Songoftheday 12/10/12 - I've been through so many changes in my life woman, it's a wonder I ain't lost my mind...

Lionel Richie - "My Love"
from the album Lionel Richie (1982)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 12

Today's Song of the Day was the third single released from former Commodore Lionel Richie's self-titled debut album. After the wedding-song ballad "Truly" made it to #1 on the pop chart, and it's followup, the peppier top-5 hit "You Are", Richie released what would become each of his albums' requisite "country"-fied song, "My Love". Richie wasn't a stranger to country music, penning Kenny Rogers' trademark song, "Lady" in 1980. In return, Kenny provided backing vocals for "My Love", which flowed as smooth as his former group's "Easy" with a needed counterpoint harmony to give it a real down-home feel...

"My Love" became Richie's fourth consecutive #1 hit on the adult-contemporary chart (including his duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love"), and also made the top-10 on the R&B format chart as well, though surprisingly didn't place at all on the country list (that would be rectified by two of his later "country" songs). It also was a minor hit in England, stalling at #70.

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Of course, when Lionel released his collaboration album Tuskegee which paired himself with the biggest country acts performing his older hits, it was natural to include "My Love". And who else to team up with but one of the biggest names in country music today, Kenny Chesney...

Up tomorrow: the theme from a little movie about a welder..