Which 1982 Lionel Richie solo debut single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100? The answer is “Truly.” It was Richie’s first solo single, released from his self-titled debut album while he was still associated with the Commodores, and it established him as a major solo ballad singer.
Richie wrote “Truly” and co-produced it with James Anthony Carmichael. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 on October 9, 1982, then reached No. 1 from November 27 through December 4. Its intimate vocal and piano-centered presentation continued the romantic style Richie had developed with Commodores songs such as “Still” and “Three Times a Lady.”
“Truly” also topped the adult contemporary chart for four weeks and earned Richie a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The wrong options are all genuine Richie hits, which makes them tempting: “Say You, Say Me” topped the Hot 100 in 1985, “All Night Long” did so in 1983, and “Hello” followed in 1984. But “Truly” was the 1982 debut breakthrough.