7 Songs You Didn’t Know Lionel Richie Wrote

Born on June 20, 1949 in the small city of Tuskegee, Alabama, Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. would go on to become one of American's greatest songwriters and singers, first with chart-topping Motown act, the Commodores, and then as a platinum-selling solo artist.

The son of a US Army Systems Analyst, Richie grew up on the grounds of the Tuskegee Institute. He later became a member of the Institute's marching band, and briefly considered a career in the priesthood, before dedicating his life to music.

After forming several R&B groups himself, Richie joined the Commodores in 1968, initially as both a singer and saxophonist. He soon became a songwriter of note, penning enduring Commodores hist such as "Three Times a Lady," "Easy," and "Fancy Dancer." Richie launched his solo career in 1982 and went on to score countless best-selling albums and to write and record such memorable classics as "All Night Long," "Say You, Say Me," and "Dancing on the Ceiling."

With such an impressive CV, it's no surprise that other artists began seeking out Richie's services as a songwriter, but the Richie-authored (and co-authored) songs below might just surprise you. How many did you know were written by the great man?

“Happy People” // The Temptations
“Missing You” // Diana Ross
“We Are The World” // U.S.A. for Africa
“Brick House” // Commodores
“Lady” // Kenny Rogers
“I Like It” // Enrique Iglesias
“Liar” // Camila Cabello

“Happy People” // The Temptations

This upbeat swaying single was Richie's first commercial success as a songwriter for other artists and marked the start of outside demand for his services. He would have known fellow Motown act The Temptations very well, and "Happy People," for which Richie shares credits with Donald Baldwin and Jeffrey Bowen, was perfect material for the band.

The Temptations took the song to the top of the Billboard R&B chart, and into the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Missing You” // Diana Ross

The “Queen of Motown” and former Supreme, Diana Ross, always knew how to get the very best out of song. Richie gave her some great material here, in what would become a marker in the singer's career—this was to be Ross's final single to broach the US Top 40, and her last to earn top spot on the R&B chart.

Richie wrote the song in 1984 in commemoration of another generational talent, the singer Marvin Gaye, who had tragically lost his life earlier that year.

“We Are The World” // U.S.A. for Africa

Arguably one of the most well-known songs of the modern era, "We Are The World" is a American charity single released in 1985 to raise money for the Ethiopian famine. Inspired by the previous year's British charity song "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid, "We Are The World" followed a similar formula, featuring a large number of soloists, including Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Ray Charles.

It's about as star-studded a record as you can imagine. The great Quincy Jones produced, but the song had two co-lyricists and composers: Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.

“Brick House” // Commodores

Everybody knows Richie is master of the sweet, slow ballad and heart-clutching mid-tempo tune, but perhaps fewer are aware of the singer's less sentimental side, which is ably displayed on this mighty, soul-rock affair. "Brick House" has arguably become more well-known over time, although upon initial release it reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100, and 32 in the UK singles chart.

“Lady” // Kenny Rogers

The great county singer Kenny Rogers was also one of the great cross-over artists, scoring more than 200 hit singles across both the pop and country charts. "Lady" which first appeared on Rogers's 1980 album, Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits, reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the Hot Country Songs, and Adult Contemporary charts.

Its success was also a big boost for Richie as a songwriter and producer for other artists. Richie would later cover the song himself on his 1998 album Time, and as a duet with Rogers on 2012's Tuskegee.

“I Like It” // Enrique Iglesias

Spanish sensation Enrique Iglesias ranks as one of the best-selling Latin artists of all time, with five Latin Grammy Awards, plus one regular Grammy to his name. He also scooped the title of "Top Latin Artist of All Time" at the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards. "I Like It" comes from the singer's first ever bilingual studio album, Euphoria (2010). The song incorporates passages from Richie's classic 1983 hit "All Night Long," with Richie himself re-recording his vocals especially for this single.

Credited as writers for the song are Richie and Iglesias, along with Nadir Khayat and Armando Pérez.

“Liar” // Camila Cabello

Camila Cabello started off as a member of one of the most successful all-girl groups of the modern era—Fifth Harmony. Not every singer who leaves such a best-selling band goes on to her establish themselves as a top solo act, but Cabello pulled that off with aplomb.

Her 2018 solo debut album Camila reached the top of the US Billboard 200 chart. "Liar" featured samples of Richie's "All Night Long," and, as such, Richie received a co-writing credit. It's testament to the enduring nature of Richie's work that it can be assimilated seamlessly into, and provide inspiration for, such a contemporary-sounding record.