Bass transcription: Lionel Richie – “All Night Long”

Following on from his success with Motown act Commodores (you can find a chart for “Easy” here), Lionel Richie’s solo career cemented his status as a global superstar. Richie’s second solo effort, Can’t Slow Down (1983), sold in excess of 20 million copies and gave us the hit single “All Night Long (All NIght)”:

Lionel Richie – “All Night Long (All Night)” bass transcription PDF

“All Night Long (All Night)” bass performance notes

• The chart is for the single version, which clocks in at 4’20”, as this is the version that I’ve always had to play on gigs.
• “All Night Long” uses the key signature of Db major, but it never hits the I chord, so some of you want might want to think about it being in Ab mixolydian.
• Abraham Laboriel’s bass part is pretty straightforward, although the Middle 8 section might need looking over so you don’t get caught off-guard by the change in meters.