"If This World Were Mine" is a 1967 song by soul music duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell from their album United. Written solely by Gaye, it was one of the few songs they recorded without Ashford & Simpson writing or producing. When it was released as a single in November 1967 as the B-side to the duo's "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You", it hit the Billboard pop singles chart, peaking at number sixty-eight, and peaked at number twenty-seven on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Gaye would later put the song into his set list during his last tours in the early-1980s as he performed a medley of his hits with Terrell. The song was covered a year later by Joe Bataan on the 1968 Fania Allstars LP Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 2, and in 1969 by Ambrose Slade (pre-Slade) on their album Beginnings.
"Pledging My Love" is a blues ballad. It was written by Ferdinand Washington and Don Robey and published in 1954.
"Abraham, Martin and John" is a 1968 song written by Dick Holler. It was first recorded by Dion, in a version that was a substantial North American chart hit in 1968–1969. Near-simultaneous cover versions by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Moms Mabley also charted in the U.S. in 1969, and a version that same year by Marvin Gaye became the hit version in the UK. It was also a hit as part of a medley for Tom Clay in 1971, and has subsequently been recorded by many other artists.
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until 1977's anthology Looking Back. The best-known version of this song is the 1973 release by Aretha Franklin, who had a million-selling top 10 hit on Billboard charts. The song reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart in 1974. It became an RIAA Gold record.
The Friends of Distinction were an American vocal group founded by Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, best known for their late 1960s hits, "Grazing in the Grass", "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", and "Going in Circles".
"Never Too Much" is the debut song written, composed, produced, and performed by Luther Vandross. The R&B song was released in 1981, as the lead single from Vandross's debut album of the same name. The title track hit number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reached number four on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, and peaked at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell, that has been a hit for many artists in different genres in the years since. The best-known versions are by the Carpenters in 1971, Luther Vandross in 1983, and Sonic Youth in 1994.
"Grazing in the Grass" is an instrumental composed by Philemon Hou and first recorded by the South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Released in the United States as a single in 1968, it followed United States trumpeter Herb Alpert's vocal performance of "This Guy's in Love with You" to the top spot on the Hot 100 chart, ranking it as the 18th biggest hit of the year. The song also reached No. 15 Adult Contemporary. Masekela included the song in his albums Grazing in the Grass: The Best of Hugh Masekela (2001), Still Grazing (2004), and Live at the Market Theatre (2006).
"Any Day Now" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard in 1962. It has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including notable versions by Chuck Jackson in 1962, Alan Price in 1965, Elvis Presley in 1969, Scott Walker in 1973 and Ronnie Milsap in 1982. In the lyrics, the singer predicts the imminent demise of a romantic relationship and describes the sadness this will leave.
"Jump to It" is a 1982 song by American recording artist Aretha Franklin. The track is from her Gold-certified 1982 album of the same name, produced by Luther Vandross. The song was written by Vandross and Marcus Miller and features background vocals performed by Vandross and Cissy Houston. The single reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart, remaining there for four consecutive weeks.
"Stop to Love" is a song by American recording R&B/soul artist Luther Vandross. Released in 1986 as the lead single from his album Give Me the Reason. It was his first number-one single on the R&B chart since "Never Too Much" in 1981. The upbeat single was also a crossover hit, peaking at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Love Won't Let Me Wait" is a hit 1975 single by Major Harris, a former member of R&B/soul group The Delfonics. Written by Vinnie Barrett and Bobby Eli, the single is considered to be a staple of classic soul playlists, and was Harris' only entry into the top five on both the soul and pop charts. The single hit number five on the pop chart, and also hit number one on the soul chart for one week. Billboard ranked it as the No. 24 song for 1975. It was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. on 25 June 1975.
"Here and Now" is a 1989 song by American recording artist Luther Vandross, and written by: David L. Elliott, Terry Steele, and Charles “Casino“ White. The single is from the compilation album The Best of Luther Vandross... The Best of Love. "Here and Now" became his fifth single to peak at No. 1 on the Hot Black Singles, and his first single to chart in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 6.
"Always and Forever" is an R&B song written by Rod Temperton and produced by Barry Blue. It was first recorded by the British-based multinational funk-disco band Heatwave in 1976. Released as a single on December 3, 1977, the song is included on Heatwave's debut album Too Hot to Handle (1976) and has been covered by numerous artists, becoming something of a standard.
"Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and first recorded by country singer Billy Walker. Walker's version was issued as a single by Columbia Records in June 1961 and peaked at number 23 on the Hot C&W Sides chart. The song has been featured in several live action films and television shows, such as in the first episode of the second season of AMC’s Better Call Saul and in the 2020 Netflix drama The Devil All the Time.
"Don't Let Go" is a song written by Jesse Stone. The song was first a hit for Roy Hamilton in 1958. The Roy Hamilton version reached number 2 on the R&B charts and number 13 on the pop charts.
"Every Year, Every Christmas" is a song by American singer Luther Vandross. It was written by Vandross and Richard Marx for his tenth studio album, the holiday album This Is Christmas (1995), while production was helmed by Vandross. The original Christmas song received moderate rotation on radio and peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Singer Patti LaBelle also covered the song, which appeared on her 2007 Christmas album Miss Patti's Christmas. The LaBelle version was spoken at the end the song dedicated to Vandross.
"Heaven Knows" is a song by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released in September 1993 by Epic and Sony as the second single from his eight studio album, Never Let Me Go (1993). The song was written by Vandross with Reed Vertelney and produced by Marcus Miller. It peaked in the top 30 on both the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles and Hot Dance Club Play charts, and also at thirty-three on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Singles chart. "Heaven Knows" was nominated for Best R&B Song alongside "Little Miracles " at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards in March 1994, losing to "That's the Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson.
"Never Let Me Go" is a blues ballad song by American R&B/blues singer Johnny Ace, written by Joseph Scott and released in 1954 under Duke Records. The song is featured on the albums My Songs and Memorial. "Never Let Me Go" was one of his eighth consecutive top ten R&B hits in a row, including "My Song", "Cross My Heart," "Please Forgive Me," "The Clock," "Pledging My Love," "Saving My Love for You," and "Anymore". The song was R&B hit and peaked to No. 9 in October 1954 on Billboards Rhythm & Blues Records chart.
"Hey Love" is a 1966 song by Stevie Wonder, from his album Down to Earth. It was released as a B-side to "Travelin' Man," but it also reached the charts in its own right, peaking at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the R&B Singles chart in the spring of 1967. It has been covered by other artists, including Bettye LaVette and R. Kelly.
