Lionel Richie: 30 Years In

Thirty Years In, Lionel Richie Maintains Chart Dominance

By Chuck Taylor
“Hello” may be among Lionel Richie’s signature No. 1 songs, but truth be told, for more than 30 years, the singer/songwriter has not so much as paused for a “bye for now” over the airwaves. The five-time Grammy recipient and Oscar winner has been a chart fixture at pop, R&B, AC and dance—beginning in 1974 as a founding member of the Commodores, then as a solo act and producer from 1981 on—with a consistency seldom seem in the music business.

A quick count: six R&B chart-toppers with the group, then five No. 1 Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs—and at adult contemporary, 11 No. 1s that have scored a staggering total of 51 weeks riding the chart’s crest, including “Endless Love” (with Diana Ross), “Truly,” “All Night Long (All Night)” and “Say You, Say Me.”

Now, the title track and first single from Richie’s upcoming “Just Go,” due May 19 on Island, has catapulted into the top 20 at AC in only three weeks, a rare feat at a radio format known for dragging its feet when it comes to chart momentum. The song is also churning at adult R&B, at No. 31 this issue.

“What freaking year is this?” Richie asks, laughing. “This opens up a wonderful feeling of ‘I remember this.’ Times like these make it all the more exciting. In a way, this feels better now than it did with ‘Brickhouse,’” the Commodores’ top 5 1977 hit.

Collaborating with the artist on the new album are contemporary hitmakers The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and on the playful reggae-splashed single, Akon. The latter pair were aligned by executive producer L.A. Reid. “You never know how these things are going to go, but we could have recorded a whole side of the album,” Richie says. “I am used to being the control guy—the writer, producer, arranger and singer. But Akon understands melody, he’s a storyteller. We wrote this song in two-and-a-half hours. It was a lovefest. I told him, you are Lionel Richie 2009.”

Meanwhile, Steve Bartels, president/COO of Island Def Jam Music Group, maintains faith in Richie’s timelessness. “He’s an incredible entertainer who stays close to his fans by touring the world with a body of contemporary hits. He’s a world-class promoter in his own right with a voice that is instantly recognizable. He obviously has upper-demo reach, but his appeal is diverse, across many formats.”

Richie’s own recipe for longevity? “If you’ve got a good tune, you’ve got a couple of years to work it. If you’ve got a song, you can have a career. Songs stick,” he says. “Somewhere along the line, parents played my records over and over again for their children. Now their kids are showing up. It’s college time all over again, which is amazing.”

In addition, long-term success requires adapting to an ever-evolving industry. “There’s a difference between the music business and the business of music. You can go to bed tonight with a No. 1 record and wake up tomorrow ice cold. Survival is about taking time to make record labels and radio understand who you are—your brand. This is a business of relationships and it’s still my responsibility to go meet the DJs. A lot of artists forget that.”

Richie will extend his hand to audiences with a 100-date European tour launching in March in Dublin and wrapping in May in Belgium. Stops in the United States and Australia follow throughout 2009.

“I’m kind of laughing at getting to go through this whole process again,” Richie says. “It’s been an unbelievable journey. In my head, I’m just getting started. Call me in 20 years and we’ll talk about the next chapter.”

And you better believe this made my day: