22 April 2021, 16:07
Lionel Richie's most famous song 'Hello' is also one of the greatest ballads of all time.
It's impossible not to think of Lionel's clay head when hearing those opening bars, but what inspired the song and what happened to the girl in the music video?
Here's all the important and interesting facts about the classic love song:
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Who wrote 'Hello' by Lionel Richie?
Lionel Richie wrote the ballad, and included it on his 1984 album Can't Slow Down.
He also co-produced it with his longtime Motown colleague James Anthony Carmichael.
He had actually written it for his first solo album, but decided to leave it off.
Thankfully, his then-wife Brenda loved the song, and convinced him to include it on his second album.
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What inspired 'Hello'?
When Lionel was young, he often saw beautiful women walk past him, but was far too shy to talk to them.
He explained that he thought to himself, 'Hello, is it me you're looking for'.
Years later, he started to write a song using the same phrase, but gave up after suffering from writer's block.
“My co-producer came over to my house while I was at the piano, and I sang, ‘Hello, is it me you’re looking for?’ when he walked in. He said, ‘Finish it,’ even though it wasn’t a song,” Lionel told radio station Z955.
“I thought it was so corny, but he said it’d be a hit – and it was.”
However, his record producer liked the line enough, and urged him to finish it.
