Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie #1 Again On Billboard 200

25 Apr 2012 12:17:57 EDT

Jason Mraz debuts at #2 with his latest, Love Is a Four Letter Word.
By Gil Kaufman

Talk about a late-career resurgence. After disappearing from the upper reaches of the Billboard 200 tally for more than 25 years, Lionel Richie is having a moment. His country covers album, Tuskegee, will hold onto the #1 slot on the albums charts for a second consecutive week, thanks to sales of 114,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. To date, Richie has sold more than 536,000 copies of the disc.

Nipping at his heels is goes-down-easy singer Jason Mraz, who will debut at #2 with Love Is a Four Letter Word (102,000), one of several new faces in the top 10. Train are back in the mix as well with California 37, in at #4 on sales of 75,000, while rapper Future makes his chart debut at #8 with Pluto (41,000). The rest of the top 10: Adele, 21 (#3, 90,000), One Direction, Up All Night (#5, 55,000), Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (#6, 48,000), Gotye, Making Mirrors (#7, 44,000), Bonnie Raitt, Slipstream (#9, 35,000) and Luke Bryan, Tailgates & Tanlines (28,000).

Bluesy buzz band Alabama Shakes dipped almost 40 percent with their debut, Boys & Girls, but that translated into only a three-slot drop to #11 (27,000), which was just enough to keep flip-flop strummer Jack Johnson at #12 with the debut of his Jack Johnson & Friends compilation (26,000).

Monica's New Life, however, slid almost 70 percent in its second week, falling 11 spots to #15 on sales of 22,000. It was a big week for arena-rocking duo the Black Keys, who shot up 23 spots to #16, with sales of El Camino rising by 70 percent to 20,000 as the band steams toward the 800,000 mark. Fans didn't appear to be pining for long-dormant girl group SWV as much as the girls thought, since their first album in 15 years, I Missed Us, debuted at #25 (15,000).

And while former chart buddy Richie continues to kill it, Madonna is fading in the distance, with MDNA shedding another 42 percent of business from the week before and tumbling another 16 spots to #34 (12,000).

The biggest gainer of the week was a greatest-hits album from late thug icon Tupac, whose holographic image at Coachella brought the MC back into the spotlight and returned him to the charts at #130, with sales up 571 percent to nearly 4,000.

Richie will probably have to take a backseat next week thanks to Blunderbuss, the solo chart debut from former White Stripes frontman Jack White, as well as the debut from British boy band sensation the Wanted.

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Lionel Richie Scores First #1 Album In 25 Years

18 Apr 2012 12:56:13 EDT

Nicki Minaj's Roman Reloaded slips 68 percent in week two.
By Gil Kaufman

In what might mark one of the longest-ever droughts between #1 albums, Lionel Richie will have something to dance on the ceiling about next week, when his all-star country comeback album, Tuskegee, grabs the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. After debuting at #2 and falling to #4 last week, Richie managed to hit #1 on sales of 129,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

Thanks to a sales increase of 35 percent boosted by his prime-time CBS special, "Lionel Richie and Friends," the former Commodores singer and solo star will be back on top for the first time since 1986's Dancing on the Ceiling.

Richie's numbers were more than enough to stop Adele from reclaiming the pole position, though she did move another 92,000 copies of 21, to put her past the 8.7 million mark. It was a major comedown for Nicki Minaj, as her first #1 debut, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, slipped 68 percent in its second week, falling to #3 on sales of 81,000.

Among the new faces in the top 10: Monica, whose New Life came in at #4 (69,000), blues veteran Bonnie Raitt, #6 with Slipstream (64,000), and rapper Hoodie Allen, who debuted at #10 with All American (27,000).

The rest of the top 10: One Direction, Up All Night (#5, 66,000); Gotye, Making Mirrors (up 111 percent following a "Saturday Night Live" appearance and a spot on "Glee" to #7 on sales of 54,000); Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls (up eight spots to #8, 43,000); and Rascal Flatts, who dropped six spots in week two to #9 with Changed (41,000).

Counting Crows mark a return to the charts with a #11 bow for Underwater Sunshine (or what we did on our summer vacation) (27,000), while Madonna's MDNA continued its free-fall, dropping 10 more spots in week three to #18 as sales fell another 56 percent to 21,000.

