Hello

As promised a few days back, here again is Lionel Richie. Basically, the entire album Can’t Slow Down is amazing and classic, but for the sake of narrowing as much as I can, I will talk about my favorite Lionel song, Hello, with honorable mention to the jaunty All Night Long. All Night Long is really just such a happy song. It reminds me of my high school savior Maria (a common person to whom music usually pulls me back), and our Friday nights watching videos and having sleep-overs. It was during those moments with Maria that I began to find courage and confidence, and when I hear this song I am reminded of her friendship and support. But the real song here is Hello. The epitome of eighties mush, with one of the most terrible videos to go with, it’s about yearning for someone who sees you but doesn’t really see you. And at the very young age of 17 (I was much younger in mind than most at that age), as I was finally away from my parents at college in Scranton, I began to experience things I could only imagine in my small bedroom at home. Here I was with athletic young men in a dorm that smelled like a gym locker room: open doors, loud music, ample cologne to cover up the stank. But there was one boy, one very special boy… for privacy purposes, let’s call him Josh. He was from New Jersey and was incredibly popular. His room was at the farthest end of our floor so he had to walk past our room at least 4 times a day. At first it was just a “hey buddy,” until he learned my name, and then it was, “Hey, Nicky-Nick!” The only of the athletic guys to even acknowledge me, let alone call me a silly nickname. I was done. Cooked. Finito. His smile, his shoulders, that hair, the dimple on his chin. Jesus Christ. Now, play Hello by Lionel Richie on repeat. So many times your roommate actually threatens to smother you with your pillow as you sleep. So many times you forget the words to the song and only hear the melody when “Josh” walks past your door, all shirtless with a football and an open Rolling Rock. I think it was the first time I ever understood the meaning of the word 'unrequited'.