Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois) is a singe… Read Full Bio ↴Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois) is a singer-songwriter best known for his adult contemporary music. He had a string of successful hit singles in the late 80s and early 90s such as "Right Here Waiting," "Hazard," and "Hold on to the Nights." Although most of his successful songs are slow ballads like these, many of his songs have an upbeat, classic rock style, examples being "Don't Mean Nothing," "Should've Known Better," "Satisfied," and "Wait for the Sunrise". Marx placed himself in the record books by being the first solo artist to have his first seven singles hit the top 5 on the U.S. top singles charts.

Marx was born to Dick and Ruth Marx. Marx grew up in a mixed faith household where father was Jewish and his mother was a Christian. His father was a jingle writer for commercials for popular products such as 'Chicken of the Sea', which is where Marx got his start writing at the tender age of five. His father also was talented jazz musician, well-known in the Chicago area.

At the age of 17, Marx created a demo to showcase his talents, which landed in the hands of soul artist Lionel Richie. Richie invited Marx to Hollywood saying, "I can't promise you anything, but you should come to L.A." Marx would eventually appear as a background singer in Richie's songs "You Are" and "Running With The Night" as well as on Richie's follow-up album, which included the smash hit "All Night Long".

*Richard Marx*
Marx's first album, a self-titled work, went multi-platinum, selling nearly 4 million copies. He also earned his first #1 single, "Hold on to the nights", which he told Songfacts.com was inspired by a friend who had the dilemma of having met the love of his life when both the friend and the girl in question were already in relationships. He also had several other top five hits including "Don’t Mean Nothing" (#3), "Should've Known Better" (#3) and "Endless Summer Nights" (#2). He later revealed in an interview on 'VH-1 Classic' that his favorite song that he performed from his first album was "Have Mercy."

*Repeat Offender*
Repeat Offender eventually moved into the #1 spot and gave Marx two more #1 hit singles.

*Rush Street*
Rush Street's "Hazard" (#1), which depicted a man's rejection in a fictional version of Hazard, Nebraska. He released Paid Vacation in 1994, Flesh & Bone in 1997, Days in Avalon in 2000 and My Own Best Enemy in 2004.

Richard Marx also sang with Donna Lewis, best known for her hit "I Love You Always Forever", on the track "At the Beginning" of the Anastasia soundtrack. He has sung background vocals for Madonna in her True Blue album.

He has served as a writer/producer for an extensive list of other recording artists, including Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand, Keith Urban, 98 Degrees, Kenny Loggins, Emerson Drive, Luther Vandross, Michael Bolton, *NSYNC, Olivia Newton-John, Sarah Brightman, SheDaisy, John Farnham and Vince Gill.

Marx has been married to Cynthia Rhodes, who starred in the 1987 blockbuster Dirty Dancing and is a former lead singer for 80s pop band Animotion, since 1989. The couple has three sons: Brandon, Lucas, and Jesse. Brandon is the eldest followed by Lucas then Jesse.

One of Marx's most recent works is a song titled "Remember When", composed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Performed by LeAnn Rimes, the song may be heard on the park's official 50th Anniversary album, as well as selected times in the park.

Angelia
Richard Marx Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Memories of you and me
Tumble inside my head
The way that we used to be
Things that we said

No one has ever made me believe so strong
You left me to wonder
How did our love go wrong

Angelia
Where you running to now
Angelia
Got to make you turn around

I lie awake at night
Wait for the sun to shine
I still feel you next to me
Your lips on mine

Without a warning
You made our love a lie
You said you were sorry
But you never told me why

Angelia
Where you running to now
Angelia
Got to make you turn around

Maybe my love is in vain
Maybe you're the hurting kind
Can't take no more of this pain
I've got to get you off my mind

Tried to be what you wanted
I gave you all I had
You left me with nothing
Nothing but a photograph

Angelia
Where you running to now
Angelia
Won't you please turn around
Angelia
Where you running to now

Angelia
Where you running to now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Richard Marx's song Angelia convey a heartbroken individual who is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the love they once shared with their partner is now a distant memory. The memories of their time together continue to haunt the singer, leaving them tossing and turning at night as they try to come to grips with what went wrong. The lyrics suggest that the singer is grappling with a sense of abandonment, feeling lost and unsure of where to turn to next. They are stuck in a painful cycle, unable to move on from a relationship that they thought would last forever.

The chorus of the song, "Angelia, where you running to now? Got to make you turn around," speaks to the singer's yearning to reconnect with their former lover. The name "Angelia" is symbolic of the person the singer once was, before they became so consumed with pain and longing. The chorus is an appeal to this lost love, begging them to turn back and come home to the singer.

Overall, the lyrics to Angelia are a reflection of the emotional toll that a failed relationship can have on a person. It is a song about deeply-rooted love, loss, and the desperate need for closure. The lyrics are a reminder that love can be a fickle thing, and even the strongest connections can be broken by time and circumstance.

Line by Line Meaning

Memories of you and me
Recollections of our past together

Tumble inside my head
Churn around in my mind

The way that we used to be
The state we were in when we were together

Things that we said
Words we spoke to each other

No one has ever made me believe so strong
No one has ever made me feel as deeply as you did

You left me to wonder
You caused me to speculate

How did our love go wrong
What went awry in our love?

Angelia
Directly addressing a person named Angelia

Where you running to now
Where are you rushing off to these days?

Got to make you turn around
I have to make you change direction

I lie awake at night
I remain sleepless all night