"All Night Long (All Night)" is a hit single by American singer and songwriter Lionel Richie from 1983. Taken from his second solo album, Can't Slow Down (1983), it combined Richie's soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. This single reached number one on three Billboard charts (pop, R&B and adult contemporary). In the UK, it peaked at number two on the singles chart.
The song lyrics were written primarily in English, but Richie has admitted in at least one press interview that "African" lyrics in the song, such as "Tom bo li de say de moi ya" and "Jambo jumbo", were in fact gibberish. Richie has described these portions of the song as a "wonderful joke", written when he discovered that he lacked the time to hire a translator to contribute the foreign-language lyrics he wished to include in the song.
Cash Box summed up its review of the single saying "Richie’s command of these diverse musical elements and shifts in melodic direction is as impressive as it is pleasureable."
Music video
An accompanying music video for "All Night Long (All Night)" was produced by former Monkee and TV video pioneer Michael Nesmith and directed by Bob Rafelson.
Notable uses
Richie performed the song at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The song was used in the pilot episode for Miami Vice, "Brother's Keeper". While Richie was supposed to appear in the episode to sing it, he was on tour at the time and couldn't make it to the filming location; an unnamed band plays the song in the episode.
Charts
Original 1983 version
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Personnel
Personnel as listed in the album's liner notes are: Lionel Richie – lead and backing vocals, Yamaha GS-1 synthesizer, rhythm and vocal arrangements Greg Phillinganes – Yamaha GS-1 synthesizer Darrell Jones – guitar Carlos Rios – guitar Tim May – guitar Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar John "J.R." Robinson – drums Paulinho da Costa – percussion Melinda Chatman – vocal sound effects James Anthony Carmichael – backing vocals; horn, rhythm and string arrangements David Cochrane – backing vocals Calvin Harris – backing vocals Richard Marx – backing vocals Deborah Thomas – backing vocals Kin Vassy – backing vocals
Chant vocals
Diane Burt, James Anthony Carmichael, Melinda Chatman, David Cochrane, Dr. Lloyd Byro Greig, Calvin Harris, Brenda Harvey-Richie, Jeanette Hawes, Janice Marie Johnson, Richard Marx, Deborah Joyce Richie, Lionel Richie, Suzanne Stanford and Deborah Thomas
Hoopa hollers
Marilyn Ammons, Sue Ann Butler, Melinda Chatman, Sheldon J. Cohn, Esq., Sandy Dent-Crimmel, Ruth Diaz, David Egerton, Sylvia Genauer, Rejauna Lynn Green, Gabrielle Greig, Sally Greig, Tanya Greig, Darrell Jones, David Malvin, Alison Maxwell, Jerry Montes, John Michael Montes, Billy "Bass" Nelson, Greg Phillinganes, Carlos Rios, Suzanne Stanford, Randy Stern, Wilbert Terrell and Susan Wood
Production
Lionel Richie – producer
James Anthony Carmichael – producer
Calvin Harris – recording engineer
Steve Crimmel – second recording engineer
David Egerton – second recording engineer, gibberish vocals
Mark Ettel – second recording engineer
2011 version (with Guy Sebastian)
Richie recorded a new version of the song with Australian singer Guy Sebastian in 2011. All proceeds went towards the Queensland floods and New Zealand earthquake appeal. The re-recorded version was produced by RedOne and was released to iTunes Stores in Australia and New Zealand on 18 and 16 March, respectively.
Charts
It debuted on the New Zealand Singles Chart at number twelve on 21 March 2011 and on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at number twenty-six on 28 March 2011.
Jacob Collier version
In 2018, English singer, arranger, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier collaborated with Take 6 and the Metropole Orkest on a version of "All Night Long". Collier's arrangement won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. The version was included on Collier's studio album, Djesse Vol. 1 (2018). The album peaked at number six on the Billboard Top Classical Albums and Top Jazz Albums.
Benjamin Ingrosso version
In 2019, Swedish singer Benjamin Ingrosso recorded a version at the Spotify studios, Stockholm. It was released in March 2019 and peaked at number 5 on the Swedish charts and was certified platinum in June 2019. The rearranged version of the song, titled as "All Night Long (All Night) [2020 Edit]" was released on 17 July 2020.