Say You, Say Me
Encyclopedia
"Say You, Say Me" is a Oscar winning song, written and recorded by Lionel Richie
for the film White Nights, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov
and Gregory Hines
. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
and R&B singles
charts in December 1985. It became Richie's ninth number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The track is not available on the soundtrack
album
to the film, because Motown did not want Richie's first single since the Can't Slow Down album to appear on another record label. It finally appeared on the Dancing on the Ceiling
album released in 1986.
The track won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
in 1985.
In 2008, the song was ranked at #74 of the top songs of all time on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, commemorating the first 50 years of the chart.
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
for the film White Nights, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
and Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and R&B singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
charts in December 1985. It became Richie's ninth number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The track is not available on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
to the film, because Motown did not want Richie's first single since the Can't Slow Down album to appear on another record label. It finally appeared on the Dancing on the Ceiling
Dancing on the Ceiling
Dancing on the Ceiling is Lionel Richie's third album, which was released on July 15, 1986. The title cut was the second biggest single from the album, reaching #1 in the U.S. and #7 in the UK...
album released in 1986.
The track won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
in 1985.
In 2008, the song was ranked at #74 of the top songs of all time on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, commemorating the first 50 years of the chart.
Cultural references
- Richie partially parodied his own song to "Hey You, Beer Me" for Homer SimpsonHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
when he guest starred as himself on The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. - Parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
featured a segment of the song in his "Polka Party!" polka medley. - Richie parodied his own song in an advert for British crisp manufacturers Walkers.
- This song was also featured in RioRio (film)Rio, often promoted as Rio: The Movie, is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha. The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, in which the film is set. The film features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne...
when Blu tries to make a move on Jewel.
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 6 |
| French Singles Chart | 4 |
| German Singles Chart | 12 |
| Japan Hot 100 | 25 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
8 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Black Singles | 1 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
See also
- List of number-one hits in Norway
- List of number-one hits (Sweden)
- List of number-one hits of 1986 (Switzerland)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1985 (U.S.)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1985 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1986 (U.S.)