TAKE TWO: LIONEL RITCHIE

I recognized the steady, Caribbean beat of "All Night Long" almost immediately, hearing it either on the SiriusXM '80's channel or pulsing in the background of some store, and then realized that this Lionel Ritchie hit was almost forty years old. As the song played on, I also knew that this would certainly become a chart-topper today, despite the hip-hop and throbbing EDM that dominates much of the pop music scene at the moment. In fact, much of Ritchie's musical output would still be embraced by people if they were released today. The reason I believe is that the songs Lionel Ritchie created are classically structured and emotionally driven, allowing them to remain timeless by avoiding the over-produced spectacle and trendy concepts which is the norm in pop music right now.

After briefly considering to become a priest, Ritchie continued on a musical path while attending the Tuskegee Institute. He had joined several bands before connecting with a group of musicians that would become Commodores in 1968. They eventually were signed to Motown Records and found immediate success with the title track off their 1974 debut album, "Machine Gun", a funky instrumental that reached the top-ten on the r&b chart and number twenty-two on the pop chart. Commodores continued with funk music for a while before shifting more towards soul, leading to their first number one r&b hit in 1976 with "Just to Be Close to You", a love ballad that Ritchie wrote and performed lead vocals.

While the band continued to score with the funky dance tracks, "Brick House" and "Lady (You Bring Me Up)", it was the alluring love songs that Ritchie wrote which included "Sweet Love", "Easy", "Sail On", "Still" and "Three Times a Lady" that took Commodores to the next level, crossing over to the top of the pop charts. And these popular songs made Ritchie a very sought-after songwriter. After having written the number one hit for country artist, Kenny Rogers with "Lady" in 1980 and the chart-topping love ballad, "Endless Love" (for the film of the same name) which he traded vocals with Diana Ross the following year, Ritchie decided it was time to move on from Commodores. 

Ritchie released his self-titled debut solo album in 1982. There were three smash singles, "You Are", "My Love" and the US number one hit, "Truly" which helped continue him on course as an incredible hit-maker and major pop artist. Ritchie's follow-up album, "Can't Slow Down" certainly lived up to it's title. The album featured five top-ten hits (including two, "All Night Long" and the ballad, "Hello" reaching the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart), sold over twenty million copies worldwide and went on to win the 1983 Grammy for Album of the Year.

Ritchie continued writing for other projects as well with 1985 being a banner year for him. He helped take Ross back to the pop charts by writing and producing "Missing You", a loving tribute to Marvin Gaye, which also went to number one on the r&b chart; writing and performing "Say You, Say Me" for the movie, "White Nights" which went to number one on the US pop chart and won Ritchie an Oscar for Best Original Song and teaming up with Michael Jackson to create the charity single, "We Are The World" that assembled an all-star cast of popular musicians of the day to perform, selling over twenty million copies with the proceeds going towards providing food and relief to starving people in Africa.

His 1986 album, "Dancing on the Ceiling" was well received with five popular singles but did not achieve the same level of commercial success like his previous solo albums. Following a tour to promote the album, Ritchie decided to retreat from the music business for a little while. But it would be ten years before he would return with a new studio album, "Louder Than Words".  During his time away, soul music had evolved into groove-driven, urban contemporary and Ritchie's 1996 collection was an attempt to update his easy-listening r&b sound, working with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Babyface and David Foster.  Yet the album failed to generate much attention.

Ritchie has continued to work since then, releasing several albums (including "Tuskegee", a well-received collection from 2012 with Ritchie teaming up with several country music artists to perform together many of his popular songs) and touring across the globe. The now seventy-three year old artist can be seen currently as one of the judges on the revival of the television singing competition show, "American Idol", appearing since 2018. And he will be inducted later this year into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Some may consider the soulful balladry of Lionel Ritchie a bit old-fashioned. But his songs have made an indelible impact in music, continuing to influence and be enjoyed by each new generation. I have selected two of my favorite songs from Mr. Ritchie and while they may not be his best known, these songs do display his amazing skill of combining pop, classic soul with a touch of country to create his unique sound.