Lionel Richie

It's time to examine the career of Lionel Richie. He may not be cool but I think we all know by now, I don't care about cool.

Lionel first came into my consciousness with All Night Long (All Night), a song I've already celebrated. Before that, I don't think I'd heard of him. I must have known some Commodores songs but the mighty Can't Slow Down introduced me properly to him. Let's wind back the clock shall we?

One of my favourite songs by The Commodores starts us off. In fact one of my favourite songs ever. Come on, we all love this. I especially love Lionel's outfit here:

What I love about Lionel is how effortless he is. Three Times A Lady is a song that makes me cringe but he sings it sublimely.

Ahhhh, Endless Love. A song of such immense cheesiness, how can one listen to it without crackers? This is truly a guilty pleasure.

Truly. I always forget about Truly. It's sort of a cross between Three Times A Lady and Endless Love and there's nothing wrong with that. You can watch it here.

I've covered All Night Long but man I adore this song. This is probably my desert island Lionel song. There is nothing I don't love about it and I argue that it's timeless, it could be released today and would still be a hit.

I had totally forgotten Running With The Night. How could I? Quite easily actually. This is a little weak and very dated. Smooth as silk Lionel. Hilarious video though.

Hello, is it me you're looking for? I admit I bought this single. Listen, everyone bought this single back in the day. It was mega! This is probably what Lionel will be most remembered for and clearly he's done much better songs but well, I am going to fess up and say I still like this. It's so cheesy and the video, what can we even say about the video? It's a landmark of 80s nonsense.

Can't Slow Down just had so many hits! I have a soft spot for Stuck On You, it's such a cute song.

Penny Lover. Another video with a talkie introduction; those 80s artists couldn't resist could they? Listening to all these in a row, it's undeniable that Lionel had a sound. Some might call him repetitive but  not me. This is a song to drink a glass of white wine to and kick back baby. Watch it here.

Say You Say Me. Say it for always, that's the way it should be! Lionel is the King of Ballad. Before he played that crazy boyfriend of Carrie's in Sex and the City and before that other dude tried to teach Joey to dance in Friends, they starred in White Nights. Really, don't bother watching it but Lionel wrote the song for it. Marvellous.

Dancing on the Ceiling. Oh my GOD, I love this song. This is my second favourite Lionel song, the video is fantastic and I defy anyone to not dance to this. What a feeling!

I am going to stop there because it's best not to discuss Ballerina Girl or what followed. Lionel is someone who hit his peak in the 80s and in my mind will be forever associated with that decade. He may never be cool, he may not be handsome but here is a man who found what he was good at and could sure write a hit. Respect Lionel. Respect.