Back to Front (Lionel Richie album)

Back to Front
Back to Front
Compilation album by Lionel Richie
Released	May 5, 1992
Length	68:18
Label	Motown
Producer	Lionel Richie, Stewart Levine, James Anthony Carmichael, Commodores
Lionel Richie chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Chicago Tribune	^[2]

Back to Front is the first compilation album by American singer Lionel Richie, which was released on May 5, 1992, by Motown Records. It contains songs from both his successful solo career and as part of the band the Commodores, along with three new tracks (1–3). The international version of the album also includes the tracks "Dancing on the Ceiling" and "Stuck on You". It debuted atop both the UK Albums Chart and the ARIA Albums Chart, and spent 12 weeks at number one on the Dutch Album Top 100. The single "Do It To Me" reached #21 at US Hot 100.

Track listing[]

All songs performed by Lionel Richie, unless stated otherwise.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Do It to Me"	Lionel Richie	Previously unreleased	6:04
2.	"My Destiny"	Lionel Richie	Previously unreleased	4:50
3.	"Love, Oh Love"	Lionel Richie	Previously unreleased	5:48
4.	"All Night Long (All Night)"	Lionel Richie	Can't Slow Down	4:20
5.	"Easy" (The Commodores)	Lionel Richie	Commodores	4:18
6.	"Still" (The Commodores)	Lionel Richie	Midnight Magic	3:47
7.	"Endless Love" (Lionel Richie & Diana Ross)	Lionel Richie	Endless Love	4:28
8.	"Running with the Night"	Lionel Richie Cynthia Weil	Can't Slow Down	4:10
9.	"Sail On" (The Commodores)	Lionel Richie	Midnight Magic	4:00
10.	"Hello"	Lionel Richie	Can't Slow Down	4:10
11.	"Truly"	Lionel Richie	Lionel Richie	3:22
12.	"Penny Lover"	Lionel Richie Brenda Harvey Richie	Can't Slow Down	3:47
13.	"Say You, Say Me"	Lionel Richie	Dancing on the Ceiling	4:03
14.	"Three Times a Lady" (The Commodores)	Lionel Richie	Natural High	3:37
Total length:				61:04

International edition
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
9.	"Dancing on the Ceiling"	Lionel Richie Carlos Rios Michael Frenchik	Dancing on the Ceiling	4:21
10.	"Sail On" (The Commodores)			4:00
11.	"Hello"			4:10
12.	"Truly"			3:22
13.	"Penny Lover"			3:47
14.	"Stuck on You"	Lionel Richie	Can't Slow Down	3:10
15.	"Say You, Say Me"			4:03
16.	"Three Times a Lady" (The Commodores)			3:37
Total length:				68:28

Personnel[]

Tracks 1, 2 & 3

Lionel Richie – lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements, backing vocals (1, 2)
Brad Cole – synthesizers, synthesizer programming
Michael Landau – guitar
David Williams – guitar (2)
Freddie Washington – bass
Quincy Jones III – drum programming (1, 2)
Jim Keltner – drums (3)
Lenny Castro – percussion
Marc Russo – saxophone solo (1)
Stewart Levine – rhythm arrangements
Paul Buckmaster – horn and string orchestrations (2, 3)
Jim Gilstrap, Terry Holcomb, Marva King, Darlene Koldenhoven, Laura Lombardo, Benjamin McCrary, Quincy McCrary, Eve Reinhardt, Alice Sanderson, Richard Stuart, Carmen Twillie and Myla Twillie – backing vocals (3)

Track 7

Lionel Richie – lead vocals, vocal arrangements
Diana Ross – lead vocals
Reginald "Sonny" Burke – Fender Rhodes
Barnaby Finch – acoustic piano
Paul Jackson Jr. – electric guitar, acoustic guitar solo
Fred Tackett – guitar
Nathan East – bass
Rick Shlosser – drums
Gene Page – horn, rhythm and string arrangements
Harry Bluestone – concertmaster

Production[]

Stewart Levine – producer (1, 2, 3)
Lionel Richie – producer (1-4, 7, 8, 10–15)
James Anthony Carmichael – producer (4, 5, 6, 8-16)
Commodores – producers (5, 6, 9, 14, 16)
Darren Klein – recording (1, 2, 3), mixing (1, 2, 3)
Marnie Riley – assistant engineer (1, 2, 3)
Reginald Dozier – engineer (7)
Guy Costa – mixing (7)
Bernie Grundman – mastering
Johnny Lee – art direction, design
Matthew Rolston – photography

Studios

Tracks 1, 2 & 3 recorded and mixed at Conway Studios (Hollywood, California).
Track 7 recorded at Devonshire Sound Studios (Hollywood, California). Mixed at Motown Recording Studios (West Hollywood, California).
Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California).

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[3]	1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[4]	3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[5]	38
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[6]	1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[7]	2
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[8]	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[9]	2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[10]	22
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[11]	3
UK Albums (OCC)^[12]	1
US Billboard 200^[13]	19
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[14]	7

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1992)	Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[15]	35
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[16]	2
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[17]	16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[18]	14
US Billboard 200^[19]	100
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[20]	40

Chart (1993)	Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[21]	16

Chart (2001)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)^[22]	196

Certifications and sales[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[23]	2× Platinum	140,000^{^}
Austria (IFPI Austria)^[24]	Platinum	50,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)^[25]	Gold	50,000^{^}
France (SNEP)^[27]	3× Platinum	1,006,800^[26]
Germany (BVMI)^[28]	Platinum	500,000^{^}
Italy (FIMI)^[29] sales since 2009	Gold	25,000^*
Netherlands (NVPI)^[30]	Gold	50,000^{^}
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[31]	Platinum	15,000^{^}
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[32]	Gold	50,000^{^}
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)^[33]	2× Platinum	100,000
United Kingdom (BPI)^[35]	4× Platinum	1,793,978^[34]
United States (RIAA)^[36]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
Summaries
Worldwide	—	8,000,000^[37]
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

