Jimmy Fallon and Lionel Richie Parody Singer's 1984 "Hello" Video: Watch the Hilarious Skit Read mo

Why hello there! Jimmy Fallon and Lionel Richie had a tough time keeping straight faces on the Friday, Sept. 18 episode of The Tonight Show, wherein Fallon paid tribute to Lionel Richie’s memorable music video for his 1984 hit “Hello.” For the sketch, Fallon, who turned 41 on Saturday, played Richie, 66, with a curly-haired wig, oversized dress shirt, and artist’s smock. The original music video featured Richie as a theater teacher falling in love with his blind student. Only later on does he discover (spoiler alert!) that the student is, in fact, in love with him too — as demonstrated by the bust she is sculpting in his likeness. PHOTOS: Jimmy Fallon's best talk show games On Friday, Fallon-as-Lionel and the actual multi-platinum artist switched off singing the haunting melody. At times, Fallon would walk to gaze out the window, while Richie’s head, planted on a table in place of the clay bust, began to sing. Credit: Courtesy NBC Impressively, neither man broke character — that is, until Fallon came to stand behind Richie’s head and the singer had to close his eyes to keep from cracking up. Richie famously complained that the actual bust in the original music video looked nothing like him, and the jokes surrounding the video have lingered since then. PHOTOS: Best dressed TV show hosts “I get to the video shoot and there’s this God-awful looking clay model of my head,” he told Rolling Stone in May 2014. “I said, ‘Bob [Girardi, the video’s director], this doesn’t look like me.’ He said, 'OK, we'll do the scene and we'll talk about this later, Lionel.' We get to scene two and I said, 'Bob, I see the bust here. It doesn't look like me.' He says, 'Scene two, now we're getting closer.' It happens again with scene three and then finally we're getting right to shoot the scene where I discover that she's done it. I say, 'Bob, it doesn't look like me.' And he looks at me and says, 'Lionel, she's blind!' And I said, 'OK, I get it.'" Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics, and more delivered straight to your inbox! Email More Jimmy Fallon's Most Hilarious Talk Show Games » Talk Show Controversies and Feuds: The Biggest Ever » « Previous Arnold Schwarzenegger Wakes Son Patrick for an Ear ... Next » Kylie Jenner Sends Jessica Alba Gorgeous Flowers A ... FROM AROUND THE WEB POWERED BY ZERGNET Top Stories Allison Williams Posts Stunning Wedding Day Photo: See Her Dress! » Kate Pops in Cobalt Coat, Can't Keep Her Eyes Off of William: Cute Pics! » Sorry! Kylie Jenner Sends Jessica Alba Flowers in Apology: Details » EXCLUSIVE Allison Williams Marries Ricky Van Veen in Star-Studded Wedding: Details » Jessica Simpson Slurs, Seems Dizzy During HSN Appearance: Watch! »