Richie was not dating Cher at the time. We All Sleep Alone was recorded in 1987. Richie and Cher did not start dating until 1989. Richie didn't even meet Cher until they worked on that CD together.

Jon and Richie were brought into Cher's "comeback" recording because of Desmond Child's being one of the most popular songwriters of the time. He was brought in and his relationship with Bon Jovi brought them in. Cher had also met Jon previously when he worked at the Powerstation and felt comfortable working with him. Since Desmond, Jon and Richie had had some success with songwriting, they were considered a hot new trio of writers. The Bon Jovi band played on We All Sleep Alone, I Found Someone, and Bang Bang for that CD. Jon sang every word of We All Sleep Alone with her as a producer and Cher mimicked his singing style.

Richie's saying he wrote that for a friend of his really makes it out to be more than it was since he'd never even met the woman prior to writing the song WITH Jon and Desmond.

Becky