Lionel Richie is happy to be ”corny”.
The ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ hitmaker doesn’t worry about being ”hip” because the subject matter of his songs mean they are viewed as timeless and people can always relate to them.
He said: ”I’m not hip. I discovered what hip represents; it means now.
”If you had the number one record in 1975, in 1978 they don’t know you any more.
”I’ve found the corniest subject will never go out of style. The corniest words ever on the planet; ‘I love you, I want you, I need you’ and here’s the word where everyone goes urgh, ‘forever’.
”I don’t care whether you’re Al Capone or the Wall Street Killer, sooner or later you’re gonna fix your mouth and say, ‘I love you’ to somebody.”
Lionel – whose new album ‘Tuskagee’ features country duets of his most famous hits – also insists he doesn’t worry about criticism.
He added to The Times newspaper: ”Getting flak, to me, is called going in the right direction. If I had to have another title for the album it would be ‘The records that people told me would ruin my career.’ ”