Those high-profile appearances helped Gotye grab the #1 spot on the iTunes singles chart with "Somebody That I Used to Know," which bested fun.'s "We Are Young." The #3 position belonged to One Direction ("What Makes You Beautiful"), followed by Justin Bieber ("Boyfriend"), Carly Rae Jepsen ("Call Me Maybe"), Nicki's "Starships," Flo Rida ("Wild Ones"), The Wanted ("Glad You Came"), Kanye West ("Mercy") and the "Glee" cast's version of "Somebody That I Used to Know."

Richie reigned supreme on the iTunes albums chart as well, followed by One Direction, Gotye, Hoodie Allen, Minaj, Adele, Raitt, Of Monsters and Men's My Head Is an Animal, Alabama Shakes and Trip Lee's The Good Life.

Next week will bring new releases from Jason Mraz, Train and Jack Johnson.

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Madonna And Lionel Richie To Reunite On Billboard Charts?

29 Mar 2012 15:36:14 EDT

The singers are expected to return to the top five next week, the first time they've been chart mates in 26 years.
By Gil Kaufman

America was still four years away from the first of three wars in the Middle East, Lady Gaga was a newborn, and the Internet was just a twinkle in the eye of some academic nerds' coke-bottle glasses.

That's how long it's been since Madonna and Lionel Richie were both in the top five of the Billboard 200 chart at the same time. The year was 1986, and Richie was riding high with his smash #1 album, Dancing on the Ceiling, while Madge was at #5 with her former #1, True Blue.

Next week the pair will be chart mates again, as Madonna's dance-tastic MDNA is predicted to sell between 300,000 and 350,000 copies to take the top spot, while Richie's album of country re-workings of his biggest hits, Tuskegee, should land at #2 on sales of 125,000 to 150,000.

Back in the day, both were celebrating the release of their third album. Madonna dedicated her "girliest" work to date to her then-husband, actor Sean Penn, even as she began delving into more topical songs ("Papa Don't Preach") and Latin rhythms ("La Isla Bonita"). For an artist who'd already ascended to pop stardom with her first two discs, True Blue was a chance for Madonna to expand her fanbase, and though it debuted at #28, it eventually reached #1, where it stayed for five weeks. Among the singles released from the album are "Live to Tell," the title track and "Open Your Heart." It went on to sell more than 25 million copies worldwide.

For Richie, it was also a time of transition. The former Commodores singer — who was born in Tuskegee, Alabama — had scored some hits on his first two solo albums, including "My Love," the Caribbean-spiced "All Night Long," "Hello" and "Running With the Night."

While Madonna continues to be one of the biggest live draws in the world and a global superstar, Dancing on the Ceiling marked the beginning of the end of Richie's mass popularity. But, the famously well-coiffed singer went out with a huge bang. Not only was the title cut a #1 single and hugely popular video, but the album also spawned the moving ballad "Say You, Say Me," as well as "Love Will Conquer All" and "Ballerina Girl."

While Madonna continued to crank out hit albums such as Like a Prayer, Erotica and Bedtime Stories, it would be 10 years before Richie was back on the charts. His Louder Than Words came out in April 1996, debuting at #33 and not spawning any memorable hits. Against the usual pop music odds, Madonna is still launching singles onto the charts, recently played the most coveted gig in music — the Super Bowl halftime show — and has collaborated with modern stars like Nicki Minaj. Richie has been lower-profile, but served a well-received stint as a guest mentor on the second-biggest reality music competition on TV, "The Voice," and he roped in such big-name country stars as Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, Blake Shelton, Willie Nelson and old pal Kenny Rogers.

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'We Are The World: 25 For Haiti' Video Premieres During Olympics Opening Ceremony

12 Feb 2010 22:07:00 EST

Extended version of song and video are available now on iTunes.
By Jem Aswad, with additional reporting by Rich Sancho

The video of "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" premiered Friday night (February 12) during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The new incarnation of the 1985 song sticks closely to the arrangement of the original, but the cast is much larger and, of course, much more contemporary.

