After spending the 70s as the frontman and driving hitmaking songwriter behind the Commodores, Lionel Richie went out on his own in the 80s and quickly found that betting on himself was the right call.
His first hit away from the group was one of the biggest hit ballads of the decade, his chart-topping duet with Diana Ross, “Endless Love” in 1981. Then he dropped his solo debut album the following year and proved that he was here to stay as a musical force, with or without his band.
That self-titled debut sent three songs into the top five, led by the #1 hit ballad “Truly.” And in 1983, he kept the heat on with his sophomore solo effort Can’t Slow Down.
It had already given him his third #1 hit with lead single “All Night Long (All Night)” and his sixth top 10 hit with the excellent “Running With The Night” but the set still had more to give. For the album’s third single, he finally gave the world another ballad, and it might be his finest.
The song tells the story of a man crushing hard on an unrequited love, trying to find the words that will not just introduce himself to her but also win her heart. It was a sentiment so universal, it made it’s way to the top of four different Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, and proceeded to hit #1 in 11 other countries besides the U.S.
Lionel Richie is indeed the one we’re looking for at #16 with “Hello.”