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.
Too Proud To Beg
Luther Vandross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stayed longer than I planned
But change is good, they say
So I rearranged my world for them
For her and love and, here I go again
I spoke to my heart
Said, "Open up wide"
Then got the message you had changed your mind
Baby, if you talk to me then I will listen
There can't be no "us" honey, if "you" are missin'
Yes I love you, yes I need you
ain't no world for me without you
I want you, I'm just too proud to beg
So sad the journey made
So high the price we have to pay
All for love...
And it hurts you anyway
I can't lose my soul to hope and wishing
You don't understand me, I know that you think...
I don't love you, I don't need you
But, my intentions are to love you
See, I want you, I'm just too proud...
To beg for your love
So don't put me through it
Take a little time to think about what you're doing
And try to understand why...
Yes I love you, yes I need you
ain't no world for me without you
I want you, I'm just too proud to beg
So sad the journey made
So high the price we have to pay
All for love...
And it hurts you anyway
In Luther Vandross's song "Too Proud To Beg," the singer speaks of his struggles in love. He recounts how he opened up to the prospect of love and reorganized his life for the person he loved. However, things took an unexpected turn when he learned that his love interest had changed her mind. The lyric "And now here I am and I just don't understand" captures the confusion and heartbreak the singer experiences after his lover's decision.
Despite his heartbreak and confusion, he still loves and needs his partner. The lyric "Yes, I love you, yes, I need you, ain't no world for me without you" depicts the depth of his feelings. Yet, he is too proud and cannot beg for love. He believes that his pride is necessary to protect his soul from pain and despair, even if it means sacrificing the love he seeks.
In summary, "Too Proud To Beg" is a song about the traces of pride that prevent people from openly expressing their feelings. It speaks to the complexities of love and human emotions and how protecting oneself can sometimes impede the very thing one desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Love came to me that day
I fell in love one day
Stayed longer than I planned
I expected the love to be short-term, but it lasted longer than I predicted
But change is good, they say
People say change is beneficial, and I wanted to make changes for love
So I rearranged my world for them
I changed everything in my life for this person and love
For her and love and, here I go again
I am once again making a significant life change for this person and love
I spoke to my heart
I had a heart-to-heart with myself
Said, "Open up wide"
Told myself to be open to love
Then got the message you had changed your mind
After opening myself up to love, I found out that you no longer wanted me
And now here I am and I just don't understand
I am confused and hurt because I don't know why you changed your mind
Baby, if you talk to me then I will listen
I am open to hearing you out and having a conversation
There can't be no "us" honey, if "you" are missin'
There can't be a relationship between us if you don't want to be here
Yes I love you, yes I need you
I still love and need you
ain't no world for me without you
My life would be incomplete without you
I want you, I'm just too proud to beg
I want you, but I am too stubborn to beg for your love
So sad the journey made
The journey of our love is now very sorrowful
So high the price we have to pay
The cost of our failed love is very steep
All for love...
We did all of this for love
And it hurts you anyway
Our love hurts both of us, regardless of who ended it
I can't lose my soul to hope and wishing
I can't let my future rely solely on hope and wishful thinking
You don't understand me, I know that you think...
You don't understand what I am going through, despite what you may think
I don't love you, I don't need you
You may think I don't love and need you, but that's not true
But, my intentions are to love you
Despite our difficulties, my intentions are still towards loving you
See, I want you, I'm just too proud...
I'm admitting that I still want you, but my pride gets in the way of expressing my love
To beg for your love
I'm too proud to ask for your love
So don't put me through it
Don't make me go through the pain of begging for your love
Take a little time to think about what you're doing
Take a moment to reflect on your actions
And try to understand why...
And try to understand why you've chosen to end our love
Yes I love you, yes I need you
I still love and need you
ain't no world for me without you
My life would be incomplete without you
I want you, I'm just too proud to beg
I still want you, but I can't bring myself to beg for your love
So sad the journey made
Our love's journey has been incredibly sorrowful
So high the price we have to pay
The price of our failed love is very high
All for love...
We went through all of this because of love
And it hurts you anyway
Despite who ended our love, it still hurts both of us
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LUTHER VANDROSS, REED PHILIP VERTELNEY
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