Dancing on the Ceiling

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Dancing on the Ceiling
LionelRichie-DancingOnTheCeiling.jpg
Studio album by
Lionel Richie
ReleasedAugust 5, 1986
Recorded1985–1986
Studio
Genre Pop, R&B
Length46:27
Label Motown
Producer Lionel Richie, James Anthony Carmichael, Narada Michael Walden
Lionel Richie chronology
Can't Slow Down
(1983)		Dancing on the Ceiling
(1986)		 Back to Front
(1992)
Singles from Dancing on the Ceiling
  1. "Say You, Say Me"
    Released: October 1985 [1]
  2. "Dancing on the Ceiling"
    Released: July 1986
  3. "Love Will Conquer All"
    Released: September 1986
  4. "Ballerina Girl" / "Deep River Woman"
    Released: November 1986
  5. "Se La"
    Released: March 1987

Dancing on the Ceiling is the third solo studio album by American singer Lionel Richie, released on August 5, 1986. [2] The album was originally to be titled Say You, Say Me, after the Academy Award-winning track of the same name, but it was renamed to a different track's title after Richie rewrote several songs on the album. The album was released to generally positive reviews and it made No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 4 million copies. The album was Richie’s second with session guitarist Carlos Rios. Following this album's release, Richie went on a long hiatus, not releasing an album of entirely new material for another ten years.

Contents

Background and recording

Lionel Richie had risen to prominence as a member of the Commodores during the late 1970s, but after tensions arose in the band, he left in 1982. His first two solo albums, Lionel Richie (1982) and Can't Slow Down (1983), were runaway successes: Lionel Richie sold 4 million copies, while Can't Slow Down sold 10 million copies, and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. [3]

Recording of the songs later used on Dancing on the Ceiling began in 1985. The track "Say You, Say Me" was used in that year's film White Nights for which it had won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. [4] Work on the album was done while Richie was finalizing his work with "We Are the World". [5]

During early production, the album was intended to be titled Say You, Say Me [3] and released in December 1985. [5] However, Richie found that he did not "want to do those songs" owing to the social conditions he saw, and as such he began rewriting it "to express what [he] felt the world was boxing itself into". [5] Ultimately, the album's title was changed to Dancing on the Ceiling, as the titular song was Richie's next single. [3] Recording for the album took over a year and a half, [6] and Richie later stated that he tried to include a mixture of sounds. [5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Village Voice B+ [8]
The Washington Post (mixed) [9]

Dancing on the Ceiling has generally received positive reviews. Anthony Decurtis, reviewing in Rolling Stone , gave the album a positive review, writing that it "sets an impressive standard for mainstream pop craft", encompassing Richie's "finest qualities". [10] He especially praised the track "Say You, Say Me", but found "Ballerina Girl" a "virtual anthology of Richie's worst saccharine excesses". [10] Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn found that "We Are the World" had left Richie "with a deeper sense of social purpose, and his attempts to infuse that sense into his traditional approach brings a tension to the new album that makes Dancing on the Ceiling his most satisfying collection." [11]

Music critic Robert Christgau of The Village Voice ranked the album a B+. He found that it provided "lulling, almost mantralike entertainment" with "a knack for tune that puts [Richie] over the fine line between lulling and boring". His criticism centered on "Ballerina" for its mawkishness and lack of interest in some of the faster songs. [8] Meanwhile, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic retrospectively gave Dancing on the Ceiling four out of five stars, summarizing that, overall, the album was "a solid, enjoyable affair". He considered, however, it a "comedown" after Richie's previous albums, with its songs generally longer than necessary and the lyrics mixing "silliness ... and sappiness". [7]

Chart performance

Dancing on the Ceiling was released on August 5, 1986. [5] The album sold 4 million copies in the US [3] and it became the first album to be simultaneously certified gold, platinum, double platinum, and triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America since the institution established double platinum in 1984. [12] In South Africa initial shipments were 60,000 prerelease units. [13] To promote the album Richie went on an Outrageous 40-city concert tour, entitled "Outrageous". The first concert was in Phoenix, Arizona. [6]

