First Degree" remains one of Alabama's most popular songs.

Content[edit]

The song, a mid-tempoed song with a strong country-pop beat, uses the analogy of being found guilty of a crime (this time, of love) and the perpetrator throwing himself on the mercy of the object of his affection.

Charts[edit]

Chart (1981-1982) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 15
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[4] 5
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 1
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1

References[edit]

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 18.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 22.
  3. ^ "Alabama Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  4. ^ "Alabama Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  5. ^ "Alabama Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

Works cited

External links[edit]

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