| "You Are" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byLionel Richie | ||||
| from the albumLionel Richie | ||||
| B-side | "You Mean More to Me" | |||
| Released | January 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:05 4:05 (7") | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriters | Lionel Richie Brenda Harvey Richie | |||
| Producers | Lionel Richie James Anthony Carmichael | |||
| Lionel Richie singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio | ||||
| "You Are" onYouTube | ||||
"You Are" is a song released as a single in 1983 by American singer-songwriterLionel Richie. It was written by Richie and his then-wife, Brenda Harvey Richie. It appears on hisself-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 majorBillboard music charts. On theBillboard Hot 100 pop chart, the song spent two weeks at number four in early 1983.[3] It peaked at number two on theR&B chart (behind "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson), and spent six weeks at number one on theadult contemporary chart.[4] In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 43 on theBritish pop chart.[5]
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."[6]
"You Are" is a romantic song, although it has a more upbeat arrangement than many of Richie's slowerballads, including a horn section. Before achieving popularity for his own music, singerRichard 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 singerBlake Shelton for Richie's 2012Tuskegee album.
| Chart (1983–2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 17 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 43 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[9] | 4 |
| USCashbox Top 100[10] | 2 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[11] | 1 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] | 2 |
| Canada Top 50 Singles (RPM) | 5 |
| Chart (1983) | Position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[13] | 29 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[14] | 1 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] | 13 |
"You Are" is a breezy midtempo lite-funk number — not a ballad, though it's as gentle as one.
