"Truly" by Lionel Richie

#1 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Grammy Alert!

Song#:  1212
Date:  10/09/1982
Debut:  60
Peak:  1 (2 weeks)
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary, R&B



Pop Bits:  As Richie's days with The Commodores was beginning to wrap up, he recorded a solo album that was set for release in the fall of 1982. Prior to that, his name ended up all over the place thanks to his #1 duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love" (#1, 10 weeks). That set him up well for this first single from his self-titled debut album. Keeping with the soft ballads he had become known for with The Commodores ("Still," "Three Times a Lady"), this song was an instant smash that vaulted to #1 at pop and AC. It also spent nine weeks at #2 on the R&B chart. It was the song that fully launched his solo career and the first of twelve consecutive pop Top 10's.

ReduxReview:  I was completely head over heels for this song when it came out. I remember falling in love with it the first time I heard it on the radio. The single wasn't out in stores yet so I stalked the radio with my tape recorder until it came on again. I think I got it recorded the next morning before school and then kept playing it over and over. Oddly, I haven't heard this song in a long while. I kind of got over the whole Lionel Richie thing when "Dancing on the Ceiling" came out and didn't really look back. Hearing it now, there's still some treacly goodness going on and it is masterfully done, but I'm just not as enthralled with it as I once was. I guess you could say I still kinda love it, but I'm not "truly in love" with it any longer.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  In addition to being his first #1 solo smash, the song also earned Richie a Grammy award. He won for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

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