Dancing on the Ceiling peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 200. The title track was the second biggest single from the album, reaching No. 2 in the US and No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart, falling behind "Say You, Say Me"'s earlier performance. Other Top 10 singles from the album include "Love Will Conquer All" (US No. 9, UK No. 45) and "Ballerina Girl" (US No. 7, UK No. 17). Meanwhile, "Deep River Woman" reached No. 10 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. [14]

Legacy

Following the success of Dancing on the Ceiling, Richie withdrew almost entirely from the music industry for six years, a move which Steve Huey of AllMusic suggests was "quitting while he was ahead". [3] He released a compilation album – with some new material – entitled Back to Front in 1992, with his first all-new release, Louder Than Words , following in 1996. As of 2013, none of his successive albums have been as successful as Lionel Richie, Can't Slow Down, and Dancing on the Ceiling. [3] A remastered edition of Dancing on the Ceiling was released in 2003, featuring four bonus tracks.

Track listing

All tracks produced by Lionel Richie and James Anthony Carmichael, except "Night Train (Smooth Alligator)," produced by Narada Michael Walden. All music and lyrics by Lionel Richie, except where noted.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Dancing on the Ceiling" 
  • Richie
  • Carlos Rios
  • Michael Frenchik
4:30
2."Se La" 
5:22
3."Ballerina Girl"  3:38
4."Don't Stop" 
  • Richie
  • John Barnes
7:43
5."Deep River Woman"  4:35
6."Love Will Conquer All"
  • Richie
  • Phillinganes
5:40
7."Tonight Will Be Alright"  5:06
8."Say You, Say Me"  4:00
CD/cassette bonus track
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
9."Night Train (Smooth Alligator)"
4:59
2003 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
10."Dancing on the Ceiling" (12-inch version) 
  • Richie
  • Rios
  • Frenchik
7:10
11."Se La" (12-inch remix by Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero) 
  • Richie
  • Phillinganes
8:12
12."Don't Stop" 
  • Richie
  • Barnes
9:40
13."Love Will Conquer All" (Remix by Shep Pettibone)
  • Richie
  • Weil
  • Richie
  • Phillinganes
7:01

Personnel

Credits lifted from the album's liner notes. [15]

Musicians

Background vocals

Hoopa Hollers on "Dancing on the Ceiling":

Production

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia—218,000 [36]
Belgium (BEA) [37] Gold25,000*
Brazil—200,000 [38]
Canada (Music Canada) [39] 3× Platinum300,000^
France (SNEP) [40] 2× Gold200,000*
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [41] Platinum20,000*
Netherlands (NVPI) [42] Platinum100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [43] Platinum15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [44] Gold50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [45] Gold25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [46] 2× Platinum600,000^
United States (RIAA) [47] 4× Platinum4,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America .
  2. ↑ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America .
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Huey, Lionel Richie.
  4. ↑ Sloan, What a Feeling.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Berry 1986, "Richie 'conquers all'".
  6. 1 2 Moleski 1986, p. 24.
  7. 1 2 Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Lionel Richie: Dancing on the Ceiling". AllMusic.
  8. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Lionel Richie: Dancing on the Ceiling". The Village Voice .
  9. ↑ Joyce, Mike (August 17, 1986). "Recordings". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Decurtis 1986, Lionel Richie.
  11. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (August 10, 1986). "Richie Advances the Politics of Celebration". Los Angeles Times .
  12. ↑ Grein 1986, p. 5.
  13. ↑ "Richie LP Hits Big In South Africa". Billboard. September 13, 1986. p. 77. Retrieved June 1, 2020– via Google Books.
  14. ↑ AllMusic, Dancing on the Ceiling.
  15. ↑ Dancing on the Ceiling (booklet). Motown. 1986.
  16. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 252. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
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  33. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1987 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand . Retrieved February 5, 2022.
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  39. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Dancing on the Ceiling". Music Canada.
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  41. ↑ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
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  43. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Lionel Richie – Dancing on the Ceiling". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  44. ↑ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN   8480486392.
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  46. ↑ "British album certifications – Lionel Richie – Dancing on the Ceiling". British Phonographic Industry.
  47. ↑ "American album certifications – Lionel Richie – Dancing on the Ceiling". Recording Industry Association of America.

Works cited

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