His hit songs include "Never Too Much", "Here and Now", "Any Love", "Power of Love/Love Power", "I Can Make It Better" and "For You to Love". Many of his songs were covers of original music by other artists such as "If This World Were Mine" (duet with Cheryl Lynn), "Since I Lost My Baby", "Superstar" and "Always and Forever". Duets such as "The Closer I Get to You" with Beyoncé, "Endless Love" with Mariah Carey and "The Best Things in Life Are Free" with Janet Jackson were all hit songs in his career.
During his career, Vandross sold over 35 million records worldwide, and received eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. He won a total of four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for a song recorded not long before his death, "Dance with My Father".
Possessing a tenor vocal range, Vandross was commonly referred to as "The Velvet Voice" in reference to his exceptional vocal talent, and was sometimes called "The Best Voice of a Generation". He was also regarded as the "Pavarotti of Pop" by many critics.
In 2008, Vandross was ranked No. 54 on Rolling Stone Magazine's List of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Mariah Carey stated several times in interviews that standing next to Vandross while recording their duet "Endless Love" was intimidating.
By popular vote, Vandross was inducted into The SoulMusic Hall of Fame at SoulMusic.com in December 2012.
Buy Me a Rose
Luther Vandross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He works hard to give her all he thinks she wants
But it tears her apart 'cause nothing's for her heart
He pulls in late to wake her up with a kiss goodnight
If he could only read her mind, she'd say
Buy me a rose
Call me from work
Show me you love me by the look in your eyes
These are the little things
I need the most in my life
Yeah
Now the days have grown
To years of feeling all alone
As she sits and wonders if all she's doin' wrong
'Cause lately she'd try anything just to turn his head
Ooh, would it make a difference if she'd say, if she'd say
Buy me a rose
Call me from work
Open the door for me what would it hurt?
Show me you love me by the look in your eyes
These are the little things
I need the most in my life
And the more that he lives
The less that he tries
To show her the love that he holds inside
And the more that she gives
The more that he sees
This is the story of you
And me
So I bought you a rose
On the way home from work
To open the door to a heart that I hurt
And I hoped you noticed this look in my eyes
'Cause I'm gonna make things right
For the rest of your life (rest of your life)
I'm gonna hold you tonight, tonight
Do all those little things
For the rest of your life
For your life, ooh
The song "Buy Me a Rose" by Luther Vandross tells the story of a couple who have been together for a long time. The lyrics begin by describing a man who works hard to provide for his wife, but seems to neglect her emotional needs. He comes home late, gives her a kiss goodnight, but doesn't seem to notice that she needs more than just material things. She wants him to show her that he loves her, even in the small things like opening the door for her or calling her from work. The second verse then describes how the woman has become resentful and feels alone in the relationship, as if she's doing something wrong to deserve this lack of attention from her partner. She longs for him to notice her and to show her that he still loves her.
In the final verse, the man seems to have had a realization of his neglect towards his partner, and brings her a rose on his way home from work. He apologizes for the hurt he's caused her and promises to make things right for the rest of their lives. The song's message emphasizes the importance of recognizing the little things that make a relationship work and the emotional needs of one's partner. It also prompts couples to communicate and show love even in the seemingly small and trivial aspects of their everyday lives.
Overall, "Buy Me a Rose" is a timeless ballad that emphasizes that love is not just about material things. It's a reminder that love and affection are shown in the little things that people do for one another, such as offering a listening ear or simply holding a door open.
Line by Line Meaning
He works hard to give her all he thinks she wants
He tries his best to provide her with everything he believes she desires
But it tears her apart 'cause nothing's for her heart
But she's unhappy because his efforts aren't directed towards fulfilling her emotional needs
He pulls in late to wake her up with a kiss goodnight
He comes back home late but tries to make up for it by kissing her goodnight
If he could only read her mind, she'd say
If only he could read her thoughts, she would ask him to
Buy me a rose
Buy her a rose
Call me from work
Call her from work
Open a door for me what would it hurt?
Open a door for her, what harm could it possibly do?
Show me you love me by the look in your eyes
Demonstrate your affection for her by the expression of your eyes
These are the little things
These uncomplicated, small gestures
I need the most in my life
Are the things I crave for the most in my existence
Now the days have grown
With the passage of time
To years of feeling all alone
The feeling of isolation has grown over the years
As she sits and wonders if all she's doin' wrong
She ponders whether her actions are incorrect
'Cause lately she'd try anything just to turn his head
Recently, she's willing to attempt anything to regain his attention
Would it make a difference if she'd say, if she'd say
Would it have an impact if she vocalized these desires
And the more that he lives
As he grows older
The less that he tries
He puts forth less effort
To show her the love that he holds inside
To express his inner feelings of love for her
And the more that she gives
The more she provides him with affection and attention
The more that he sees
The more he realizes
This is the story of you, and me
That's the narrative of our relationship
So I bought you a rose
Thus, I purchased a rose for you
On the way home from work
As I was coming back from work
To open the door to a heart that I hurt
As an attempt to soften your heart that I've hurt before
And I hoped you noticed this look in my eyes
And I prayed you caught the gaze in my eyes
'Cause I'm gonna make things right
Since I intend to make amends
For the rest of your life (rest of your life)
For the remainder of your existence
I'm gonna hold you tonight, tonight
I'm going to hold you this evening, tonight
Do all those little things
Perform all of those minor acts
For the rest of your life
As long as you live
For your life, ooh
For your life, oh
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ERIK W HICKENLOOPER, JIM FUNK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carter Tlhabi
on I’ll Get Along Fine
Luther feat Luther vandross. ......I'll get along fine
Carter Tlhabi
on This Strange Feeling
This is out of this planet