"You Are"
Single by Lionel Richie
from the album Lionel Richie
B-side"You Mean More to Me"
ReleasedJanuary 1983
Recorded1981
GenreFunk[1]
Length5:05
4:05 (7")
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Lionel Richie
Brenda Harvey Richie
Producer(s)Lionel Richie
James Anthony Carmichael
Lionel Richie singles chronology
"Truly"
(1982) 		"You Are"
(1983) 		"My Love"
(1983)

"You Are" is a song released as a single in 1983 by American singer-songwriter Lionel Richie. It was written by Richie and his then-wife, Brenda Harvey Richie. It appears on his self-titled debut solo album, which came out in 1982. It resumes where he left off with D-flat major tunes with Commodores' "Sail On" and "Still", and his solo effort "Truly".

Released as the follow-up single to his number-one hit song "Truly", "You Are" reached the top five on three major Billboard music charts. On the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, the song spent two weeks at number four in early 1983.[2] It peaked at number two on the R&B chart (behind "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson), and spent six weeks at number one on the adult contemporary chart.[3] In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 43 on the British pop chart.[4]

Billboard said that it has a faster tempo than "Truly" and that it has "an inventive vocal arrangement, with deft harmonies and resonant bass rumbles."[5]

"You Are" is a romantic song, although it has a more upbeat arrangement than many of Richie's slower ballads, including a horn section. Before achieving popularity for his own music, singer Richard Marx was a studio musician who can be heard singing backing vocals on "You Are" as well as other songs from Richie's debut album.

Richie re-worked the song as a duet with country singer Blake Shelton for Richie's 2012 Tuskegee album.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1983–2012) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 17
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 43
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 4
US Cashbox Top 100[9] 2
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[10] 1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] 2
Canada Top 50 Singles (RPM) 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1983) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 29
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[13] 1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[14] 13

See also

References

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (June 22, 2020). "The Number Ones: Lionel Richie's "Truly". Stereogum. Retrieved July 22, 2023. "You Are" is a breezy midtempo lite-funk number — not a ballad, though it's as gentle as one.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  3. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
  4. ^ British chart positions at Official Charts Company
  5. ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. January 15, 1983. p. 51. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  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. ^ "Lionel Richie: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  8. ^ "Lionel Richie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  9. ^ "Cashbox Top 100: April 3, 1983". cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "Lionel Richie Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  11. ^ "Lionel Richie Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  12. ^ "Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52. December 24, 1983. p. TA-18.
  13. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2021.


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