Forever, for Always, for Love

Forever, for Always, for Love is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Luther Vandross, released on September 21, 1982, by Epic Records. It became Vandross' second album to chart in the top 20 on the Billboard 200 and was his second album to top the R&B Albums chart where it spent three weeks.

Forever, for Always, for Love
Cover art by Lynn Goldsmith
Studio album by Luther Vandross
Released	September 21, 1982
Recorded	February–June 1982
Studio	Media Sound Studios (New York City, New York) The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California) The Village (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	R&B, soul
Length	43:32
Label	Epic
Producer	Larkin Arnold (exec.) Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross chronology
Never Too Much (1981) Forever, for Always, for Love (1982) Busy Body (1983)
Singles from Forever, for Always, for Love
"Bad Boy/Having a Party" Released: August 1982 "Since I Lost My Baby" Released: February 1983

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Robert Christgau	B+ [3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]

The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and earned Vandross his third nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, but lost to Marvin Gaye for his song "Sexual Healing".

The hit "Since I Lost My Baby" was originally recorded by the Temptations in 1965, while the "Having a Party" part of the opening track was originally recorded by Sam Cooke in 1962. The album's opening track was heard during the opening credits of the 1990 film House Party. Rolling Stone gave the album a four-star rating, describing Vandross as "the most gifted male pop-soul singer of his generation".

In 2004, singer Lalah Hathaway covered the song "Forever, for Always, for Love" for the compilation album Forever, for Always, for Luther. She later included the song on her 2004 third album Outrun the Sky. In the same year Philadelphia rap-duo Young Gunz sampled "Better Love" on their top 40 hit "No Better Love" ft. Rell.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Bad Boy/Having a Party"	Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Sam Cooke	5:16
2.	"You're the Sweetest One"	Vandross, Miller	4:46
3.	"Since I Lost My Baby"	Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore	5:28
4.	"Forever, for Always, for Love"	Vandross	6:23
5.	"Better Love"	Vandross, Nat Adderley, Jr.	6:26
6.	"Promise Me"	Vandross	4:43
7.	"She Loves Me Back"	Vandross	6:09
8.	"Once You Know How"	Vandross	4:35

Personnel

• Luther Vandross – vocals, backing vocals, vocal arrangements; acoustic piano on "Once You Know How"
• Doc Powell, Georg Wadenius – guitar
• Nat Adderley, Jr. – keyboards, backing vocals
• Ed Walsh – synthesizer
• Marcus Miller – bass
• Yogi Horton, Buddy Williams – drums
• Paulinho da Costa, Ralph MacDonald, Sammy Figueroa – percussion
• Alan Rubin, Dave Bargeron, David Taylor, Gregory Williams, Jon Clarke, Jon Faddis, Lawrence Feldman, Lou Marini, Michael Brecker, Peter Gordon, Randy Brecker, Ronnie Cuber, Tom Malone – horns
• Alfred Brown, Emanuel Vardi, Frederick Buldrini, Gene Bianco, Guy Lumia, Harry Zaratzian, Helen Weiss, Homer Mensch, Jesse Levy, John Beal, Jonathan Abramowitz, Judy Geist, Julien Barber, Kermit Moore, Leo Kahn, Leo Kahn, Lewis Bagowitz, Lewis Eley, Louann Montesi, Margaret Ross, Marilyn Wright, Max Pollikoff, Ora Shiran, Richard Sortomme, Richard Young, Ron Carter, Sidney Kaufman, Sue Pray – strings
• Brenda White King, Fonzi Thornton, Paulette McWilliams, Phillip Ballou, Cissy Houston, Michelle Cobbs, Tawatha Agee, Yvonne Lewis, Norma Jean Wright – backing vocals
• Paul Riser, Leon Pendarvis – string and horn arrangements

Reception

In The Boston Phoenix, Marjorie Karp Spencer wrote that "the new record is precise, spiffy, and taunting: a shade too busy to be coldly clean, a little too punchy for the moneyed gleam of its surface. But Vandross is straightforward about fidelity, capturing some high-hat on the reproachful ballad 'Better Love' that’s metallic enough to rattle the silver in my molars."^[6]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1982) Peak position US Billboard 200[7] 20 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 1 Chart (1987) Peak position UK Albums (OCC)[9] 23

Year-end charts Chart (1983) Position US Billboard 200[10] 53 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 7

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA)[13]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1982 (U.S.)

References

1. Luther Vandross - Forever, for Always, for Love (1982) album review by Craig Lytle, credits & releases at AllMusic
2. "The Best of Vandross on Record". chicagotribune.com. 3 October 1993. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
3. "Robert Christgau: CG: luther vandross". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
4. Holden, Stephen (November 25, 1982). "Luther Vandross - Forever, for Always, for Love (1982) album review". rollingstone.com. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
5. DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (January 1, 1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music. Random House. ISBN 9780679737285. Retrieved March 14, 2017 – via Google Books.
6. Spencer, Marjorie Carp (October 26, 1982). "First gentleman of pop: Luther Vandross sends a bouquet,". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
7. "Luther Vandross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
8. "Luther Vandross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
9. "Luther Vandross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
10. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
11. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
12. "British album certifications – Luther Vandross – Forever, for Always, for Love". British Phonographic Industry.
13. "American album certifications – Luther Vandross – Forever, for Always, for Love". Recording Industry Association of America.