Luther Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer,… Read Full Bio ↴Luther Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Throughout his career, Vandross was an in-demand background vocalist for several different artists including Todd Rundgren, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. King, and Donna Summer. He later became a lead singer of the group Change, which released its gold-certified debut album, The Glow of Love, in 1980 on Warner/RFC Records. After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981.

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.

Medley
Luther Vandross Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Just let me love you tonight
Forget about tomorrow
My darling, won't you hold me tight
And never let me go

Dry your eyes
No tears, no sorrow
Cling to me with all your might

And never let me go

A million times or more
We said we'd never part
But lately I find
You're a stranger, stranger in my heart

Give me the right
In summer or in spring time
To tell the world you are mine

And you will never let me go
And never let me go

Overall Meaning

The above lyrics are from the medley song by Luther Vandross, where he sings about the desire to hold on tight to someone he loves and forget about tomorrow. The opening lines, "Just let me love you tonight, Forget about tomorrow" are a plea to live in the moment and cherish the love they share at that moment. The singer reassures his partner of his love and asks them to hold on tight and never let go.

In the second stanza, Luther Vandross urges his partner to dry their eyes, forget their sorrows and cling to him with all their might. He sings about how they promised never to part ways, but things seem to have changed recently, and he feels like a stranger in his partner's heart. He asks for the right to tell the world that they belong to each other and asks that they never let go.

Overall, the lyrics express a deep longing for a secure and long-lasting relationship. The strong emotions of love, loss, and desire are beautifully captured by Luther Vandross through his soulful voice, making this medley song a timeless classic.

Line by Line Meaning

Just let me love you tonight
Allow me to express my love for you without concern for the future

Forget about tomorrow
Let us focus entirely on the present moment

My darling, won't you hold me tight
Expressing affection and desire for physical intimacy

And never let me go
Requesting a commitment to remain together

Dry your eyes
Assuring comfort and consolation during a difficult moment

No tears, no sorrow
Promising to bring happiness and emotional stability

Cling to me with all your might
Encouraging a strong emotional connection and dependency

And never let me go
Reiterating the request to remain together

A million times or more
Expressing repetition and emphasis on previous promises

We said we'd never part
Recalling a previous commitment to each other

But lately I find
Acknowledging a change in feelings or behavior