Endless Love (song)
Endless Love is a pop ballad from 1981, written by Lionel Richie on the soundtrack for the film Endless Love. Is interpreted the piece as a duet between Richie and Diana Ross. In the song the protagonist confess their love for each other. The music magazine Vibe counted it in 2000 to the 20 love song classics.
Original version
Formation
Director Franco Zeffirelli and film producer Jon Peters were looking for a composer for the instrumental theme to the planned film Endless Love (Eng. Endless Love). As an example, the topic should be used for the film Love Story. Richie played in front of both a piece of music, which he had originally written for The Commodores, which was but not yet received. A little later, Zeffirelli decided against an instrumental piece and Richie wrote a song text. The director proposed to record the song as a duet with Diana Ross. Although both artists were at various record labels under contract, but both Richie's label Motown and Ross' label RCA Records agreed to the collaboration.
The recordings turned out to be extremely difficult because Diana Ross was on tour in the U.S. and Lionel Richie in Los Angeles working on the next album by The Commodores. It was agreed that both artists meet in a recording studio in Reno. So Richie could fly there after the end of the recording sessions in Los Angeles, while Diana Ross came from a concert at Lake Tahoe. The recordings took place in the early morning at 3:00 clock and lasted about one and a half hours.
Publication and success
The song was released in June 1981 as a single by Motown in the United States and Australia, the ballad became a number -one hit. After Olivia Newton - John classic physical it was in the United States is the second best-selling single in 1981, together with the number-one hits of her band, The Supremes, this is Ross eighteenth number -one hit in the United States and also their last success at the label Motown. 1982, the song for an Oscar in the category was nominated Best Song, but lost to Christopher Cross Arthur 's Theme ( Best That You Can Do ). In the same year the hit won at the American Music Awards in the category Best Pop / Rock single.
At the time of publication presented the single three world records. It was the most commercially successful release of Motown, it was the hitherto most successful film music and the most successful duet.
On Diana Ross' album Why Do Fools Fall in Love, a solo version of Endless Love is included. The song is also used in the movie Happy Gilmore.
Cover version of Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey
In 1994, Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey the song for Vandross ' album Songs scratch. The idea, chose to cover the duet with Mariah Carey, featuring Tommy Mottola, former head of Sony Music Entertainment. The contact between Carey and Vandross came about through their joint producers Walter Afanasieff, in addition to Carey's albums also produced the album songs. The new recording was intended as a guarantee of success for Vandross ' cover album songs, although already a remake of Lionel Richie's "Hello" was present. The remake of Endless Love was a number -one hit in New Zealand. The release was on August 29, 1994 cover version in 1995 was best for the Grammy Award in the category collaboration with vocals -. Pop ( Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals ) nominated, losing to Al Greens and Lyle Lovett Funny How Time Slips Away.