Can't Slow Down is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Lionel Richie. It was released on October 14, 1983, by Motown.

Can't Slow Down has been certified Diamond by the RIAA, selling over 10 million copies in the United States and over 20 million copies worldwide, making it Richie's best-selling album, and one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s. Five singles were released from the album, all of which hit the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including two that reached No. 1: "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Hello". The album subsequently won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "B+" and called it a "surprisingly solid" improvement, particularly with respect to Richie's ballad singing. He felt that its "jumpy international dance-pop" suited Richie more than the Commodores' funk had and predicted that, considering his "well-established appeal to white people," Can't Slow Down had the potential to become a "mini-Thriller".

Commercial performance and re-releases

left|thumb|270x270px|Richie in 1984. Can't Slow Down went on to win [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985, and remains one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s.]]

The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. It also spent 59 consecutive weeks inside the Top 10 (including the entire year of 1984) and a total of 160 weeks (over three years) on the Billboard 200. After being the third best-selling album of 1984, it went on to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1985, beating out such heavyweight contenders as Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen and Purple Rain by Prince. By 1986 the album had sold 15 million copies, eventually selling over 20 million.

Can't Slow Down achieved the feat of having every single released hit the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Two songs, "Hello" and "All Night Long (All Night)", both went to No. 1. Other hits include "Stuck on You" (US No. 3), "Running With the Night" (US No. 7), and "Penny Lover" (US No. 8). The ballad "The Only One" was a significant song from the album which was never released as a single, yet remains a popular staple of Richie's live performances.

The single "Stuck on You" also reached No. 24 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart (now Hot Country Songs).

On May 6, 2003, a two-CD deluxe edition of the album was released in conjunction of the 20th anniversary of the album's original release date. This version included several mixes originally included on various singles from the album at the end of the first CD, including instrumental versions of the 12-inch extended mixes of "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Running with the Night". Disc 2 showcased demo or alternate versions of all tracks from the original album, plus additional unfinished songs from the same sessions, all previously unreleased.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes, except where noted.

Musicians

  • Lionel Richie – lead vocals, Yamaha GS-1 (2–4), background vocals (2–7), chant (2), piano (8)
  • David Cochrane – guitar (1, 5), bass synthesizer (1), synthesizer (1), synthesizer programming (1), vocoder (1), background vocals (2, 5, 7), chant (2)
  • Paul Leim – Simmons drum (1), drums (3, 4, 8)
  • Greg Phillinganes – Yamaha GS-1 (2, 5), synthesizer (5)
  • Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar (2, 3)
  • Darrell Jones – guitar (2), acoustic guitar (4), electric guitar (8)
  • Tim May – guitar (2), acoustic guitar (8)
  • John Robinson – drums (2, 6)
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion (2, 7)
  • Deborah Thomas – background vocals (2, 5, 7), chant (2)
  • Richard Marx – background vocals (2, 5–7), chant (2)
  • Deborah Joyce Richie – chant (2)
  • Kin Vassy – background vocals (2)
  • Calvin Harris – background vocals (2), chant (2)
  • James Anthony Carmichael – background vocals (2), chant (2)
  • Melinda Joyce Chatman – vocal sound effects (2), chant (2)
  • Brena Harvey-Richie – chant (2)
  • Janice Marie Johnson – chant (2)
  • Diane Burt – chant (2)
  • Suzanne Stanford – chant (2)
  • Dr. Lloyd Byron Greig – chant (2)
  • Carlos Rios – guitar (3, 7)
  • John Hobbs – Fender Rhodes (3), piano (7)
  • Michael Boddicker – synthesizer (3, 4, 7, 8), Wave (3), Emulator (4), additional synthesizer (5), vocoder (7)
  • Israel Baker – concertmaster (3, 4, 6)
  • Joe Chemay – bass guitar (4, 7, 8)
  • Fred Tackett – acoustic guitar (4)
  • Mitch Holder – guitar (4)
  • Louie Shelton – guitar (4, 8)
  • Nathan East – bass guitar (5)
  • Anthony Marinelli – synthesizer programming (5)
  • Brian Banks – synthesizer programming (5)
  • Jeanette Hawes – chant (2), background vocals (5)
  • David Foster – keyboards (6), bass guitar (6)
  • Steve Lukather – guitar (6), guitar solo (7)
  • Jeff Porcaro – drums (7)
  • Reginald "Sonny" Burke – Fender Rhodes (8)
  • Harry Bluestone – concertmaster (8)
  • Peter Banks – guitar (8)
  • Charlie Loper – trombone (2)
  • Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (2)
  • Chuck Findley – trumpet (2)
  • Gary Grant – trumpet (2)
  • Jerry Hey – trumpet (2)

Hoopa Hollers on "All Night Long"

  • Marilyn Ammons
  • Sue Ann Butler
  • Melinda Joyce 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
  • Susan Wood

Technical

  • Lionel Richie – producer (1–8), arranger (1), vocal arranger (1–8), rhythm arranger (2–4, 6–8)
  • James Anthony Carmichael – producer (1–5, 7, 8), arranger (1), rhythm arranger (2–5, 7, 8), string arranger (2–4, 8), horn arranger (2, 3)
  • Calvin Harris – recording engineer (1–8), mixing engineer (1–8)
  • Brenda Harvey-Richie – production assistant (1–8)
  • Rita Leigh – creative assistant (1–8)
  • David Egerton – second recording engineer (1–5, 7)
  • Mark Ettel – second recording engineer (1–5, 7)
  • Steve Crimmel – second recording engineer (1–5, 7)
  • David Cochrane – arranger (1)
  • Fred Law – second mixing engineer (1–8)
  • Karen Siegel – second mixing engineer (1–8)
  • Greg Phillinganes – rhythm arranger (5)
  • David Foster – producer (6), rhythm arranger (6)
  • Larry Fergusson – recording engineer (6)
  • Humberto Gatica – recording engineer (6), mixing engineer (6)
  • Terry Christian – second recording engineer (6)
  • Jeremy Lubbock – string arranger (6)
  • Jim Cassell – second recording engineer (8)
  • Jane Clark – additional recording and mixing engineer
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Johnny Lee – art direction
  • Greg Gorman – front and back cover photography
  • Chris Callis – inner spread photography

Charts

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|+ Weekly chart performance for Can't Slow Down

! scope="col"|Chart (1983–1984)

! scope="col"|Peak<br />position

|-

! scope="row"|Argentinian Albums (CAPIF)

|align="center"|2

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

|align=center|1

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"|European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)

|align=center| 2

|-

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|-

! scope="row"

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 1983 year-end chart performance for Can't Slow Down

!scope="col"|Chart (1983)

!scope="col"|Position

|-

!scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

|align="center"|15

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 1984 year-end chart performance for Can't Slow Down

!scope="col"|Chart (1984)

!scope="col"|Position

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

|align="center"|1

|-

! scope="row"|Canadian Albums (RPM)

|align="center"|6

|-

! scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

|align="center"|1

|-

! scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)

|align="center"|4

|-

! scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)

|align="center"|11

|-

! scope="row"|Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)

|align="center"|7

|-

! scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)

|align="center"|1

|-

! scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|align="center"|3

|-

! scope="row"|US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

|align="center"|1

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 1985 year-end chart performance for Can't Slow Down

! scope="col"|Chart (1985)

! scope="col"|Position

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

|align="center"|64

|-

!scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

|align="center"|78

|-

! scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|align="center"|22

|-

! scope="row"|US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

|align="center"|29

|}

Decade-end charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Decade-end chart performance for Can't Slow Down

!scope="col"|Chart (1980–1989)

!scope="col"|Position

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)