On television, the song was introduced by a message from original "We Are the World" principals Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones, who urged viewers to contribute via World25.org, iTunes or by texting "World" to 50555.

A tightly edited version of the video was aired on Friday night, but the long version is available now on iTunes.

That version is introduced by Jamie Foxx, who sets the scene, talking about the original recording and then the new version, the video of which was directed by "Crash" director Paul Haggis. "Do more than just watch," Foxx says. "Whatever you have, no matter how big or how small, it all counts."

The video features footage from the song's recording session intercut with scenes of rebuilding efforts in Haiti. Justin Bieber opens, singing Lionel Richie's verse from the original, and is quickly followed by Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Hudson singing together, then Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles, Josh Groban, and then footage of Michael Jackson from the original recording superimposed with sister Janet duetting on the first verse of the chorus. Barbra Streisand, Fergie, a wailing Celine Dion and others follow.

Miley Cyrus, Enrique Iglesias, Foxx, Maroon 5's Adam Levine, Pink, Mary J. Blige, Akon, T-Pain and others take verses later in the song; a second verse from a recording of Michael Jackson is immediately followed by Usher. Carlos Santana and Orianthi are seen playing guitars; Richie and Jones are often visible, smiling on the sidelines.

The most remarkable moments come from the rappers: an Auto-Tuned Lil Wayne sings Bob Dylan's verse, Wyclef adds some Haitian flavor, and Will.I.Am and Kanye West both rap verses. "Like Katrina, Africa and Indonesia/ Haiti needs us," Will.I.Am raps. LL Cool J, Will.I.Am, Swizz Beatz, Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes team up for a rapped section; Bizzy Bone, Kid Cudi, Drake and Nipsey Hussle were also at the session.

The music drops out toward the end to let the chorus sing alone.

Along with the studio footage, we see Haitian children dancing amid the destruction. Tellingly, the Haiti footage focuses on rebuilding efforts.

Haggis talked with MTV News about the session earlier this week. "You hear these stories about people checking their egos at the door, and it really is true," he said. "They came and stood forever and were glorified extras a lot of the time. They just stood in the corner and waved."

What do you think of "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti"? Does it stand up to the original? Is it better with rappers? Who has the best verse? Let us know in the comments below!

Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.

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'We Are The World' Remake Includes Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie Reveals

12 Feb 2010 19:05:00 EST

'He had to be there,' Richie says on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show.'
By Jayson Rodriguez

Michael Jackson was an integral part of the first "We Are the World," from co-writing the song to singing it alongside a gang of fellow celebrities. Twenty-five years later, and only hours before "We Are the World — 25 for Haiti" was set to premiere, Lionel Richie revealed on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" Friday (February 12) that the late King of Pop will be part of the remake's song and video.

"He had to be there," Richie told the talk-show host. "If you're not gonna be there for the production, you still gotta be a part of it."

Jackson's vocals will lead the new all-star cast through the famous refrain on the song's chorus, Richie said. And in the Paul Haggis-directed clip, archive footage of MJ singing from the original shoot will appear alongside his sister Janet Jackson in the new video.

"We have Michael singing that exact part [the chorus] and Janet singing along with him," Richie said, describing the moment as "emotional."

"We Are the World — 25 for Haiti" is scheduled to debut on NBC during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The song was produced by frequent Lady Gaga collaborator RedOne and will feature a bevy of artists and actors, including Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Pink, Jennifer Hudson, Josh Groban and many others. The song will be available to purchase later, and all proceeds will go to the newly formed charity We Are the World Foundation LLC and will then be distributed to Haiti.

Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.

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Watch Pink, Justin Bieber In 'We Are The World' Footage

11 Feb 2010 11:38:00 EST

Lionel Richie explains the need for 'current' stars in song's re-recording, which premieres during Olympics tomorrow night.
By Eric Ditzian

In 1985, it was Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner leading the "We Are the World" charge to ease a devastating famine in Africa. Twenty-five years later, as the recording industry once again mobilizes to face an unspeakable crisis — the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti — a new generation of artists has risen up for a fresh spin on the iconic song, which premieres during the Olympics opening ceremonies tomorrow night.

