10 Essential Richard Marx Songs

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Our Top 10 Richard Marx songs list looks at a veteran songwriter who wrote many hits for various artists and then celebrated a successful solo career. With one of the most successful debut albums in history, Richard Marx arrived on the music scene in 1987 with three consecutive top-10 singles and a number-one record. He would become an incredibly successful solo artist with a string of hit albums. In eight years between 1987 and 1995, he would score fourteen top 20 hits and three number one hit singles. Richard Marx was also so much more than a hit songwriter. The man is a super-talented multi-instrumentalist and superior vocalist. He has appeared on hundreds of recordings and has collaborated with many legendary musical artists, including Ringo Starr, Luther Vandross, Fee Waybill and The Tubes, Barbra Streisand, Chicago, Kenny Loggins, and so many more. The mark of Richard Marx is all over pop music of the past forty years. Here are 10 of our favorite Richard Marx Songs.

# 10 – Front Row Seat

You don’t have to go back to the 1980s because Richard Marx is still releasing great music in 2020. We open our top 10 Richard Marx songs list with a great new song from Richard Marxx’s most recent and spectacular album, Limitless. “Front Row Seat” was the fourth single released from the album. So many great songs are on the record, but we liked this one the most. Limitless was Richard Marx’s first studio album in six years.

# 9 – Satisfied

There are two sides to Richard Marx. There is the beautiful melodic slow ballad side. And of course, there is the Eagles style upbeat melodic rocker side. We tried to mix up this Richard Marx songs list with the best of both of those words. The song “Satisfied” defines the rocking side of Richard Marx. And it’s a great one. “Satisfied” was also a massive hit for Richard Marx. “Satisfied” was a number one record.

The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989. It was the second of three number one singles Richard Marx would celebrate during his spectacular solo recording career. The song was the first single from his 1989 sophomore album Repeat Offender.

# 8 – Hazard

Somewhere in between the rockers and the ballads were the mid-tempo gems. The song “Hazard” falls into that category. Richard Marx has always been a top-tier songwriter for other artists. The song “Hazard” defines the art of pop songwriting in so many ways. “Hazard” was released in 1992 on the album entitled Rush Street. The song was issued as the first single from the record. Once again, Richard Marx had a top 10 hit on his hands as the song hit number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the third album of four straight albums in a row to deliver top 10 hits. That’s impressive.

# 7 – Angelia

Continuing with our top 10 Richard Marx songs list, we become a fan favorite. This great mid-tempo classic was released on Richard Marx’s Repeat Offender record. The song was released as the third single from the album. It was the third single from the record to break the Billboard Hot 100. The song peaked at number four.

# 6 – Hold On To The Nights

The Richard Marx song “Hold Onto The Nights” would become the singer-songwriter’s first number-one record. The song was released on Richard Marx’s debut album entitled Richard Marx. It was the fourth single released from the record. This was a ballad that drove the girls crazy. While he had fans of all genders, the female audience became his most loyal followers.

# 5 – Now & Forever

As we venture into the top half of our top 10 Richard Marx songs list we turn to the classic Richard Marx song “Now & Forever.” The 80s unleashed a new set of songs that would replace many standards used for years in weddings. Songs by Joe Cocker, Carole King, The Bangles and so many more would become first dance classics. Richard Marx added to that mix with the song “Now & Forever.” Richard Marx stated it was a love song written for his wife, actress Cynthia Rhodes.

# 4 – Endless Summer Nights

“Endless Summer Nights” was the third single released from Richard Marx’s debut album. It was also the song Richard Marx used as a demo to get a record deal. An experience in which he was turned down multiple times. I would have loved to see the faces of those record executives as they watched Richard Marx’s debut album eventually go triple platinum and become one of the most successful and biggest-selling albums of all time.

# 3 – Should’ve Known Better

It’s amazing how many top 10 singles Richard Marx has released throughout his career. We wanted to remind everyone of how many he had by including many of them on this top 10 Richard Marx songs list. However, his albums are also filled with brilliantly well-written songs that should not be ignored. We highly recommend that you check out the rest of his catalog.

At number three on this top 10 Richard Marx songs list, we present the great song “Should’ve Known Better.” The song was released on his self-titled debut album in 1987. It served as the follow-up single to “Don’t Mean Nothing.” The song “Should’ve Known Better, was just as successful as his debut single, as both songs peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 2 – Right Here Waiting

If there’s one memorable piano riff from the 80s that you can’t forget, it would be Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting.” Along with Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It Is” and Don Henley’s “End Of The Innocence”(also played by Hornsby), “Right Here Waiting” defined the adult contemporary sound of the 80s that crossed over big time onto the pop charts.

# 1 – Don’t Mean Nothing

We close out our Top 10 Richard Marx Songs list with the songwriter’s first big hit, “Don’t Mean Nothing.” With Joe Walsh’s brilliant guitar playing on the song, and with a killer hook, the song was destined to be a big hit. And it was! Richard Marx’s debut single, which turned him instantly into a household name, went straight up the Billboard charts, peaking at number three.

Complete List Of Richard Marx Albums And Discography

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