On this day in 1983: Lionel Richie was enjoying his first of four weeks at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “All Night Long (All Night).” The song is off his second solo album, ‘Can’t Slow Down’ and combined Richie’s soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. This new, more dance, pop inspired-inspired approach proved popular, as the single reached number one on three Billboard Charts (pop, R&B and adult contemporary).

The song lyrics were written primarily in English, but Richie has admitted in at least one press interview that “African” lyrics in the song, such as “Tom bo li de say de moi ya” and “Jambo jumbo”, were in fact his sui generis dialects. Richie has described these portions of the song as a “wonderful joke”, written when he discovered that he lacked the time to hire a translator to contribute the foreign-language lyrics he wished to include in the song. Richie performed the song at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Here’s a look at the complete Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1983:

1 2 ALL NIGHT LONG (All Night) Lionel Richie (Motown)-9 (1 week at #1) (1)
2 1 ISLANDS IN THE STREAM –•Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton (RCA)-12 (1)
3 5 UPTOWN GIRL –•– Billy Joel (Columbia)-8 (3)
4 6 SAY SAY SAY –•– Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (Columbia)-5 (4)
5 3 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART –•– Bonnie Tyler (Columbia)-18 (1)
6 4 ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER –•– The Fixx (MCA)-11 (4)
7 12 CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE –•– Quiet Riot (Pasha)-9 (7)
8 8 DELIRIOUS –•– Prince (Warner Brothers)-11 (8)
9 7 MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL –•– Air Supply (Arista)-16 (2)
10 11 SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER –•– The Motels (Capitol)-11 (10)

11 9 TELEFONE (Long Distance Love Affair) –•– Sheena Easton (EMI-America)-13 (9)
12 10 TRUE –•– Spandau Ballet (Chrysalis)-15 (4)
13 17 LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD –•– Pat Benatar (Chrysalis)-8 (13)
14 15 MODERN LOVE –•– David Bowie (EMI-America)-9 (14)
15 18 HEART AND SOUL –•– Huey Lewis & The News (Chrysalis)-10 (15)
16 16 TONIGHT, I CELEBRATE MY LOVE –•– Peabo Bryson / Roberta Flack (Capitol)-19 (16)
17 19 SAY IT ISN’T SO –•– Daryl Hall & John Oates (RCA)-3 (17)
18 20 P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) –•– Michael Jackson (Epic)-6 (18)
19 21 CRUMBLIN’ DOWN –•– John Cougar Mellencamp (Riva)-5 (19)
20 13 KING OF PAIN –•– The Police (A&M)-12 (3)