Lionel Richie, an original co-writer of the tune and organizer of the remake, says solving a 2010 crisis requires singers relevant to the 2010 public. "[I]t was time for a group of faces that this world knows now," he said in a recent interview. "We have the standard group. I call them the Marines, the ones who went in first and charted the course. But for it to be current, you have to make it current."

Newly release footage from the recording session in early February, prominently shows those new faces, including Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, Wyclef Jean, Miley Cyrus, Drake, T-Pain, Kanye West and Keri Hilson. They joined veterans such as Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand in the studio, singing as photos of the Haitian devastation played on oversize screens behind them. Quincy Jones, a producer on the original song as well as the new one, stood in front of the group, listening to the proceedings via headphones. The video also gives us glimpses of some solo recording sessions by Bieber, Pink, Josh Groban, Mary J. Blige, Akon and Maroon 5's Adam Levine.

"You couldn't get one person to recognize Haiti three months ago," Richie said. "It was just business as usual before, and if you died on the street, you died on the street. Now, the whole world is forced on Haiti. We had to lose 250,000 people to do it. But now we can't walk away from it. Now we have to pay attention to it."

All proceeds from sales of the "We Are the World" will go toward Haitian relief efforts. "Donate," Jones urged viewers. "Give it up, whatever you got, to help people who cannot help themselves at this point and to rebuild the country."

Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.

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Where Will 'We Are The World' Remake Money Go?

02 Feb 2010 17:29:00 EST

AEG Live CEO and Lionel Richie's manager Randy Phillips explains how song/video will benefit Haitian earthquake relief.
By Kyle Anderson

On Monday, producer Quincy Jones and singer Lionel Richie accomplished a tremendous feat in the name of charitable outreach: They brought together dozens of superstars from the music world (along with a handful of Hollywood guests) to record a new version of "We Are the World."

When the tune, which was originally recorded 25 years ago as a way to raise money for hunger relief in Africa, is finally released, the proceeds will go to help survivors of the catastrophic earthquake that destroyed a large portion of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. But where exactly will the money go, and who will benefit the most?

"All my executives and staff that are here are working for nothing," said Randy Phillips, the CEO of AEG Live and Richie's manager. (AEG Live underwrote much of the operational costs for the recording of the track, as did Visa.) "No one's making any money. This is strictly a charitable event. We want as much as possible, if it's 99 percent, to go to charity. That's what we want to happen here. What we're going to do is we've formed a charitable foundation called the We Are the World Foundation LLC."

Phillips explained that for some people, their involvement in the song won't end when the tape stops rolling. "The money will go [to the foundation] as a pit stop, and then it will be distributed. There's a board that's going to decide where it goes," he said. "And on that board is Quincy and ['Crash' director] Paul Haggis and Luis Alberto Moreno, who runs the [Inter-American] Development Bank."

The entire recording process was filmed by Haggis, who will turn it into a special called "We Are the World — 25 for Haiti," which will premiere on NBC during the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 12.

Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.

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'We Are The World' Video Goes High Tech With Avatars, 3-D Video

02 Feb 2010 11:31:00 EST

The 25th-anniversary remake will allow viewers to insert themselves into the video.
By Gil Kaufman

LOS ANGELES — When the original "We Are the World" was released in 1985, the medium of professionally produced, high-concept music videos was still fairly new. But when the organizers of the new version laid down tracks with more than 80 stars on Monday night at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, they pulled out as many high-tech tricks as they could to make the Haitian earthquake relief single a modern classic.

Mixed in among such modern icons as Miley Cyrus, Wyclef Jean, Kanye West, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Nick Jonas, Kid Cudi, Akon and Pink in the chorus were two models wearing the kind of head-to-toe green-screen bodysuits that are used to create CG effects for Hollywood blockbusters. It was revealed later that the finished video, which was also filmed in 3-D, will allow online users to manipulate the green-screen characters and insert themselves into the finished product as avatars that can interact with the musicians.

"Everything we're dealing with is 21st century," said singer Lionel Richie, who co-wrote and co-produced the original and who is doing the same this time around alongside legendary producer Quincy Jones, with help from Wyclef Jean, Grammy-winning Lady Gaga producer RedOne and "American Idol" musical director Ricky Minor.

