{"id":1574222,"date":"2026-01-15T15:47:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/?p=1574222"},"modified":"2026-01-15T15:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:47:08","slug":"richard-marx-interview-new-album-after-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/richard-marx-interview-new-album-after-hours\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Marx Interview: New Album, \u2018After Hours\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tRichard Marx<\/a> is nearing the 40th anniversary of first appearing on, and topping, Billboard<\/em> charts as a lead recording artist. His initial entry, \u201cDon\u2019t Mean Nothing,\u201d debuted on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart on May 23, 1987, and led the list dated that July 4. In 1988, \u201cHold on to the Nights\u201d became his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and he led again with his next two hits: \u201cSatisfied and \u201cRight Here Waiting,\u201d in 1989.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor his latest album, he went back 40 years before his chart career began.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI pretended it was 1948 and I was a young songwriter pitching a song to Sinatra,\u201d Marx tells Billboard<\/em> of his mindset behind creating After Hours<\/em>, due tomorrow (Jan. 16).<\/p>\n

\n\tWith a catalog centered on pop ballads and, especially early on, crunchy rock anthems, before segueing to pop-opera (Marx wrote Josh Groban\u2019s debut hit, \u201cTo Where You Are\u201d), R&B (he and Luther Vandross co-wrote the latter\u2019s Grammy-winning \u201cDance With My Father\u201d) and country (he has co-penned three Hot Country Songs No. 1s, one recorded by Kenny Rogers in the mid-\u201980s and two by Keith Urban in the 2010s), Marx channels the American songbook on his new set. The 13-song collection blends covers of such classics as \u201cSummer Wind,\u201d \u201cThe Way You Look Tonight\u201d and \u201cYoung at Heart\u201d with originals in the same stately vein.<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, After Hours<\/em> tracks such as tango invite \u201cMagic Hour\u201d \u2014 which Marx co-wrote with wife Daisy Fuentes \u2014 pulsate with jazzy flair, adding tempo to the album\u2019s overall sultry vibe.<\/p>\n

\n\tMarx \u2014 whose first visit to the Hot 100\u2019s top spot was via backing vocals on mentor Lionel Richie\u2019s 1983 smash \u201cAll Night Long (All Night)\u201d (\u201cThat\u2019s me!,\u201d he playfully points out in concert when singing the response to Richie\u2019s call in the song\u2019s hook) \u2014 recently chatted with Billboard<\/em> about the new album, recording it live with a full band and what the \u201880s version of himself would think of his latest inventive turn.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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\t\t\t\t\tRichard Marx<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBrandon Marx<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tBillboard<\/em>: How did the idea for the new album originate? I know you\u2019ve been performing \u201cFly Me to the Moon,\u201d the closing song on the set, in concert for a few years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMarx: That was probably the brainchild. I sort of reinvented it for myself and wrote [an] intro so that when I would do it live, no one knew what song I was doing until I got to the first line. I got so many standing ovations for that song, and it\u2019s really fun to sing.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut I guess the reason that it didn\u2019t translate into an album sooner was because the idea of doing a standards album never appealed to me because I\u2019m a songwriter. So, even though I love to sing, and love to sing those songs, I [couldn\u2019t] imagine doing a covers album of any genre, because that [was] just not that interesting to me. And, I just frankly wasn\u2019t smart enough to come up with the idea to write half the album until a year and a half ago.<\/p>\n

\n\tMonths before I started even thinking about making After Hours<\/em>, I was in the studio recording a handful of songs I\u2019d written that really were more like tributes to \u201870s rock. I decided I wanted to make a genre record that sounded like it could have been in 1977. So I had my Stones song, my J.D. Souther song, my Eagles song, and I really was into that project. And then this thing just sidetracked me.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was an aesthetic thing, too. I pictured myself getting dressed up and what that would look like and how that would maybe open up different kinds of gigs. And then I decided, well, let me see what happens as a writer. Like, if I can\u2019t really come up with the goods as a songwriter on the other half of the album, then it\u2019s pointless.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd any new compositions would have to match the quality of timeless songs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s a tall order. The first song I wrote was \u201cAll I Ever Needed,\u201d which is track two of the record. I wrote it so quickly and effortlessly. And when I realized what the chord changes I was writing in my head were, I pretended it was 1948 and I was a young songwriter pitching a song to Sinatra. And then I wrote \u201cMagic Hour.\u201d I was like, \u201cOkay, this makes sense now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/figure>\n

