Song:Endless Love
Album:The Ultimate Luther Vandross
For all the songs that Luther Vandross wrote and arranged for himself and others, why would he need to record an album of covers? But in 1994 he did exactly that and his cover of Endless Love with Mariah Carey would turn out to be one of his biggest hits. The idea for Vandross to record an album of covers came from Sony Music president Tommy Mottola and at the time he was married to Mariah Carey. She was probably Sony's biggest star at the time and who better to get Vandross to the top of the charts. It was her idea to record Endless Love as a duet. Of course Endless Love was written by Lionel Richie for the 1981 film Endless Love and Richie's recording with Diana Ross topped the charts. Normally one would not want to cover a song that was that big a hit. The record was produced and arranged by Walter Afanasieff. Of course Vandross sings in an understated style and Mariah typically oversings like she always does. The strategy worked. Endless Love reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the biggest hit of Vandross' career. The album Songs reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 200 and it was certified 2XPlatinum. Vandross also covers another Richie song Hello and even The Impossible Dream. Songs is still available as a budget CD. But you can also get Endless Love on this budget comp. Here's the video for Endless Love by Luther Vandross featuring Mariah Carey.
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