[6] The song lyrics were written primarily in English, but Richie has admitted in at least one press interview that "African" lyrics in the song, such as "Tam bo li de say de moi ya" and "Jambo jumbo", were in fact gibberish.

He told GQ that he kept repeating, "come on and sing along" over and over to no avail:[9] Now I have this song, 'Well, my friends the time has come to raise the roof and have some fun,' that's great.

Got it.Cash Box summed up its review of the single saying "Richie's command of these diverse musical elements and shifts in melodic direction is as impressive as it is pleasurable.

[12][13] Richie performed the song at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Personnel as listed in the album's liner notes are:[53] Chant vocals Hoopa hollers Production Richie recorded a new version of the song with Australian singer Guy Sebastian in 2011.

[55] The re-recorded version was produced by RedOne[55] and was released to iTunes Stores in Australia and New Zealand on 18 and 16 March, respectively.

[59] In 2018, English singer, arranger, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier collaborated with Take 6 and the Metropole Orkest on a version of "All Night Long".

In 2019, Swedish singer Benjamin Ingrosso recorded a version at the Spotify studios, Stockholm.