"Never Too Much"
Side-A label of the U.S. 1981 single
Single by Luther Vandross
from the album Never Too Much
B-side"You Stopped Loving Me"
ReleasedOctober 1981
RecordedJuly 21, 1981
GenreR&B[1]
Length3:50
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Luther Vandross
Producer(s)Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross singles chronology
"Never Too Much"
(1981) 		"Don't You Know That?"
(1981)
Music video
"Never Too Much" on YouTube

"Never Too Much" is the debut song written, composed, produced, and performed by Luther Vandross. The R&B song was released in 1981, as the lead single from Vandross's debut album of the same name. The title track hit number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reached number four on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, and peaked at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[2]

The album (Vandross' first as a solo artist) was very popular, especially with Black Radio and R&B Charts. It received several accolades, including two Grammy Award nominations in 1982—"Best New Artist" and "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male".[3][4][5] A remixed version of the song reached number 13 on the UK singles chart in November 1989.[6]

The single is also included on his later album The Ultimate Luther Vandross, which was released in 2001. The single was released alongside a music video in which he is shown singing in a recording studio.

"Never Too Much" was ranked number 466 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in September 2021.[7]

Track listings

U.S. 1981 7" single
  1. "Never Too Much" – 3:50
  2. "You Stopped Loving Me" – 4:59
UK 1981 7" single
  1. "Never Too Much" – 3:50
  2. "Don't You Know That?" – 4:04
UK 1981 12" single
  1. "Never Too Much" (Extended Version) – 5:38
  2. "Sugar and Spice (I Found Me a Girl)" – 4:57
  3. "Don't You Know That?" – 4:04
UK 1989 7" single
  1. "Never Too Much" (Remix '89 by Justin Strauss) – 4:02
  2. "The Glow of Love" – 6:10
UK 1989 12" single
  1. "Never Too Much" (Extended Remix '89 by Justin Strauss) – 6:42
  2. "Never Too Much" (Original Remix '81 a.k.a. Extended Version) – 5:38
  3. "The Glow of Love" – 6:10
UK 1989 alternative 12" single
  1. "Never Too Much" (Ben Liebrand Mix) – 7:30
  2. "Never Too Much" (Alternate Vocal Mix '89 by Justin Strauss) – 6:49
  3. "Never Too Much" (Original 7" Version) – 3:50

Charts

Chart (1981–1989) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 18
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 47
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 13
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 33
US Billboard Dance Club Songs[12] 4
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[13] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Samples and cover versions

Samples

Cover versions

In film, television, and video games

References

  1. ^ Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2024. The joyous, club-wrecking R&B single that put Vandross, a gifted session singer with a slew of A-list credits, on the map...
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2010 (13th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 934. ISBN 978-0-89820-190-1.
  3. ^ "Luther Vandross - Grammy Award". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-12-02. 24th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Nominations - Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Never Too Much (Album) - Best New Artist - Luther Vandross
  4. ^ "24th Annual Grammy Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 2023-12-02. 24th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Best New Artist - Nominees...Luther Vandross - Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Nominees...Never Too Much (Album)
  5. ^ "1982 Grammy Award nominees, "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male"", Grammys
  6. ^ "UK Official Singles Chart - Never Too Much (Luther Vandross)". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  7. ^ "Never Too Much ranked #466 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  8. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Never Too Much". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  9. ^ "Luther Vandross – Never Too Much". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  11. ^ "Music: Top 100 - Billboard Hot 100", Billboard
  12. ^ "Dance Club Songs - Billboard", Billboard
  13. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Billboard", Billboard
  14. ^ "British single certifications – Luther Vandross – Never Too Much". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "American single certifications – Luther Vandross – Never Too Much". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  16. ^ "Craig T. Cooper". Smooth-jazz.de.
  17. ^ "First Kiss Overview". AllMusic.com.
  18. ^ "Song: Never Too Much". Secondhandsongs.com.
  19. ^ "Forever, for Always, for Luther". AllMusic.com.
  20. ^ "Various Artists - So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross (2005)". AllMusic.com.
  21. ^ Prescott, Pat (2015-06-30). "Troop's Jon Jon Talks Group Survival, Performing Live & More « 94.7 The WAVE". 947thewave.cbslocal.com. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  22. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Luther Vandross's 70th Birthday". YouTube.
  23. ^ "Willow Pill vs. Bosco - Never Too Much by Luther Vandross". YouTube.
Categories