Truly (Lionel Richie song)

"Truly"
Single by Lionel Richie
from the album Lionel Richie
B-side	"Just Put Some Love in Your Heart"
Released	September 1982
Recorded	1982
Genre	Pop
Length	3:26
Label	Motown
Songwriter(s)	Lionel Richie
Producer(s)	Lionel Richie, James Anthony Carmichael
Lionel Richie singles chronology
"Endless Love" (1981) "Truly" (1982) "You Are" (1982)
Audio
"Truly" on YouTube

"Truly" is the debut solo single by American singer-songwriter Lionel Richie. Resuming where he left off with D-flat major tunes "Sail On" and particularly "Still" when he was lead for the Commodores, Richie wrote the song and co-produced it with James Anthony Carmichael.

Released as the first single from his self-titled debut album in 1982, "Truly" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on 9 October 1982 and climbed to No. 1 on 27 November – 4 December 1982.^[1] It also spent four weeks at No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart,^[2] and logged nine weeks at No. 2 on the R&B chart, behind Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing". In addition, "Truly" made the top 10 in United Kingdom, where the song peaked at No. 6.^[3] The song won a Grammy Award for Richie in the category Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Billboard called it a "moving ballad with all the drama and poignance of 'Still', 'Three Times a Lady' and 'Endless Love'."^[4]

Music video

In the music video for "Truly", Lionel Richie performs the song live on a piano.^[5]

Track listing

• 7" single

1. "Truly"
2. "Just Put Some Love in Your Heart"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1982–1983) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 7 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[8] 6 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] 16 Ireland (IRMA)[10] 4 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 21 South Africa (Springbok)[12] 9 UK Singles (OCC)[13] 6 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 1 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[16] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Position Canada (RPM)[17] 38 Chart (1983) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 35 US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[19] 47

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[20]	Platinum	100,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Silver	250,000^^
United States (RIAA)[22]	Gold	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Steven Houghton version

"Truly"
Single by Steven Houghton
from the album Steven Houghton
Released	6 March 1998
Recorded	1997
Genre	Pop
Length	3:20
Label	Bertelsmann Music Group
Songwriter(s)	Lionel Richie
Producer(s)	Steven Houghton
Steven Houghton singles chronology
"Wind Beneath My Wings" (1997) "Truly" (1998)

British singer and actor Steven Houghton released a cover version of "Truly" in March 1998 which reached the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart. The song was played in the series 10 finale of London's Burning, in which Houghton starred in.^[23]

Track listing

• CD single

1. "Truly" – 3:20
2. "Wind Beneath My Wings" – 4:30

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)	23

Other cover versions

• 2009: Freestyle on their 2009 album Playlist.
• 2013: Richard Poon on his 2013 album Legends.

See also

• List of number-one singles of 1982 (Canada)
• List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1982
• List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 1982

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (1991). The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Eighties (9 October 1982 – 5 February 1983). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-079-2.
2. Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
3. "Lionel Richie – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
4. "Top Single Picks". Billboard. 9 October 1982. p. 63. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
5. "Music video in MyVideo.com". Myvideo.de. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 252. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3936." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
8. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6929." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
9. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Lionel Richie". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 215. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Truly". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
11. "Lionel Richie – Truly". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
12. "SA Charts 1965 – March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
13. "Lionel Richie: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
14. "Lionel Richie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
15. "Lionel Richie Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
16. "Lionel Richie Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
17. "Top 100 Singles of 82" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 37, no. 19. 25 December 1982. p. 17 – via Library and Archives Canada.
18. "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
19. "Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52. 24 December 1983. p. TA-18.
20. "Canadian single certifications – Lionel Richie – Truly". Music Canada. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
21. "British single certifications – Lionel Richie – Truly". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
22. "American single certifications – Lionel Richie – Truly". Recording Industry Association of America.
23. "Steven Houghton – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2016.

External links

• List of cover versions of "Truly" at SecondHandSongs.com