Studio Album · No. 3
Your Secret Love Songwriting Credits by Luther Vandross
Produced by Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Nat Adderley Jr. · Engineered by Ray Bardani, David Ward, Al Schmitt, Max Risenhoover, Ted Jensen, Mike Baumgartner, Kyle Bess, Paul Falcone, Greg Denon, Mark Eshelman, Sue McLean, Pat Weber
Epic
Contemporary R&BSoul
Songwriter
67%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 8 of 12 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 8 / 12 documented
Who wrote the songs?
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Luther Vandross carries a lyricist or composer credit.
8 trackswritten by Luther Vandross
4 tracksoutside writers
Luther Vandross's roles on this album
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
Lyricist67%
Composer67%
Producer100%
Performer100%
By the Numbers
12
Tracks
12
Lyricists
3
Producers
1996
Released
Data Insight
Vandross has a writing credit on eight of the twelve songs, and on only three of those is he alone. "Your Secret Love" and "Too Proud to Beg" are shared with keyboardist Reed Vertelney, "It's Hard for Me to Say" with Skip Anderson, and "I Can Make It Better" and "Nobody to Love" with Marcus Miller. Four tracks are not his writing at all. "Crazy Love" comes from the outside team of David Lasley, Robin Lerner, Marsha Malamet and Allan Rich; "I Can't Wait No Longer (Let's Do This)" is credited to Miller and Deidra Roper with no Vandross share; and the record ends on two covers, Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet" and the Randazzo and Weinstein standard "Goin' Out of My Head". His name stands by itself on "Love Don't Love You Anymore", "Whether or Not the World Gets Better" and "This Time I'm Right", and nowhere else.
Vandross cut his eleventh studio album at Camel Island Studios in Los Angeles between October 1995 and July 1996, with the orchestra taped at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City. He produced all twelve tracks himself and shared the desk with Marcus Miller on three and Nat Adderley Jr. on the two closing covers. It was his last record for Epic after fifteen years, and the title track won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 39th Grammy Awards.
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
Written by the artist
Written by outside writers
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Your Secret Love
#5
|
Luther VandrossReed Vertelney | Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.Reed Vertelney | Luther Vandross | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement, Arrangement)Reed Vertelney (Keyboards, Bass, Drum programming, String programming, Arrangement)Skip Anderson (Additional keyboards, Bass, Strings, Arrangement)Paul Jackson Jr. (Guitar)Ivan Hampden Jr. (Additional programming)Tawatha Agee (Backing vocals)Paulette McWilliams (Backing vocals)Cindy Mizelle (Backing vocals)Brenda White-King (Backing vocals) |
| 2 |
Love Don't Love You Anymore
|
Luther Vandross | Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. | Luther Vandross | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement)Skip Anderson (Keyboards, Bass, Drums, Synth strings)Paul Jackson Jr. (Guitar)Paulinho da Costa (Percussion)Leon Pendarvis (String arrangement)Lisa Fischer (Backing vocals)David Lasley (Backing vocals)Cheryl Lynn (Backing vocals)Tawatha Agee (Backing vocals)Paulette McWilliams (Backing vocals)Cindy Mizelle (Backing vocals)Brenda White-King (Backing vocals) |
| 3 |
It's Hard for Me to Say
|
Luther VandrossSkip Anderson | Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.John Anderson | Luther Vandross | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement)Skip Anderson (Acoustic piano, Bass, Drums, Strings)Paul Jackson Jr. (Guitar)Paulinho da Costa (Percussion)Tawatha Agee (Backing vocals)Paulette McWilliams (Backing vocals)Cindy Mizelle (Backing vocals)Brenda White-King (Backing vocals) |
| 4 |
Crazy Love
|
David LasleyRobin LernerMarsha MalametAllan Rich | David LasleyRobin LernerMarsha MalametAllan Rich | Luther Vandross | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals)Jeremy Lubbock (Orchestra arrangement, Conductor)Skip Anderson (Piano)Paulinho da Costa (Percussion)Mark Hollingsworth (Flute)Darryl Richards (Flute)Jules Chaikin (Orchestra contractor) |
| 5 |
I Can Make It Better
#15
|
Luther VandrossMarcus Miller | Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. | Luther VandrossMarcus Miller | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement)Marcus Miller (All instruments, Programming)David Ward (Additional programming)Paul Jackson Jr. (Additional guitar)Leon Pendarvis (String arrangement)Alfred Brown (String contractor)Lisa Fischer (Backing vocals)Cissy Houston (Backing vocals)Tawatha Agee (Backing vocals)Paulette McWilliams (Backing vocals)Cindy Mizelle (Backing vocals)Brenda White-King (Backing vocals) |
