Truly (Lionel Richie song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Truly

| cover = Truly_(song).jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Lionel Richie

| album = Lionel Richie

| B-side = Just Put Some Love in Your Heart

| released = September 1982

| recorded = 1982

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Pop

| length = 3:26

| label = Motown

| writer = Lionel Richie

| producer = Lionel Richie, James Anthony Carmichael

| prev_title = Endless Love

| prev_year = 1981

| next_title = You Are

| next_year = 1982

| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|kX-uh1MqAI4|"Truly"}}|type=single}}

}}

"Truly" is the debut solo single by American singer-songwriter Lionel Richie. Resuming where he left off with D-flat major tunes "Sail On" and particularly "Still" when he was lead for the Commodores, Richie wrote the song and co-produced it with James Anthony Carmichael.

Released as the first single from his self-titled debut album in 1982, "Truly" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on 9 October 1982 and climbed to No. 1 on 27 November – 4 December 1982.{{cite book

| first= Joel

| last= Whitburn

| year= 1991

| title= The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Eighties (9 October 1982 – 5 February 1983)

| publisher= Record Research, Inc

| location= Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

| isbn= 0-89820-079-2}} It also spent four weeks at No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart,Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications) and logged nine weeks at No. 2 on the R&B chart, behind Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing". In addition, "Truly" made the top 10 in United Kingdom, where the song peaked at No. 6.{{cite web|title=Lionel Richie – Full Official Chart History|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13197/lionel-richie/|website=Official Charts Company|access-date=21 January 2016}} The song won a Grammy Award for Richie in the category Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Billboard called it a "moving ballad with all the drama and poignance of 'Still', 'Three Times a Lady' and 'Endless Love'."{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=2023-02-07|title=Top Single Picks|date=October 9, 1982|page=63|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7SMEAAAAMBAJ}}

Music video

In the music video for "Truly", Lionel Richie performs the song live on a piano.{{cite web|url=http://www.myvideo.de/watch/7952881/Lionel_Richie_Truly_1982 |title=Music video in MyVideo.com |publisher=Myvideo.de |date=1 January 2011|access-date=27 December 2013}}

Track listing

7" single

"Truly"
"Just Put Some Love in Your Heart"

Charts

=Weekly charts=

Chart (1982–1983) !Peak position
class="wikitable sortable"
Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book\|last=Kent\|first=David\|author-link=David Kent (historian)\|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992\|edition=illustrated\|publisher=Australian Chart Book\|location=St Ives, N.S.W.\|year=1993\|isbn=0-646-11917-6\|page=252}} \|align="center"\|7
{{singlechart\|Canadatopsingles\|1\|chartid=3936\|artist=Lionel Richie\|song=Truly\|access-date=February 6, 2019}}
{{single chart\|Canadaadultcontemporary\|6\|artist=Lionel Richie\|song=Truly\|chartid=6929\|access-date=September 23, 2024}}
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book\|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=215\|first=Timo\|last=Pennanen\|year=2021\|title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021\|section=Lionel Richie\|page=215\|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava\|location=Helsinki\|access-date=July 4, 2022\|language=fi}} \|align="center"\|16
{{singlechart\|Ireland2\|4\|song=Truly\|access-date=February 7, 2019}}
{{singlechart\|New Zealand\|21\|artist=Lionel Richie\|song=Truly\|access-date=August 29, 2017}}
South Africa (Springbok){{cite web\|title=SA Charts 1965 – March 1989\|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(R).html\|access-date=5 September 2018}} \|align="center"\|9
{{singlechart\|UKsinglesbyname\|6\|artist=Lionel Richie\|song=Truly\|access-date=August 29, 2017}}
{{singlechart\|Billboardhot100\|1\|artist=Lionel Richie\|access-date=August 29, 2017}}
{{singlechart\|Billboardadultcontemporary\|1\|artist=Lionel Richie\|access-date=August 29, 2017}}
{{singlechart\|Billboardrandbhiphop\|2\|artist=Lionel Richie\|access-date=August 29, 2017}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable"
Chart (1982)	Position
Canada (RPM){{cite magazine\|date=December 25, 1982\|title=Top 100 Singles of 82\|page=17\|magazine=RPM\|volume=37 \|issue=19\|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.6167.pdf\|via=Library and Archives Canada}} \|align="center"\|38

class="wikitable"

Chart (1982)

Position

Canada (RPM){{cite magazine|date=December 25, 1982|title=Top 100 Singles of 82|page=17|magazine=RPM|volume=37 |issue=19|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.6167.pdf|via=Library and Archives Canada}}

|align="center"|38

class="wikitable sortable"

Chart (1983)

Position

Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web |url=https://i.imgur.com/860ttad.jpg |title=Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983 |publisher=Kent Music Report |via=Imgur.com |access-date=January 22, 2023}}

|align="center"|35

US Top Pop Singles (Billboard){{cite magazine|date=December 24, 1983 |title=Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles |page=TA-18 |magazine=Billboard |volume=95 |issue=52 }}

|align="center"|47

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Canada|artist=Lionel Richie|title=Truly|award=Platinum|relyear=1982|certyear=1984|access-date=August 3, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Lionel Richie|title=Truly|award=Silver|relyear=1982|certyear=1982|id=7779-3549-1|access-date=August 3, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United States|artist=Lionel Richie|title=Truly|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=1982|refname=riaa}}

Steven Houghton version

{{Infobox song

| name = Truly

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Steven Houghton

| album = Steven Houghton

| released = 6 March 1998

| recorded = 1997

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Pop

| length = 3:20

| label = Bertelsmann Music Group

| writer = Lionel Richie

| producer = Steven Houghton

| prev_title = Wind Beneath My Wings

| prev_year = 1997

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

British singer and actor Steven Houghton released a cover version of "Truly" in March 1998 which reached the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart. The song was played in the series 10 finale of London's Burning, in which Houghton starred in.{{cite web|title=Steven Houghton – Full Official Chart History|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/3951/steven-houghton/|website=Official Charts Company|access-date=21 January 2016}}