It was first recorded by pop and rock singer Ronnie Spector in 1978 as the B-side of her cover of the Bonnie Tyler song "It's a Heartache".
It was released in September 1979 as the first single to feature drummer Mark Herndon from the album My Home's in Alabama.
The song entered the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart later that month, eventually becoming their first Top 40 hit.
"I Wanna Come Over" also proved crucial for introducing Alabama's fans to one aspect core to their style — the mellow love ballad, which would be repeated on their most successful songs, including "Feels So Right," "There's No Way" and "Forever's as Far as I'll Go."
The song also paved the way for the bigger success of the follow-up single, "My Home's in Alabama" (which provided fans with the country rock-influenced side of the band's sound), the group earning an invitation to the "New Faces" show at the annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee, and an eventual contract with RCA Records.