^ Buss, Bryan. "Lionel Richie: Back to Front". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
^ Deknock, Jan (June 11, 1992). "Lionel Richie Back to Front (Motown)". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Ultratop.be – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Charts.nz – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Lionel Richie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Lionel Richie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1992". austriancharts.at. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1992". hitparade.ch. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1991". Aria Charts. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
^ "Austrian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in German). IFPI Austria.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Music Canada.
^ "Les Albums Triple Platine" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
^ "French album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lionel Richie; 'Back to Front')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
^ "Italian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 25, 2020. Select "2015" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Back to Front" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
^ "Dutch album certifications – Lional Richie – Back to Front" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved October 19, 2020. Enter Back to Front in the "Artiest of titel" box.
^ "New Zealand album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Lionel Richie; 'Back to Front')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
^ Harris, Bill (November 17, 2006). "Queen rules – in album sales". Jam!. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
^ "British album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Back to Front in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^ "American album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ Alina Dragan & Thessa Mooij (March 9, 1996). "Lionel Richie Returns After Eight Year Break" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 10. p. 11. Retrieved August 25, 2021.

This 1990s R&B/soul album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[1] Buss, Bryan. "Lionel Richie: Back to Front". allmusic.com. Allmusic.

[2] Deknock, Jan (June 11, 1992). "Lionel Richie Back to Front (Motown)". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.

[ac_Australia_Lionel_Richie-3] "Australiancharts.com – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_Austria_Lionel_Richie-4] "Austriancharts.at – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_Flanders_Lionel_Richie-5] "Ultratop.be – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_Netherlands_Lionel_Richie-6] "Dutchcharts.nl – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_Germany4_Lionel_Richie-7] "Offiziellecharts.de – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_New_Zealand_Lionel_Richie-8] "Charts.nz – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_Norway_Lionel_Richie-9] "Norwegiancharts.com – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_Sweden_Lionel_Richie-10] "Swedishcharts.com – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_Switzerland_Lionel_Richie-11] "Swisscharts.com – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_UK2_-12] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_Billboard200_Lionel_Richie-13] "Lionel Richie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Lionel_Richie-14] "Lionel Richie Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[15] "Jahreshitparade Alben 1992". austriancharts.at. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

[16] "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

[17] "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

[18] "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1992". hitparade.ch. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

[19] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

[20] "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

[21] "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

[22] "The Official UK Albums Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved April 1, 2021.

[23] "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1991". Aria Charts. Retrieved October 19, 2020.

[AustriaLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-24] "Austrian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in German). IFPI Austria.

[CanadaLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-25] "Canadian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Music Canada.

[26] "Les Albums Triple Platine" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.

[FranceLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-27] "French album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.

[GermanyLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-28] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lionel Richie; 'Back to Front')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

[ItalyLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-29] "Italian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 25, 2020. Select "2015" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Back to Front" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".

[NetherlandsLional_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-30] "Dutch album certifications – Lional Richie – Back to Front" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved October 19, 2020. Enter Back to Front in the "Artiest of titel" box.

[New_ZealandLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-31] "New Zealand album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 19, 2020.

[Spanish_certifications_1979-1990-32] Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.

[SwitzerlandLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontCertRef-33] "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Lionel Richie; 'Back to Front')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.

[34] Harris, Bill (November 17, 2006). "Queen rules – in album sales". Jam!. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2020.

[United_KingdomLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-35] "British album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Back to Front in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

[United_StatesLionel_RichieBack_to_FrontalbumCertRef-36] "American album certifications – Lionel Richie – Back to Front". Recording Industry Association of America.

[37] Alina Dragan & Thessa Mooij (March 9, 1996). "Lionel Richie Returns After Eight Year Break" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 10. p. 11. Retrieved August 25, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[27]

[26]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[35]

[34]

[36]

[37]

hide v t Lionel Richie
Studio albums	Lionel Richie (1982) Can't Slow Down (1983) Dancing on the Ceiling (1986) Louder Than Words (1996) Time (1998) Renaissance (2000) Just for You (2004) Coming Home (2006) Just Go (2009) Tuskegee (2012)
Live albums	Encore (2002)
Compilation albums	Back to Front (1992) Truly: The Love Songs (1997) The Definitive Collection (2003) Gold (2006) Sounds of the Season (2006)
Singles	"Endless Love" (with Diana Ross) (1981) "Truly" (1982) "You Are" (1983) "My Love" (1983) "All Night Long (All Night)" (1983) "Running with the Night" (1983) "Hello" (1984) "Stuck on You" (1984) "Penny Lover" (1984) "Say You, Say Me" (1985) "Dancing on the Ceiling" (1986) "Love Will Conquer All" (1986) "Ballerina Girl" (1986) "Deep River Woman" (1987) "Se La" (1987) "Do It to Me" (1992) "My Destiny" (1992) "Don't Wanna Lose You" (1996) "Angel" (2000) "Don't Stop the Music" (2001) "Tender Heart" (2001) "I Forgot" (2001) "Cinderella" (2001) "To Love a Woman" (2003) "Just for You" (2004) "Long, Long Way to Go" (2004) "I Call It Love" (2006) "What You Are" (2006) "Why" (2006) "Reason to Believe" (2007) "Good Morning" (2008) "Just Go" (2009)
Tours	All the Hits, All Night Long All the Hits Tour
Related articles	Discography Commodores "We Are the World"