Never Too Much (song)

"Never Too Much" is the debut song written, composed, produced, and performed by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. The R&B song was released in October 1981 by Epic Records, 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 and number four on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It peaked at No. 27 in Cash Box and #33 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The album received several accolades, including two Grammy Award nominations in 1982—"Best New Artist" and "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male". A remixed version of the song reached number 13 on the UK singles chart in November 1989.
The single was released alongside a music video in which he is shown singing in a recording studio.
The song has also been included on several Vandross compilation albums, including The Ultimate Luther Vandross, a greatest hits album released in 2001.
"Never Too Much" was ranked number 466 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in September 2021.

Track listings

US 1981 7" single

Luther Vandross – lead vocals, rhythm arrangement
Nathaniel Adderley Jr. – keyboards, rhythm arrangement
Buddy Williams – drums
Marcus Miller – bass
Georg Wadenius – guitar
Crusher Bennett – percussion
Bashiri Johnson – congas
Paul Riser – strings, horns
Cissy Houston, Tawatha Agee, Yvonne Lewis, Michelle Cobbs, Brenda White, Sybil Thomas – background vocals

The song, without Vandross's vocals, was sampled by Will Smith in "Can't Wait to Be with You" on his and Jeffrey A. Townes's hit album Code Red. Smith also used the vocal melody and lyrics from the song's chorus in "1,000 Kisses" on his 2002 album Born to Reign.
Teddy Riley protege rapper Queen Pen sampled the same song on the track "All My Love" produced by Riley from her 1997 debut album My Melody featuring Riley's groupmate Eric Williams.
Keyshia Cole sampled the same song on the Eve-assisted track "Never" from her 2005 debut album The Way It Is, and it was also featured on the soundtrack of the 2004 movie Barbershop 2: Back in Business.
Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and Amorphous sampled the song for their 2021 single "Sunshine ".

Guitarist Craig T. Cooper covered the song for his 1996 album Romantic Letter.
In 1997, contemporary jazz guitarist Richard Smith recorded a take for the album First Kiss.
In 2004, jazz guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. recorded a cover for the Vandross tribute album Forever, for Always, for Luther.
In 2005, the selection was covered by Mary J. Blige for another Vandross tribute album entitled So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross.
In 2013, vocalist Tracy Hamlin covered the song for her album This Is My Life.
In 2014, John "Jon Jon" Harreld, of the R&B group Troop, covered the song in tribute to Vandross, and released the song as a single.
In 2015, Paul Kalkbrenner sampled the song in "A Million Days" on his album 7.

The first minute of this song is used in the American sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati season four episode 17 "Fire", until it is unceremoniously cut off by Les Nessman when he reports that the Flimm Building is on fire while Venus Flytrap is on air.
The song was used in the soundtrack for the Rockstar Games 2002 action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the in-game radio station Emotion 98.3.
"Never Too Much" is featured on the soundtrack of the 2012 movie, Think Like a Man.
The intro of the song was used during the announcement of the guests in the Dutch daily late night show Jinek.
The song was used in The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror XXV" includes a segment spoofing the film A Clockwork Orange.
The song was used in the Google Doodle celebrating Luther Vandross' 70th birthday on April 20, 2021.
Drag artists Willow Pill and Bosco lip-synced to the song on RuPaul's Drag Race, season 14, episode 11.