Maps of Music

Dancing on the Ceiling (1985)

Where the lyrics of Dancing on the Ceiling take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first planned as Say You, Say Me, but Richie rewrote several songs and the title changed.

Key places

Recorded at Ocean Way Recording (1985)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — Discogs lists Ocean Way Recording among the studios where this album was recorded. The point is placed at the city centre of Hollywood, not at the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. (1985)

Recording site Hitsville U.S.A. Studio A — Discogs lists Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios as a recording site for this album, and also as a mixing site. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Tarpan Studios (1985)

Recording site Tarpan Studios — Discogs lists Tarpan Studios among the recording locations for this album. The point is placed at the city centre of San Rafael. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Bear Creek Studios (1985)

Recording site Bear Creek Studios — Discogs lists Bear Creek Studios among the recording locations for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at The Music Mill, Nashville (1985)

Recording site Nashville — Discogs lists The Music Mill in Nashville, Tennessee among the recording locations for this album. The point is placed at the city centre of Nashville. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Third solo studio album by Lionel Richie
• Released by Motown on August 5, 1986
• Originally to be titled Say You, Say Me, but renamed after Richie rewrote several songs
• Richie's second album with session guitarist Carlos Rios
• Topped the US Billboard 200 chart and sold 4 million copies
• Followed by the Outrageous tour and a long hiatus

Background

• Richie rose to prominence as a member of the Commodores in the late 1970s
• After tensions arose in the band, he left in 1982
• His first two solo albums were runaway successes
• Lionel Richie (1982) sold 4 million copies
• Can't Slow Down (1983) sold 10 million and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year
• Say You, Say Me came from the 1985 film White Nights and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song
• Work on the album was done while Richie was finalizing his work with We Are the World

Recording

• Recording began in 1985
• Early production aimed for release in December 1985
• Richie did not want to do those songs given the social conditions he saw, so he began rewriting them
• Recording took over a year and a half
• Richie stated that he tried to include a mixture of sounds
• Produced by Richie and James Anthony Carmichael; Night Train (Smooth Alligator) produced by Narada Michael Walden
• Recorded at five studios: Ocean Way Recording, Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios, Tarpan Studios, Bear Creek Studios, The Music Mill

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Artist

Formation

• Born June 20, 1949, in Tuskegee, Alabama; grew up on the Tuskegee Institute campus and attended Tuskegee Institute on a tennis scholarship.
• In the late 1960s he joined the Commodores as singer and saxophonist; they moved from Atlantic to Motown, first as a support act to The Jackson 5.
• Commodores' early funky sound ("Machine Gun", "Brick House") gave way to romantic ballads he wrote and sang, such as "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", "Still" and "Sail On".

Career

• 1974: first commercial songwriting success with "Happy People", recorded by The Temptations as a No. 1 R&B hit.
• 1980: wrote "Lady" for Kenny Rogers, a US No. 1; produced Rogers' album Share Your Love in 1981.
• 1981: "Endless Love", a duet with Diana Ross, became one of Motown's biggest hits.
• 1982: debut solo album Lionel Richie, with the No. 1 single "Truly", sold over 4 million copies.
• 1983: Can't Slow Down won Album of the Year and sold over twice as many copies; "All Night Long" was a No. 1 hit.
• 1985: co-wrote "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson; "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
• 1986: Dancing on the Ceiling, his last widely popular album; a break from recording followed until the 1992 hits collection Back to Front.
• Sold over 90 million records worldwide and won four Grammy Awards.
• Judge on American Idol from its 16th season (2018 onward).
• 2022: inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: Anthony Decurtis gave a positive review, writing that the album sets an impressive standard for mainstream pop craft
• Decurtis said the album encompasses Richie's finest qualities and especially praised Say You, Say Me
• Decurtis found Ballerina Girl a virtual anthology of Richie's worst saccharine excesses
• Los Angeles Times: critic Robert Hilburn said We Are the World left Richie with a deeper sense of social purpose
• Hilburn found that this gave the album a tension that made it Richie's most satisfying collection
• The Village Voice: Robert Christgau ranked the album B+
• Christgau called it lulling, almost mantralike entertainment
• Christgau criticized Ballerina for its mawkishness

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine retrospectively gave four out of five stars
• Erlewine called it a solid, enjoyable affair but a comedown after Richie's previous albums
• Erlewine said the songs are generally longer than necessary and the lyrics mix silliness and sappiness
• AllMusic's Steve Huey suggested Richie's withdrawal after the album was quitting while he was ahead

Records

• Topped the US Billboard 200 chart
• Sold 4 million copies in the US
• First album simultaneously certified gold, platinum, double platinum, and triple platinum by the RIAA since double platinum was established in 1984
• Initial shipments in South Africa were 60,000 prerelease units
• Title track reached No.2 in the US and No.7 in the UK Singles Chart
• Love Will Conquer All reached No.9 in the US and No.45 in the UK
• Ballerina Girl reached No.7 in the US and No.17 in the UK
• Deep River Woman reached No.10 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Outrageous tour covered 40 cities, and its first concert was in Phoenix, Arizona.
• Say You, Say Me won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, both for Best Original Song.
• The album was the first to be simultaneously certified gold, platinum, double platinum, and triple platinum by the RIAA, since that body set up double platinum in 1984.
• The title track was the album's second biggest single, reaching No.2 in the US and No.7 in the UK, behind the earlier Say You, Say Me.
• After the album and its tour, Richie withdrew almost entirely from the music industry for six years.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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