Lionel Richie - You Are (Christian Wheel Remix)
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Before his solo career took off, Lionel Richie already had found success as lead singer of The Commodores, and had several hits under his belt.
When he worked on "You Are," he got the help from his then wife, Brenda, who shares a co-writer credit on the track. Richard Marx also sang background vocals on this track early in his career.
For my remix, I wanted to bring "You Are" closer to an 80s synth-pop dance record while keeping the spirit of the original intact. The original shifts between ballad-style sections and midtempo pop, which gives it a lot of musical character, but it is a bit low-energy for a DJ set that needs forward momentum on a dance floor.
I raised the tempo from 112 to 121 BPM and built the remix around synths, drums, and instrumentation that still feel authentic to the early 80s.
Lionel's vocal arrangement is lush, and the melody does a lot of the emotional work, so I treated those pieces as the center of the remix. The added rhythm gives DJs more drive to work with, while the song still feels like "You Are" rather than a completely rebuilt club track.
This version is aimed at DJs who love the record but need it to hold the room a little more firmly. It keeps the romance, adds some polish, and gives the track a stronger dance-floor pulse.
Play the remix below.
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