"So Amazing"
Song by Dionne Warwick
from the album How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye
Recorded1983
Length3:43
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Luther Vandross

"So Amazing" is a 1983 song by Dionne Warwick. It was written by Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller and produced by the former for her studio album How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye (1983). Three years later, Vandross himself covered the song for his fifth studio album Give Me the Reason (1986). Released as a single, it entered the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart and earned a Soul Train Music Award nomination in 1988.[1]

In 2005, singers Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé recorded a duet version of "So Amazing" for the tribute album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross (2005) that was released three months after Vandross' death. Their rendition won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.[2] The song has since been recorded by several artists, some of which are tributes to Vandross.

Luther Vandross version

"So Amazing"
Single by Luther Vandross
from the album Give Me the Reason
Released1987
Recorded1986
GenreSoul
Length3:41
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross singles chronology
"I Really Didn't Mean It"
(1987) 		"So Amazing"
(1987) 		"See Me"
(1987)

Warwick and Vandross wanted "So Amazing" to serve as the lead single from Warwick's How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye.[3] However, Arista Records head Clive Davis found that the song lacked commercial crossover appeal and chose the album's title track, a duet by Warwick and Vandross, instead.[3] His decision prompted Vandross to re-record "So Amazing" for his fifth studio album Give Me the Reason (1986). Released as the album's fifth single, his version reached number 33 on the UK Singles Chart and number 94 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[1] The song was nominated for the Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single – Male at the 1988 awards ceremony.[4] Regarding the success of Vandross' version, Warwick joked in a 2021 interview that she had felt pleasure telling Davis "You can't be right all the time, Sir."[3]

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[1] 33
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4] 94

Other cover versions

In March 1999, Whitney Houston sang Vandross's "So Amazing" as a tribute to Vandross being honored with the Career Achievement award, as he sat in the audience during the Soul Train Music Awards. Johnny Gill, El DeBarge, and Kenny Lattimore provided background vocals.[5] In 2001, Chante Moore performed the song at the 2001 at the BET Walk of Fame Awards for Vandross.[6] Tamia performed the song at the 2003 Essence Festival on July 5, 2003 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her performances was taped and aired on the UPN Network on September 12, 2003.[7]

Studio versions

References

  1. ^ a b c "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  2. ^ Wurzburger, Andrea (March 15, 2021). "Beyoncé Has 28 Grammys: Here's What They're For". People.com. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Dionne Warwick on working with the Bee Gees and Luther Vandross". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Luther Vandross Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  5. ^ "Whitney Houston LIVE - So Amazing". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  6. ^ "CHANTE MOORE SO AMAZING". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "Tamia - So Amazin - Luther Vandross Tribute". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  8. ^ Just Between Us (liner notes). Gerald Albright. Atlantic. 1987.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ So Amazing (liner notes). Janet Kay. Body Music. 1970.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Vertical (liner notes). Darwin Hobbs. EMI Gospel. 1994.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Covers for Lovers (liner notes). Richie Stephens. Pot of Gold. 2003.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Close to You (liner notes). Rigmor Gustafsson. ACT. 2004.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross (liner notes). Beyoncé and Stevie Wonde. J. 2005.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Forever, For Always, For Luther, Vol. 2 (liner notes). Patti Austin. Rendezvous. 2008.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Love to Love (liner notes). Marti Pellow. Marti Pellow. 2011.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Ruben Sings Luther (liner notes). Ruben Studdard. SEG. 2014.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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