Lionel Richie: emotividad y sentimiento

En los 70 formó parte del grupo de la Motown The Commodores, para iniciar en los 80 su etapa en solitario con una proyección envidiable; un Oscar por la canción "Say You, Say Me", varios números 1, Grammys, y co-autor junto a Michael Jackson de la canción "We Are The World". Era el gran Lionel Richie, con unas letras cuidadas y llenas de sentimientos, melodías poseedoras de emotividad..., parecía poseer todo lo necesario para convertirse en estrella a nivel de Prince o Michael Jackson. Pero su luz se debilitó, al igual que su creatividad.

Hace unos pocos años se le hizo entrega del prestigioso premio que otorga la UNCF (United negro college fund), donde grandes estrellas de la música (Natalie Cole, Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder, Ledisi...). Le homenajearon con interpretaciones de sus canciones, grandes temas como "Easy" de su época con The Commodores de 1977, o "Stuck On You" de estìlo Country/pop, y que son partes fundamentales de cualquier biblioteca musical, dando muestra del enorme talento de este músico.

Easy Know it sounds funny But I just can't stand the pain Girl I'm leaving you tomorrow Seems to me girl You know I've done all I can You see I begged, stole And I borrowed Ooh, that's why I'm easy I'm easy like sunday morning That's why I'm easy I'm easy like sunday morning Why in the world Would anyboddy put chains on me? I've paid my dues to make it Everbody wants me to be What they want me to be I'm not happy when I try to fake it! No! Ooh,that's why I'm easy I'm easy like sunday morning That's why I'm easy I'm easy like sunday morning I wanna be high, so high I wanna be free to know The things I do are right I wanna be free Just me, babe! That's why I'm easy I'm easy like sunday morning That's why I'm easy I'm easy like sunday morning Because I'm easy Easy like sunday morning Because I'm easy Easy like sunday morning

Stuck On You Stuck on you I've got this feeling down Deep in my soul That I just can't lose Guess, I'm on my way Needed a friend And the way I feel now I guess I'll be with you till the end Guess I'm on my way Mighty glad you stayed I'm stuck on you Been a fool too long I guess It's time for me to come on home Guess I'm on my way So hard to see That a woman like you could wait Around for a man like me Guess I'm on my way Mighty glad you stayed Oh, I'm leaving on that midnight train tomorrow And I know just where I'm going I've packed up my troubles And I've thrown them all away Because this time little darling I'm coming home to stay I'm stuck on you I've got this feeling down Deep in my soul That I just can't lose Guess, I'm on my way Needed a friend And the way I feel now I guess I'll be with you till the end Guess I'm on my way I'm mighty glad you stayed