Lionel Richie says the lyrics of one of his biggest hits land a bit differently now, four decades after its release.
The four-time Grammy winner appeared on “The View” Wednesday to promote the new season of “American Idol” with his fellow judges on the singing competition series, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry. Toward the end of the interview, he was asked about his 1983 smash “All Night Long (All Night).”
As the song celebrates its 40th anniversary, Richie said its sensual refrain no longer rings as true as it once did.
“I have to really, really say to you: When I wrote ‘All Night Long,’ it was truly all night long,” the 73-year-old quipped. “Now my ‘all night long’ is down to a fierce 15 minutes. But don’t worry ― we’ll talk about that later!”
Watch Lionel Richie’s appearance on “The View” below.
Both Bryan and Perry quickly leaned in on Richie’s cheeky joke.
“Fifteen minutes? That’s long, bud!” said Perry, before shaking Richie’s hand.
Added Bryan: “I want Lionel’s dermatologist, but now I want his...”
Kidding aside, Richie gave some insight into the recording process of “All Night Long (All Night),” which appeared on his second solo album, “Can’t Slow Down.” He said he found inspiration for the song’s memorable hook after enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with a Jamaican friend, Lloyd Greig.
“I walk in his house, and I have dinner, and I say, ‘Guys, I gotta go back to the studio, man,’” he explained. “‘I got to go work all night long.’”
Fans can catch Richie performing “All Night Long (All Night),” along with other classic songs, this summer when he embarks on his 2023 Sing A Song All Night Long Tour with the band Earth, Wind & Fire.