"We even have two people in the chorus with green outfits on so people can go online and put their picture in the crowd," Jones said.




	"We Are The World" Recording Session

Richie said that in some ways, the technology almost made things take longer than the first time, because the artists were so busy tweeting and taking digital photos of each other during the session. "You would think we have a full-blown motion picture going in there," he marveled. "We have 3-D cameras, we have Technicolor cameras, we have every imaginable form of technology. Green screen ... as Q said, you can put yourself into the 'We Are the World' family from the computer."

The world premiere of "We Are the World — 25 for Haiti" will take place during the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics on February 12. The proceedings were filmed by Academy Award-winning director Paul Haggis ("Crash") and will be made available for sale soon, along with the video of the original, which helped raise more than $60 million for African famine relief.

In addition to a new hip-hop bridge written by Will.I.Am that has lyrics that update the song and refer to the Haitian tragedy, Richie revealed that Janet Jackson would be laying down her part on Tuesday, in part as an homage to late brother Michael, who co-wrote the song and is credited with giving it an emotional resonance that still rings true today.

Technology aside, Jones said that putting together such a massive undertaking in less than two weeks and corralling all the talent and elements in such a short time hasn't gotten any easier over the past 25 years. "It's like running through hell with gasoline underwear," he said about the grueling sessions, with a weary smile on his face.

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'We Are The World' Being Remade To Benefit Haiti

21 Jan 2010 13:24:00 EST

Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie are lining up stars for the day after the Grammys.
By Amy Wilkinson

On February 1, the music industry's hit-makers won't all be rushing home with their Grammy Awards. Many of them will be staying in Los Angeles for an extra day, as Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie celebrate the 25th anniversary of "We Are the World" by recording a new version of the track to benefit Haiti.

According to Billboard, Usher, Natalie Cole and John Legend have already been asked to headline the new version of the 1985 hit, written by Richie and Michael Jackson. Sting, Fergie, Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake may also join the collaboration, as well as any Grammy nominees and participants who are willing. The anniversary event was originally set to take place January 28, but plans changed when the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince last week.

Though final details have not been solidified, it's expected that Jackson's memory will somehow be invoked in the production. AEG, which is producing a 3-D tribute to Jackson during the Grammys, is also co-producing the charity single.

The original "We Are the World" brought together artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper to aid famine victims in Africa. This new version joins a slew of other projects to aid Haiti, including MTV's "Hope for Haiti Now" benefit and a charity single being produced by "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell.

Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Join George Clooney and Wyclef Jean for MTV's "Hope for Haiti" telethon, airing commercial-free Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

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Usher, Whitney Houston, Others To Record Michael Jackson Tribute

13 Aug 2009 09:15:00 EDT

'Will You Be There' also reportedly to include Wyclef, Jermaine Jackson, Dionne Warwick and Lionel Richie.
By Gil Kaufman

Two different, star-studded tributes to Michael Jackson have begun to take shape. The first, according to TMZ, is an all-star remake of the late pop singer's "Will You Be There" that will reportedly feature vocals from Usher, Wyclef Jean, Jermaine Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie and Dionne Warwick. (John Mayer was also said to be participating, but his spokesperson told MTV News that TMZ's report was false.)

That effort is reportedly being led by Shawn King, wife of TV talker Larry King, who will also lend her vocals to the song. King told TMZ she's not yet sure if Jennifer Hudson — who performed the song at last month's memorial service for Jackson — will participate in the tribute because she has just given birth to her first child. Proceeds from the song, the release date of which has not yet been announced, will be split 50/50 between the Larry King Cardiac Foundation and an unspecified charity close to Jackson.

In the meantime, the New York Post reported that Shawn King, Whitney Houston, Madonna and President Barack Obama will not be participating in Jermaine Jackson's global tribute to his brother, who died on June 25 at the age of 50 after suffering cardiac arrest. The show is being planned for September 26 on a crown-shaped stage at the Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria, according to The Associated Press. The lineup for the three-hour show will reportedly be revealed in two weeks, but early reports are that it will feature around 10 major entertainers who will perform 15 to 20 of Jackson's hits. Jermaine Jackson said the site was chosen because his brother "loved castles."

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