Penny Lover

"Penny Lover" is the title of the fifth and final single released from Lionel Richie's multi-platinum 1983 album, Can't Slow Down. The song was written by Richie and his then-wife, Brenda Harvey Richie.

"Penny Lover"
North American 7" 45 RPM
Single by Lionel Richie
from the album Can't Slow Down
B-side	"Tell Me"
Released	September 1984
Recorded	1983
Genre	Pop
Length	3:46 (single version) 5:35 (album version)
Label	Motown
Songwriter(s)	Lionel Richie Brenda Harvey Richie
Producer(s)	Lionel Richie James Anthony Carmichael
Lionel Richie singles chronology
"Stuck on You" (1984) "Penny Lover" (1984) "Say You, Say Me" (1985)
Music video
"Lionel Richie - Penny Lover (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

As with all the other singles taken from Can't Slow Down ("All Night Long (All Night)", "Running with the Night", "Hello" and "Stuck on You"), "Penny Lover" was a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, spending two weeks at No. 8 in December 1984.^[1] The song reached an identical No. 8 peak position on the Billboard R&B chart, while on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, the song logged four weeks at No. 1.^[2] On the UK Singles Chart, the song reached number 18.^[3] In Canada, it peaked at No. 12 on the RPM singles chart.

In a song review printed in Billboard by an anonymous writer in 1984, "Penny Lover" was described as "another of his unfailingly effective universal-appeal ballads".^[2][4]

Music video

The music video was directed by Bob Giraldi, who had also directed "Running with the Night" and "Hello".

Single version

In addition to being shortened by nearly 2 minutes, the single version is remixed with added reverb and more prominent background vocals, as well as a cold ending with just vocals and keyboard.

Track listings

7" single

1. "Penny Lover" – 3:46
2. "Tell Me" – 4:06

12" single

1. "Penny Lover" – 5:33
2. "You Are" – 5:03
3. "My Love" – 4:05

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Penny Lover" Chart (1984–1985) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 73 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 10 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 12 Germany (GfK)[8] 37 Ireland (IRMA)[9] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] 11 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 14 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] 30 UK Singles (OCC)[13] 18 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 8 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[16] 8

Year-end charts 1984 Year-end chart performance for "Penny Lover" Chart (1984) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 90 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 77 1985 Year-end chart performance for "Penny Lover" Chart (1985) Position US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[19] 96 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[20] 35

Other versions

Jamaican reggae duo Sly and Robbie covered the song in 1997, from their album Friends. It features singer Ambelique, and the song also appears on his 1997 album Sings the Classics. The single reached No. 94 on the UK Singles Chart.^[3]

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1984 (U.S.)