Lionel Richie

These are surprising, even shocking, words from an artist whose achievements--creatively and commercially--have been anything but simple.

Richie is, after all, one of the world's most recognized and rewarded performers. He's sold nearly 100 million albums and notched 22 Top 10 hits--13 of them during a jaw-dropping swing between 1981-87. Five Grammy Awards, an Oscar and a Golden Globe--not to mention piles of American Music Awards and People's Choice Awards--grace his shelves. Only Richie and Irving Berlin have scored No. 1 hits in nine consecutive years.

Richie believes that a hit song is one that is rendered with great craft and conveys simple ideas that are heartfelt, ...

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