"Never Too Much" is the first single created, made, and sung by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. The R&B song was released in October 1981 by Epic Records as the lead single from Vandross's first album, also named Never Too Much (1981). The title track reached number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number four on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It reached number 27 on Cash Box and number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The album (Vandross's first as a solo artist) received two Grammy Award nominations in 1982 for Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. A remixed version of the song reached number 13 on the UK singles chart in November 1989.

The single was released with a music video showing Vandross singing in a recording studio. The song was also included in several of Vandross's compilation albums, including The Ultimate Luther Vandross, a greatest hits album released in 2001.

"Never Too Much" was ranked number 466 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in September 2021.

Track listings

• United States (US) 1981 7" Single
• "Never Too Much" – 3:50
• "You Stopped Loving Me" – 4:59

• United Kingdom (UK) 1981 7" Single
• "Never Too Much" – 3:50
• "Don't You Know That?" – 4:04

• United Kingdom (UK) 1981 12" Single
• "Never Too Much" (extended version) – 5:38
• "Sugar and Spice (I Found Me a Girl)" – 4:57
• "Don't You Know That?" – 4:04

• United Kingdom (UK) 1989 7" Single
• "Never Too Much" (remix '89 by Justin Strauss) – 4:02
• "The Glow of Love" – 6:10

• United Kingdom (UK) 1989 12" Single
• "Never Too Much" (extended remix '89 by Justin Strauss) – 6:42
• "Never Too Much" (original remix '81 a.k.a. extended version) – 5:38
• "The Glow of Love" – 6:10

• United Kingdom (UK) 1989 Alternative 12" Single
• "Never Too Much" (Ben Liebrand mix) – 7:30
• "Never Too Much" (alternate vocal mix '89 by Justin Strauss) – 6:49
• "Never Too Much" (original 7" version) – 3:50

Personnel

• Luther Vandross – performed lead vocals and helped create the rhythm section
• Nathaniel Adderley Jr. – played keyboards and helped create the rhythm section
• Buddy Williams – played drums
• Marcus Miller – played bass
• Georg Wadenius – played guitar
• Crusher Bennett – played percussion instruments
• Bashiri Johnson – played congas
• Paul Riser – helped with string and horn sections
• Cissy Houston, Tawatha Agee, Yvonne Lewis, Michelle Cobbs, Brenda White, Sybil Thomas – provided background singing

Samples and cover versions

• The song, without Luther Vandross's vocals, was used in "Can't Wait to Be with You" by Will Smith (then known as The Fresh Prince) on his and Jeffrey A. Townes's 1993 album Code Red. Smith (later known as Big Will) also used the melody and lyrics from the song's chorus in "1,000 Kisses" on his 2002 album Born to Reign.
• Rapper Queen Pen, a protege of Teddy Riley, used the song in "All My Love" from her 1997 debut album My Melody. The track was produced by Riley and features Eric Williams, also a member of Blackstreet.
• Keyshia Cole used the song in "Never," a track assisted by Eve on her 2005 debut album The Way It Is. The song also appeared on the soundtrack of the 2004 film Barbershop 2: Back in Business.
• In 2015, Paul Kalkbrenner used the song in "A Million Days" on his album 7.
• Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, and Amorphous used the song in their 2021 single "Sunshine (The Light)."

• Guitarist Craig T. Cooper performed a version of the song on his 1996 album Romantic Letter.
• In 1997, contemporary jazz guitarist Richard Smith recorded a version of the song for the album First Kiss.
• In 2004, jazz guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. performed a version of the song on the Vandross tribute album Forever, for Always, for Luther.
• In 2005, Mary J. Blige performed a version of the song on the Vandross tribute album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross.
• In 2013, vocalist Tracy Hamlin performed a version of the song on her album This Is My Life.
• In 2014, John "Jon Jon" Harreld of the R&B group Troop performed a version of the song as a tribute to Vandross and released it as a single.

In film, television, and video games

• The first minute of this song appears in the American sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati during season four, episode 17 titled "Fire" (March 17, 1982). The music is suddenly interrupted when a character named Les Nessman announces that the Flimm Building is on fire while the song is playing.
• The song is played in the background of the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which is produced by Rockstar Games. It is broadcast on a radio station called Emotion 98.3 within the game.
• The song "Never Too Much" is included in the soundtrack of the 2012 movie Think Like a Man.
• The beginning of the song is used in a Dutch late-night TV show called Jinek to introduce guests during its daily broadcasts.
• The song is featured in The Simpsons episode titled "Treehouse of Horror XXV." This episode includes a scene that imitates the movie A Clockwork Orange.
• The song was played as part of a Google Doodle on April 20, 2021, to honor Luther Vandross's 70th birthday.
• Drag performers Willow Pill and Bosco sang along with the song on RuPaul's Drag Race during season 14, episode 11.