4 Luther Vandross R&B Classics From the 1980s That We Can’t Stop Singing

Luther Vandross, the velvet-voiced crooner and longing balladeer, will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. Considered one of the greatest soul singers in history, Vandross won eight GRAMMY Awards in his lifetime.

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Before he redefined R&B music in the 1980s with a bittersweet tenor and pop crossover appeal, Vandross was an in-demand backing vocalist, arranger, and songwriter. The New York-born singer landed a major break when, in 1974, David Bowie based his Young Americans track “Fascination” on the Vandross-penned “Funky Music (Is A Part Of Me)”. He closed the decade by performing with a range of groups before finally launching a solo career in 1981, releasing Never Too Much on Epic Records.

From his beginnings at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to solo superstardom and iconic duets with Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, Vandross left behind an enduring catalog of hits that shaped generations of pop, soul, and R&B.

“Never Too Much”

“You must have known that I had feelings deep enough to swim in / That’s when you opened up your heart, and you told me to come in,” Vandross sings here. His debut single as a solo artist landed in 1981 and topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Written and produced by Vandross, “Never Too Much” also climbed the Dance Club Songs chart, becoming an 80s touchstone in R&B’s post-disco chapter.

“Any Love”

The title track to Vandross’s sixth studio LP finds the singer desperate for a romantic partner. “In a lot of ways, you’re a lucky guy,” he sings, attempting to convince himself of the options before him. However, you get the sense he’s losing hope. His mood feels desperate, anxious, and the more he continues the soliloquy, the more earnest he becomes. Yet the hook sounds like a universal anthem. He’s not alone in his loneliness. It may not fill the romantic void, but collective solitude is something, anything.

“Promise Me”

“Promise Me” begins with a dramatic groove, buoyed by Marcus Miller’s staccato bass. For the hook, the track shifts into a weeping, dense orchestral ballad, featuring Vandross’s melancholy croon. Echoing Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, the pleading tune appears on Forever, For Always, For Love, his second studio LP. Moreover, this masterpiece jam helped inspire future R&B legends like D’Angelo, John Legend, and Usher, to name a few.

“If This World Were Mine” with Cheryl Lynn

This slow-burning duet updates a classic first recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Written by Gaye, “If This World Were Mine” appears on Gaye and Terrell’s 1697 release, United. Fifteen years later, it arrived as the second single from Cheryl Lynn’s Vandross-produced album, Instant Love. In the R&B hit, Vandross sings, “I’d give you the flowers, the birds, and the bees,” in a kind of adult lullaby. For her part, Lynn promises sunny days and, if he wants it, the moonlight, too.

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