“Endless Love” is a song originally recorded by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross in 1981. Luther Vandross covered the song as a duet with Mariah for his 1994 Songs album, a collection of cover versions. “Mariah was helping us choose songs for the album, behind the scenes,” Luther explained. “And she said, ‘What about ‘Endless Love’ and I'll sing it with him?’ and I said ‘Oh yes, please. We would sound really great together.” On August 29, 1994, “Endless Love” was released as the lead single from the album and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Luther's highest entry on the chart.
“One of the greatest experiences of my career was working with Luther Vandross,” Mariah said in 2008. “He was one of the premier vocalists of our time. His tone, the quality of his voice, was just so remarkable, it just moved you. When I was working with him I was like a sponge, soaking up any kind of information that I could. He would give me little tidbits about how to preserve your voice, just little things that singers would just die to get ahold of this type of information. He was just the nicest person and the most talented, we really miss him.”
| Song | Remix | Run time |
|---|---|---|
| Endless Love | Instrumental |
4:21 |
| Endless Love | Mariah Only |
4:21 |
| Endless Love | Luther Only |
4:21 |
The music video for “Endless Love” was directed by Big TV — Monty Whitebloom and Andy Delaney.
On September 13, 1994, Mariah made a surprise appearance at a Luther Vandross concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London and joined him for a live version of “Endless Love.” The performance was included on the DVD From Luther with Love: The Videos, released in 2004.
The US “Endless Love” single includes both the Album and Instrumental versions of the song, while the Maxi Single adds the live versions of Luther's “Never Too Much,” “Any Love” and “She Won't Talk To Me.” Both releases were issued both on CD and Cassette.
In Europe, both the Single and the Maxi Single were issued on CD with the same tracklist as the US releases. “Endless Love” was also available on 12" Vinyl, including the same songs as the Maxi Single with the exception of “She Won't Talk To Me.”
In the United Kingdom, the “Endless Love” Single was issued on 7" Vinyl and Cassette, including the Album and Instrumental Versions. The Maxi Single, available on CD, includes “Endless Love” and two live performances from Luther Vandross: Live at Wembley '88-'89: “Any Love” and “She Won't Talk To Me.”
The Australian “Endless Love” Single, including both the album version and instrumental, was issued on Cassette, while the Maxi Single, which also includes the live versions of Luther's “Never Too Much,” “Any Love” and “She Won't Talk To Me” was available on CD.
“Endless Love” became available on 3" CD in Japan on September 16, 1994. The CD single includes the album and instrumental versions, as well as two exclusive versions of the song: Mariah Only and Luther Only.
My love
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's right
My first love
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make
And I
I want to share all my love with you (Hey you)
No one else will do (You know and)
And your eyes (Your eyes, your eyes)
They tell me how much you care
Oh, yes, you will always be
My endless love
Two hearts
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun
And forever (Forever)
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms (No no no no no)
And love (And love)
I'll be a fool for you (Honey I'm sure)
I'm sure you know I don't mind (No, you know I don't mind)
No cause baby you (Baby, baby, baby, baby)
You mean the world to me
Oh I know I found in you
My endless love
Oh and love (Love, love, love)
I'll be that fool for you (For you baby)
I'm sure (Oh yes I'm sure)
That you know I don't mind (You know I don't mind, I don't mind)
And yes, you'll be the only one
Cause no one, no one can deny
This love I have inside
And I'll give it all to you
My love (My love, my love)
My endless love
My love
Written by Lionel Richie.
Produced by Walter Afanasieff.
