Songwriter

Right Here Waiting

Who doesn’t remember Richard Marx singing and playing the piano on “Right here Waiting” a timeless love song. One we would long to hear on MTV.

When I had the chance to buy a cassette it would always have to be one of his. My first ever CD was his too. So, when Stories to Tell was released I was keen on finding out more about one of my favorite singers.

[Highlighted Excerpts taken for reference from Stories to Tell- A Memoir Richard Marx]

Show and Tell

I loved how he began by narrating the experience of his first time in front of an audience at his kindergarten class in a show and tell. The song that came to his mind was I Wanna be Free and what makes it special that he was so sure already that he was a singer when asked by his teacher and not that he liked to sing.

I would like to add here about the book that I was so excited to read more at this point that I finished reading it in one night and then sat down and tried to add all the songs that Richard Marx was a part of and had mentioned in the book to a playlist called Stories to Tell. I truly enjoyed the experience of reading it. It was an exciting one.

I liked how the book chapters were named after songs and there was a story attached to each of them and that it was so simply written.

Collaborations

In this passage Richard speaks of his relationship with Lionel Richie and how he went on to sing on a few of his songs. Richard was so thrilled when Lionel says that’s the sound, it really meant that he liked Richard’s.

When Richard is really nervous of approaching Kenny Rogers with a ballad he had written and how they worked on Crazy after was a truly memorable anecdote.

Should’ve Known Better

The love triangle which led to the lyrics Should’ve Known Better and the breakup with Jen and the story of his betrayal of Noah’s friendship is really interesting and even innocent.

The Tale of Taipei

The story I found most captivating and one which took me into the world of a musician was the Tale of Taipei. The ordeal they went through over there and how their hotel went on siege and their escape back home was like Richard said a fantastical story.

Stories to Tell

Hazard my favourite chapter especially so of how he came up with the title by calling for a list from Nebraska’s Chamber of Commerce of every town in the state and scrolling through it to find Hazard.

I would like to mention the meaning of these beautiful lyrics from the book. A beautiful young woman meets a young man and they strike up a relationship, sharing their mutual dream of getting out of this small Nebraska town. Suddenly one evening the girl goes missing and is later found dead, drowned in the river that runs through the town. The young man, always viewed as strange by the townspeople, is assumed to be her killer and arrested. He proclaims his innocence but is resigned to a fate of misunderstanding. The most beautiful story ever told through a song. The video that released in 1992 was like a thriller movie and one which is iconic.

What I loved discovering most from this book is that Richard Marx had written and collaborated on songs with so many artists. He has so wonderfully led us through all the stories of his music and I am sure he has so many more to tell.

Richard Marx also mentions a book that changed his life forever and I am looking forward to reading James Allen’s As a Man Thinketh.

Marx in History

Marx is the only male artist in history to have his first seven singles reach the top 5 of the Billboard charts. He has scored a total of 14 number one singles, both as a performer and as a songwriter/producer. As a singer, his No. 1 hits include “Hazard”, “Right Here Waiting“, “Hold On to the Nights“, “Endless Summer Nights“, and “Satisfied“. According to Billboard, Marx “holds the distinction of having written songs that have hit No. 1 on various Billboard charts in each of the last four decades.

This has been a lovely post for me to put together where In the Heart of the Passage and You can buy my Love with Concert Tickets collide into one lovely story. Hope that you enjoy reading it!