My Ten Favorite Richard Marx Songs

Richard Marx has been singing since the age of 5. He started singing commercial jingles written by his father, Dick. When Marx was 17, a tape of his songs landed in the hands of Lionel Richie, who offered to help Marx.

After graduating high school, Marx moved to Los Angeles and began working with Lionel Richie. When Richie recorded his first solo album, Marx began singing back-up for him. Later, he began singing back-up vocals for other artists, such as Madonna, Whitney Houston and Kenny Rogers.

When Rogers was looking for a new song, Marx provided a demo of a song he wrote called "Crazy", which Rogers recorded. Marx then began writing songs for other artists, and was discovered by producer David Foster in 1984.

Marx continued to pursue a record deal of his own, and was offered a record deal in the mid '80s. His first album was released in June 1987. He has since recorded seven more records, the latest of which was released in 2004. In 1997, a greatest hits album was released that included fifteen songs from his first five albums, and a new song he wrote for his sons called "Angel's Lullaby".

Marx gave "Angel's Lullaby" to the Pediatric AIDS foundation for use on an album called "For Our Children, Too." When the song was released, Marx said it was the most important song he has written so far. I love the song because it is about the love for children. Listening to the song, you can see how much love Marx has for his sons.

My favorite Richard Marx song, which is on the Greatest Hits album, is "Endless Summer Nights." I have always been a romantic, and love summer love stories. "Endless Summer Nights" is about remembering a summer love after the summer is over and the lovers are apart. For Marx, this song was about facing rejection and not giving up. The song was rejected by every record company in 1985 and 1986. It was finally released on Marx's first album in 1987, and was the number two song in the nation in 1988.

Most, if not all, of Marx's songs have a message in them. The messages in Marx's songs are what make them so special and significant to me. There are three songs I can think of that spoke volumes to me with the stories they told.

"Children of the Night" was released on Marx's second album, "Repeat Offender," in 1989. Marx interviewed runaway children who found sanctuary at the Children of the Night Foundation in Los Angeles. Most of these children were abused. The song is significant for all of our lost children who have been abused or neglected. For Marx, the song was even more special because his father played the horn arrangement in the song. It was the first song that his father worked on.

"Angelia" is another song that tells a story. It was also released on the "Repeat Offender" album, and is one of Marx's favorite recordings. The song is about a lost love, and remembering that love while mourning the loss of it. I think almost everyone knows the heartache of losing a great love.

My favorite song of Marx's that tells a story is "Hazard." It is a haunting song about a misunderstood boy living in Hazard, Nebraska. Only one person, Mary, was able to see inside his heart and soul and embrace him. But Mary mysteriously disappeared without a trace one day. The townsfolk turned to the boy and blamed him for Mary's disappearance. With the mystery and loss of the only person who ever understood him, the boy finally leaves Hazard, and is all alone yet again. The most surprising aspect of the song is that Marx did not intend to release it until his wife threatened to publicly pants him if he didn't. It was released in 1991 on the album "Rush Street."

But telling stories is not the only reason I love Marx's songs. Another aspect of his songs is showing relationships between people. Most of these songs, such as "Now and Forever," show the love between two people.

Released on the "Paid Vacation" album in 1994, "Now and Forever" was the first song Marx wrote for his wife since they were married and had their sons. Marx says it is one of the few positive love songs he has written, and one centered by hopefulness. It talks about how love can help make sense of all the madness that happens in our world.

Another of Marx's songs that talks about how much love can affect how we see the world is "The Way She Loves Me." Also released on "Paid Vacation," this song is a fun, upbeat tune that shows how we should celebrate the love in our lives by shouting it to the world, not hiding it. Marx enjoyed recording this song because he got to work with Luthor Vandross and Lionel Richie, who sang background vocals on the song. As he says in his "Greatest Hits" album, "can you imagine how cool it is for a white boy from Chicago to stand between Luthor Vandrose and Lionel Richie, and SING?!" I love that quote, and I think it represents the fun, upside personality of Marx perfectly. The song is great to listen to, with all three of their voices blending together in an awesome melody.

Marx's first number one song is "Hold On To the Nights," released on his first album in 1987. The first release of this song was the live version, which shows Marx's incredible range. The video is what introduced me to Marx, and I have been a fan ever since.

One of my favorite upbeat songs of Marx's is "Take This Heart," released in 1991 on the "Rush Street" album. In the song, a man is telling the woman he loves, whose heart was just broken, that he is here for her, he loves her and he will never leave her. For anyone who is looking for comfort after having their heart broken, this song will remind you that someone is out there waiting to love you. But it's not just the meaning of the song that I love. It's the music, the words and Marx's voice. Listening to it makes me feel happy inside. Marx says the song always makes him smile.

Marx also sings about family relationships. One of the most significant songs about his family is "Saying Goodbye to Hollywood." Released on "Paid Vacation," it tells of Marx and his wife moving their family away from the craziness of Los Angeles to his hometown of Chicago. To me, it proves Marx is a down-to-earth person who is trying to do what is best for his family while still working on his career.

There are many more songs by Richard Marx that I love to listen too, but I think these ten show the range of his music, as well as tell you who he is. To learn more, visit his website, http://www.richardmarx.com/frameset.html. Here, you can read the significance and meaning all of his songs have to him.