Notwithstanding the nexus between Bill Haley and Chuck Berry going back to the 1950s, Michael Jackson is generally credited with the fusion of black music and contemporary rock. But he was far from the only artist to do so, and shortly after the release of Jackson's Thriller album, Lionel Richie unleashed Can't Slow Down, the multi-platinum album which features the uptempo smash hit "Running With The Night." Richie co-wrote this with the lyricist Cynthia Weil, and co-produced it with James Anthony Carmichael; the blistering guitar solo is played by Steve Lukather of Toto. Released on the Motown label, the radio edit runs to 4 minutes 5 seconds, and the album version to 6 minutes 2 seconds.
This song has a very urban vibe, with Richie singing about an exciting and memorable night in the city with his lady love. The lyric is vague but poetic, leaving the listener to fill in the details as the couple roams the boulevard, wild and free. A key line comes after the title when we learn they were "playing in the shadows," enjoying everything a city at night has to offer until the sun comes up.
When a young Richard Marx moved from Chicago to Los Angeles and was amassing rejection letters for his demos, Lionel Richie gave him a shot, and had him sing backup on this track. Before he hit it big as a solo artist, Marx lent his vocals to several other Richie recordings, including "All Night Long (All Night)."
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