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.
Dance with My Father
Luther Vandross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high
And dance with my mother and me
And then
Spin me around 'till I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure
If I could get another chance
Another walk
Another dance with him
I'd play a song that would never ever end
How I'd love love love
To dance with my father again
When I and my mother
Would disagree
To get my way I would run
From her to him
He'd make me laugh just to comfort me
Yeah yeah
Then finally make me do
Just what my mama said
Later that night when I was asleep
He left a dollar under my sheet
Never dreamed that he
Would be gone from me
If I could steal one final glance
One final step
One final dance with him
I'd play a song that would never ever end
'Cause I'd love love love to
Dance with my father again
Sometimes I'd listen outside her door
And I'd hear how mama would cry for him
I'd pray for her even more than me
I'd pray for her even more than me
I know I'm praying for much too much
But could you send her
The only man she loved
I know you don't do it usually
But Dear Lord
She's dying to dance with my father again
Every night I fall asleep
And this is all I ever dream
The lyrics of Luther Vandross's song "Dance With My Father" reflect the deep and powerful love and longing for a father who has passed away. Vandross reminisces about the happy memories of his childhood when he was innocent and his father was alive. His father would lift him high, dance with his mother and him, and spin him around until he fell asleep. These sweet moments were especially meaningful because they showed him that he was loved. Vandross wishes that he could relive those precious moments and have one more chance to dance with his father again.
In the second verse, Vandross shares a memory of when he and his mother would disagree, and he would run to his father for comfort. His father made him laugh and then encouraged him to do what his mother asked. After Vandross went to sleep, his father left a dollar under his sheet, a small gesture that showed his love and care. Vandross expresses his sorrow that he did not realize then that his father would be gone forever. He wishes that he could have a final chance to dance with him and play a song that would never end.
In the last verse, Vandross hears his mother cry for his father, and he prays for her to find peace and happiness. He asks God to send his father to dance with his mother again, even though he knows it's an impossible request. Despite the pain and longing, Vandross says that every night, he falls asleep, and all he ever dreams of is dancing with his father. The song is a touching tribute to love, family, and the memories that never fade.
Line by Line Meaning
Back when I was a child
When I was young and innocent
Before life removed all the innocence
Before life took away my innocence
My father would lift me high
My father would lift me up in his arms
And dance with my mother and me
And dance with both me and my mother together
And then
And after that
Spin me around 'till I fell asleep
Spin me around until I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
Then, he would carry me up the stairs
And I knew for sure
And I was absolutely sure
I was loved
That I was loved by him
If I could get another chance
If I could have one more opportunity
Another walk
Another walk with him
Another dance with him
Another dance with my father
I'd play a song that would never ever end
I would play a song that would never stop playing
How I'd love love love
How much I would love to
To dance with my father again
To dance with my father one more time
When I and my mother
When me and my mother
Would disagree
Had a disagreement
To get my way I would run
To get my way, I would run
From her to him
From my mother to my father
He'd make me laugh just to comfort me
He would make me laugh to make me feel better
Then finally make me do
And then he would make me do
Just what my mama said
Exactly what my mother told me to do
Later that night when I was asleep
Later that night when I was sleeping
He left a dollar under my sheet
He left a dollar bill under my sheet
Never dreamed that he
Never thought that he
Would be gone from me
Would leave me behind
If I could steal one final glance
If I could take one last look
One final step
One last step with him
One final dance with him
One last dance with my father
I'd play a song that would never ever end
I would play a song that would never stop playing
'Cause I'd love love love to
Because I would really, really, love to
Dance with my father again
Dance with my father one last time
Sometimes I'd listen outside her door
Sometimes I would eavesdrop outside my mother's room
And I'd hear how mama would cry for him
And I would hear how much my mother missed him
I'd pray for her even more than me
I would pray for her, even more, when I heard her cry
I know I'm praying for much too much
I know I am asking for too much
But could you send her
But could you please send her
The only man she loved
The man she truly loved
I know you don't do it usually
I know this is not what you usually do
But Dear Lord
But please, Dear Lord
She's dying to dance with my father again
She really wants to dance with my father one last time
Every night I fall asleep
Every night before I fall asleep
And this is all I ever dream
This is all I ever dream about
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Luther Vandross, Richard Marx
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@taleahpaigee2621
Sending hugs to everyone listening to this with no father
@wadersburden9685
I lost my father in 1985, I think about him every single day.
@taleahpaigee2621
Awww I hope you feel better 💕
@jimwe19a
Never knew mine
@cee2176
❤️
@TizzyMaxwell
thank you
@georgecampbell3203
My wife requested for this song to be played at her funeral service. My darling was taken from me at the end of June. She is dancing with her beloved father in our saviours love.
@patricklomas65
Wow, So sorry for your loss.
@georgecampbell3203
@patricklomas65 Thankyou for your condolences, fortunately my family live close, and we have all been supporting one another.
@debbiegabriels3711
Sending love ❤❤❤❤