\n\tWhat I didn\u2019t think of until maybe weeks later was, \u201cOh, I have to do this whole album live. We have to cut this live. This can\u2019t be a computer project.\u201d So I thought about different arrangers because I do love to arrange, but I\u2019m not that guy. I did the arrangement on \u201cFly Me to the Moon,\u201d but that was it. I had worked a couple of years ago with Rob Eckland, the main arranger\/conductor for the BBC [Symphony] Orchestra. And I did a show for the BBC called Piano Room<\/em>, three or four songs and Rob did the charts. He was so incredible \u2014 I just love when I run into people that are just so exceptional at what they do.<\/p>\n

\n\tI reached out to Rob and I told him what I was doing. And he said, \u201cThat\u2019s so right up my alley. I would love to do this with you. Why don\u2019t I do one arrangement? I\u2019ll mock it up for you, and if you like it then I\u2019d love to do the whole project.\u201d The first thing he did was \u201cAll I Ever Needed,\u201d and I was like, \u201cOkay, we\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, then we booked three afternoons at Evergreen [Studios]<\/a> in Burbank [Calif., in February 2025<\/em>], because we needed a room big enough to house 28 people. I got [drummer] Vinnie Colaiuta, [guitarist] Dean Parks, and Randy Waldman played piano. It was my dream rhythm section. And then the idea was: \u201cI have to sing live with everybody, because that\u2019s what Sinatra used to do.\u201d That\u2019s what Dean [Martin] did. All those records back then, Peggy Lee, Julie London, Ella [Fitzgerald], Sarah Vaughan, the singers would go in and sing each take live, beginning to end. I thought, \u201cOkay, that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d And I dressed up every session.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was the most fun record I\u2019ve ever made in my life. I just was on pins and needles every day, and so many of these musicians said, \u201cWe never get to do this, to be all together and play and have it all be live and you singing\u00a0 \u2014 this was such a joy for us. Please, let\u2019s do another one and let\u2019s go on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI was like, \u201cIf I could afford you, I\u2019d take you on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHow refreshing to hear that you wanted to do this as organically as you could.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m not a grumpy old man when it comes to AI. I did this record this way, even with that technology in existence, because I don\u2019t think that there are very many people that can say that they did. I\u2019m very proud of the fact that I chose the right musicians and that I am at a point in my vocal career where I could pull it off. So, it\u2019s really just bragging rights. It\u2019s so worth it.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Richard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tRichard Marx<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChristine Johnson<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tDid you ever meet Frank Sinatra?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tNo. I saw him live once, though, right before he retired. I guess it would\u2019ve been 1983 or \u201884. I was so into other kinds of music. I never didn\u2019t respect Sinatra, and my parents certainly were fans, and I heard plenty of Sinatra growing up, but he didn\u2019t become important to me until later in my life.<\/p>\n

\n\tSame with Dean, and Sammy Davis Jr. \u2014 although I did see [him] when I was a kid, and he blew my mind. Same with Tony Bennett, when I was about 14. But I didn\u2019t get into that music until I was in my 40s, really.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat was it like recording \u201cYoung at Heart\u201d with Rod Stewart? Was that a lifetime dream come true?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAbsolutely. For those people who say never meet your heroes, they clearly never met Rod Stewart [with whom Marx has toured, with more dates set<\/a><\/em>]. We\u2019ve become really good friends the last, almost three years. It was his idea to do a duet on this album with me. We were drinking at the time, so I thought, \u201cno \u2026\u201d The next day, he texted me and said, \u201cI was serious about doing a song together.\u201d I was, like, \u201cReally?\u201d He said, \u201cI was thinking maybe we should do \u2018Young at Heart.\u2019 \u201d I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRod, Chris Botti and Kenny G are the only non-live parts of the record because they were overdubs on these tracks. His vocal is so incredible. To be able to cross that one off my bucket list means I have to have a new bucket list now, because the only thing left on my bucket list was working with Rod Stewart.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the era of streaming, standards are so accessible, when before you had to listen on, maybe, 78s. Now, it\u2019s more just another style that people can do.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s also the groundwork laid by Rod, his The Great American Songbook<\/em> albums [in 2002-10], the entire career of Michael Bubl\u00e9. I would say Michael and Rod, and to a degree, Diana Krall, really are the most responsible for making it part of modern pop music, even though they\u2019re very old songs. So I certainly tip my hat to them.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd I think that the other reason that I made this record was because the first thought in my brain was, \u201cThis has been done.\u201d Then the second thought was, \u201cBut when\u2019s the last time? Oh, it\u2019s been a while. Maybe it\u2019s time.\u201d I\u2019m very proud to throw my hat in this ring.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat would younger Richard Marx think about this album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDude, what the **** are you doing?! You\u2019re \u2018Don\u2019t Mean Nothing,\u2019 man! You can\u2019t do this. I mean, yeah, those songs are great, but you can\u2019t do that. What is wrong with you? What am I, 100 years old?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI was just so dumb, just like every other 20-something.<\/p>\n

