Hello (Lionel Richie song)
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Lua error in Module:Infobox at line 235: malformed pattern (missing ']'). "Hello" is a song by Lionel Richie. Taken as the third single from Richie's multi-platinum album Can't Slow Down, the song was released in 1984 and reached number one on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart (for two weeks), the R&B chart (for three weeks),[1] and the adult contemporary chart (for six weeks). The song also went to number one in the UK Singles Chart for six weeks.[2] The song later inspired a lawsuit by songwriter Marjorie Hoffman White, who accused Richie of plagiarizing her composition "I'm Not Ready to Go".[3]
The song is memorable for the line "Hello, is it me you're looking for?". That phrase started the song's composition, as James Anthony Carmichael visited Richie, and after the singer greeted him that way, Carmichael replied, "Finish that song." Richie initially felt that the song was "corny" but ultimately "by the time I finished the verse, I fell in love with the song again."[4] The guitar solo on the song was played by session guitarist Louie Shelton.
Contents
Composition
The song is written in the key of A minor. The verses follow the chord progression of Am9—Cmaj7/G—Fmaj7—C6/G—Fmaj7. The chorus features a Neapolitan chord (Bb).[5]
Music video
The music video, directed by Bob Giraldi, features the story of Richie as a theater and acting teacher having a seemingly unrequited love for a blind student (Laura Carrington) until he discovers she shares the feeling as demonstrated by the discovery that she is sculpting a likeness of his head. The infamous bust used in the video, which bears little resemblance to Richie, has been parodied in popular culture.[6][7] Richie himself complained to the video's director, Bob Giraldi, that the bust did not look like him.[8]
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 25 |
| Irish Singles Chart[9] | 1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Black Singles | 1 |
| West German Singles Chart | 2 |
Cover versions
- The song was one of 13 cover songs that appeared on the 1994 Luther Vandross album Songs; it was also one of two Richie songs (the other being Endless Love, with Mariah Carey standing in for Diana Ross) to appear on that album.
- In 2011, American bachata singer Berto La Voz covered the song which was released as the first single from his debut album Llego La Voz.[10] This version peaked at #11 on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.[11]
- As a part of the tribute to Richie at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards on February 15, 2016, American singer Demi Lovato gave a rendition of the song which received critical acclaim.[12][13][14] Her cover version eventually peaked at 15 on the Billboard Twitter Top Tracks chart.[15]
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1984
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1984
- List of European number-one hits of 1984
- List of number-one singles in 1984 (New Zealand)
- List of number-one hits of 1984 (Switzerland)
- List of number-one singles from the 1980s (UK)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1984 (U.S.)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1984 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1984 (U.S.)
References
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| Preceded by
"99 Red Balloons" by Nena
|
UK number one single March 24, 1984 (for six weeks) |
Succeeded by "The Reflex" by Duran Duran |
| Studio albums |
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|---|---|
| Live albums |
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| Compilation albums |
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| Singles |
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| Related articles | |
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- Pages with reference errors
- Use mdy dates from September 2014
- 1984 singles
- Lionel Richie songs
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles
- Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles
- Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
- European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Australia
- Number-one singles in New Zealand
- Number-one singles in Switzerland
- RPM Top Singles number-one singles
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles
- Music videos directed by Bob Giraldi
- Songs written by Lionel Richie
- Pop ballads
- Rhythm and blues ballads
- Soft rock songs
- Kikki Danielsson songs
- Bachata songs
- 1983 songs
- Motown singles
- 1980s ballads
- Song recordings produced by James Anthony Carmichael
- Plagiarism controversies
