ENDLESS LOVE: Ross/Richie's 1991 hit has topped Billboard magazine Top 50 Love Songs

[jobeterob]

Last updated 10:20 14/02/2013
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ENDLESS LOVE: Diana Ross and Lionel Richie's 1991 hit has topped Billboard magazine's Top 50 Love Songs of All Time.

When it comes to love, sometimes old songs say it best.

The 1981 Motown ballad Endless Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie topped Billboard magazine's Top 50 Love Songs of All Time, just in time for Valentine's Day.

The duet, written by Richie and used as the theme song for Franco Zeffirelli's film of the same name, earned Richie an Academy Award nomination for best original song.

The list is based on the rankings on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from its start in 1958 until today. As might be expected, every song has the word "love" in the title.

Boyz II Men's 1994 hit I'll Make Love to You, 2011 pop dance track We Found Love by Rihanna and Calvin Harris, 1977's How Deep Is Your Love, from the Bee Gees and 1976's Silly Love Songs by Wings round out the top five.

The oldest song dates from 1958, To Know Him Is to Love Him by The Teddy Bears. Rihanna's We Found Love is the most recent entry on the list.

Whitney Houston's 1992 version of I Will Always Love You, Mario's 2004 Let Me Love You, 1990's Because I Love You [[The Postman Song) by Stevie B., 1977's Best of My Love from The Emotions and the Ray Charles 1962 classic I Can't Stop Loving You, complete the top 10.

This is the fourth year that Billboard has issued a list for Valentine's Day, although in 2011 its Love Stinks compilation took the opposite approach with the 30 biggest heartbreak hits.

Two real-life couples appear this year, Captain & Tennille with 1975's Love Will Keep Us Together and Jay-Z and Beyonce with 2003's Crazy in Love.

Diana Ross, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey have three entries each on the list, along with Paul McCartney with The Beatles and his own band Wings, for Silly Love Songs, 1973's My Love and She Loves You from 1963.

The complete list can be seen at http://billboard.com/lovesongs

[Kamasu_Jr]

My EYES are raised to the sky!
Personally, I'd be happy never to hear Endless Love by anybody ever again.

[RossHolloway]

I actually prefer Diana's solo version of this song from here Why Do Fools album over the duet.

[jobeterob]

In the last year, I've grown to love this song more than ever before. The songs I have trouble with are Marvin's Grapevine and Baby Love. And Baby Love made this list as well.

[smark21]

The song came out in 1981, not 1991.

[Ngroove]

My EYES are raised to the sky!
Personally, I'd be happy never to hear Endless Love by anybody ever again.

Yeah, personally, there are hundreds of better "Love" tunes LESS ANNOYING than that one, as well as many of the so-called "Love" songs on the list also [[Ready For The World's "Love Me Down", Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Babe", The Fuzz's "I Love You For All Seasons", Natalie Cole's "Our Love", Nat King Cole's "I Love You [[For Sentimental Reasons), Force MDs' "Tender Love", Anita Baker's "Sweet Love", Smokey Robinson's "I've Made Love To You A Thousand Times") BUT, I'd assume its placements are based on Objectivity, on actual longetivity on the Billboard Top 100 charts back in the day, as it was still nevertheless, a No.1.

[skooldem1]

Endless Love is a great love song. In fact it was so popular and stayed at number 1 for so long that it is one of those songs where it is "cool" to say you don't like it. Much like "I will always love you" by Whitney Houston.

[jobeterob]

I dont think the list is totally objective [[in chart analysis) but there is no question, the list is one of big hits.

[rovereab]

I like the song and chose it for the first dance at my wedding. I do wonder why there was no further collaboration between Diana and Lionel.

[Koach]

I prefer Dreaming of You. Of all her duets, I think All of You is my favorite.

[marv2]

I like the song and chose it for the first dance at my wedding. I do wonder why there was no further collaboration between Diana and Lionel.

He [[Lionel) said that he did not particularly care for the way she demanded to sing the parts of the song he had written for himself. Also that at Motown she was not friendly .She was aloof and unavailable.

That makes me wonder if he wrote "Missing You" for her or was it for someone else.

[skooldem1]

I like the song and chose it for the first dance at my wedding. I do wonder why there was no further collaboration between Diana and Lionel.

I guess it is because Endless Love is the most successful duet of all time. You can't top that. If they had tried it would always get compared to EL.

[RossHolloway]

Or maybe it had more to do with timing at the time. Diana was half way out the door when EL hit big on the charts. I couldn't imagine that BG would have been encouraging Lionel to do more recording with his prized run away star.

[smark21]

I guess it is because Endless Love is the most successful duet of all time. You can't top that. If they had tried it would always get compared to EL.

Chartwise that is. There have been many more interesting and artistically satisfying duets than Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie’s Endless Love. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell for starters.

[skooldem1]

My response was as to why DR/LR never recorded another duet. For the record there are many duets more satisfying than Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell also. This thread was celebrating the success of Endless Love. As usual we have Debbie Downers showing up. There are many vocal haters of this song, but there are millions more who obviously love it.

[smark21]

I don’t hate Endless Love. The song is schlocky and the lyrics are syrupy, but Ross and Ritchie turn in fine vocals and the song is perfect for a silly and trashy Brooke Shields movie. There are just far better love songs out there. That Billboard list is all about commercial sales, which is fine as it’s Billboard. I’m just not a Diana Ross fan who mindlessly worships at the altar of commercial success.

[florence]

In the end it's only a question of taste - what one likes another won't. No point in arguing about it.

I prefer her duet with LR to her solo version.

It's wonderful what you do - normally you hear the song when you see the film and then go and buy it but I went to see the film because Diana was singing the title tune! What a bad decsion - it was terrible.

I was puzzled at first why Touch me In The Morning supposedly her biggest selling solo single in the US wasn't in the list but then realised that the rule was that the word "love" had to appear in the title.

Endless Love is a worthy #1 in this list - topped the charts for nine weeks and went platinum with over 2m sales.

[marv2]

I don’t hate Endless Love. The song is schlocky and the lyrics are syrupy, but Ross and Ritchie turn in fine vocals and the song is perfect for a silly and trashy Brooke Shields movie. There are just far better love songs out there. That Billboard list is all about commercial sales, which is fine as it’s Billboard. I’m just not a Diana Ross fan who mindlessly worships at the altar of commercial success.

The song was perfect for "general consumption"! Overly simplistic lyrics sung with little to no soul..............

[soulster]

I've just got one thing to say: I hate that song!