\n\tI feel like your father would be really proud of this album, given the arranging background that he had.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019d be very proud of it \u2026 unless he were still alive and I used Rob Eckland to do the arrangements. He would never speak to me again.<\/p>\n

\n\tMy dad<\/a> did quite a few arrangements for me [including the sweeping coda on 1990\u2019s top 15 Hot 100 hit \u201cChildren of the Night\u201d<\/em>], and he was masterful. He was an incredible arranger, especially with horns and strings. I\u2019ve thought about that many times. He would have done the arrangements. He would have been sitting in the control room. He would have been giving me the big thumbs up. And both<\/a> my parents would have really loved this record.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe \u201870s-themed album you were talking about, is that what could come next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tProbably, who knows? I honestly don\u2019t know about another album past this one. I never say never, and it\u2019s possible that I might look at how [After Hours<\/em>] goes and say, \u201cI want to do another one of these,\u201d another half-standard, half[-new] song set, because I really loved writing these songs.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere were a couple of opportunities missed because I only came up with the ideas too late. I really wanted to write a song with Paul Williams<\/a>. And the other Paul I want to write another song<\/a> with is Anka. He and I are great friends. When he realized what I was doing with this record, he was like, \u201cWhy the **** didn\u2019t you have me write a song with you?\u201d I was like, \u201cIt just happened. But I\u2019m going to do more and I want to write a song with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, just the opportunity to work with people like that again might be a good excuse to do another album like this. The \u201870s thing, I really love what I recorded in that genre, so maybe it\u2019ll be the palate cleanser in between the standards records. It might just be a series of [song] releases.<\/p>\n

\n\tHopefully if there\u2019s an artist that listeners have grown up with and have always looked to for a new album every few years, a collection of songs, fans will still want that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI believe that that\u2019s true, which is why we\u2019ve pressed [After Hours<\/em>] vinyl and have CDs. If you\u2019ve been around long enough and you have fans who are even older than you, which I do, that takes on a different set of possibilities.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re touring again with Rod Stewart this year. Will you play any of these songs in concert?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve done \u201cMagic Hour\u201d two or three times now, at a couple of gigs and we used tracks. So, you hear the horns. That took me a while to wrap my brain around, because I was so anti-tracks for a while. And then I\u2019m looking around and U2\u2019s doing it and Coldplay\u2019s doing it and everybody\u2019s doing it. The audience doesn\u2019t care. The audience isn\u2019t going, \u201cHey, I\u2019m hearing horns and I\u2019m not seeing them. I want my money back.\u201d Those days are long gone.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, there\u2019s a little bit in the show that I did the last few months. The video screen opens with this old clip of Dean Martin saying something very funny, which is: \u201cI feel sorry for you people who don\u2019t drink. When you wake up in the morning, that\u2019s as good as you\u2019re going to feel all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd then we kick into \u201cMagic Hour\u201d and, I\u2019m not [kidding] you, it got as big a reaction as \u201cHold On to the Nights\u201d and \u201cRight Here Waiting.\u201d People were up and dancing. It\u2019s such a fun song to do.<\/p>\n

\n

\n\tThe first time I heard that song, I actually thought it was a standard. It\u2019s really catchy. It also reminded me of something that, like, Ricky Ricardo would have done.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tI just knew that there was something. I couldn\u2019t get it out of my head. But I couldn\u2019t come up with a lyric at all. It was really hiding from me. Then I went to Australia to do a tour. Daisy and I had a couple of days off from the tour and we were on a beach. I\u2019m just sort of absent-mindedly sitting there [singing]. She looks at me and goes, \u201cAre you kidding me? You still haven\u2019t written lyrics for that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe just started throwing out lines. It was her lyric, it was her concept. She was like, \u201cYou walked in the door with someone\u2026 It wasn\u2019t me.\u201d And I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s cool. We can write a story about that, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt sort of became like \u201cCopacabana\u201d<\/a> meets \u2026 whatever. It became a really fun lyric to write. We wrote the whole lyric on the beach in an hour. I just needed my wife to make it happen.<\/p>\n


\n \"Billboard
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.billboard.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 O artigo anterior foi obtido e traduzido do site internacional da celebrity.land \u2019 Source Link <\/em><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Richard Marx is nearing the 40th anniversary of first appearing on, and topping, Billboard charts as a lead recording artist. His initial entry, \u201cDon\u2019t Mean Nothing,\u201d debuted on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart on May 23, 1987, and led the list dated that July 4. In 1988, \u201cHold on to the Nights\u201d became his first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1574223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1574222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-musica"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1574222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1574224,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574222\/revisions\/1574224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1574223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1574222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1574222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1574222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}