| 6 |
Too Proud to Beg
|
Luther VandrossReed Vertelney | Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.Reed Vertelney | Luther Vandross | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement, Arrangement)Reed Vertelney (Keyboards, Bass, Drums, Strings, Arrangement)Skip Anderson (Arrangement)Paul Jackson Jr. (Guitar)Paulinho da Costa (Percussion)Tawatha Agee (Backing vocals)Paulette McWilliams (Backing vocals)Cindy Mizelle (Backing vocals)Brenda White-King (Backing vocals) |
| 7 |
I Can't Wait No Longer (Let's Do This)
|
Marcus MillerDeidra "Spin" Roper | William Henry Marcus Miller Jr.Deidra Muriel Roper | Luther VandrossMarcus Miller | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Backing vocals)Deidra "Spin" Roper (Rap)Marcus Miller (All instruments, Programming, Arrangement, Backing vocals) |
| 8 |
Nobody to Love
|
Luther VandrossMarcus Miller | Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. | Luther VandrossMarcus Miller | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement)Marcus Miller (Keyboards, Guitar, Programming, Arrangement)David Ward (Programming)Paul Jackson Jr. (Acoustic guitar)Nat Adderley Jr. (Vibraphone solo)Tawatha Agee (Backing vocals)Paulette McWilliams (Backing vocals)Cindy Mizelle (Backing vocals)Brenda White-King (Backing vocals) |
| 9 |
Whether or Not the World Gets Better
|
Luther Vandross | Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. | Luther Vandross | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement, Arrangement)Lisa Fischer (Lead vocals, Duet vocals)Nat Adderley Jr. (Acoustic piano, Arrangement)Skip Anderson (Synthesizers, Synth orchestra, Recreated drums, Arrangement)Yogi Horton (Drums)Marcus Miller (Bass)Paul Jackson Jr. (Guitar)Paulinho da Costa (Percussion) |
| 10 |
This Time I'm Right
|
Luther Vandross | Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. | Luther Vandross | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement)Skip Anderson (Keyboards, Bass, Drums, Arrangement)Nat Adderley Jr. (Arrangement)Marcus Miller (Bass)Paul Jackson Jr. (Guitar)Paulinho da Costa (Percussion)Cheryl Lynn (Backing vocals)Lisa Fischer (Backing vocals)David Lasley (Backing vocals)Tawatha Agee (Backing vocals)Paulette McWilliams (Backing vocals)Cindy Mizelle (Backing vocals)Brenda White-King (Backing vocals) |
| 11 |
Knocks Me Off My Feet
|
Stevie Wonder | Stevland Hardaway Morris | Luther VandrossNat Adderley Jr. | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals)Nat Adderley Jr. (Keyboards, Synth bass, Arrangement)Ivan Hampden Jr. (Drums, Percussion)Paul Jackson Jr. (Guitar)Alfred Brown (String contractor) |
| 12 |
Goin' Out of My Head
|
Teddy RandazzoBobby Weinstein | Alessandro Carmelo RandazzoRobert Weinstein | Luther VandrossNat Adderley Jr. | Luther Vandross (Lead vocals, Vocal arrangement)Nat Adderley Jr. (Acoustic piano, Arrangement)Marcus Miller (Bass)Ivan Hampden Jr. (Drums)Paul Jackson Jr. (Guitar)Kirk Whalum (Saxophone solo)Alfred Brown (String contractor)Cissy Houston (Backing vocals)Fonzi Thornton (Backing vocals)Tawatha Agee (Backing vocals)Paulette McWilliams (Backing vocals)Cindy Mizelle (Backing vocals)Brenda White-King (Backing vocals) |
Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 40 contributors
LV
Luther Vandross
Writer · Producer · Vocals
LR
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.
Writer
MM
Marcus Miller
Writer · Producer · Vocals
WH
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr.
Writer
RV
Reed Vertelney
Writer · Keyboards
AC
Alessandro Carmelo Randazzo
Writer
AR
Allan Rich
Writer
BW
Bobby Weinstein
Writer
DL
David Lasley
Writer · Vocals
D"
Deidra "Spin" Roper
Writer · Rap
DM
Deidra Muriel Roper
Writer
JA
John Anderson
Writer
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Frequently Asked Questions Your Secret Love
Did Luther Vandross write Your Secret Love?
He wrote or co-wrote eight of the twelve tracks. Three are his alone, five have co-writers, and the other four were written by other people.
Which songs on the album are covers?
Two. "Knocks Me Off My Feet" is a Stevie Wonder song, and "Goin' Out of My Head" was written by Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein for Little Anthony and the Imperials in 1964.
Who produced Your Secret Love?
Vandross produced every track and was also executive producer. Marcus Miller co-produced tracks 5, 7 and 8, and Nat Adderley Jr. co-produced the two closing covers. Ray Bardani recorded and mixed it, and Ted Jensen mastered it.
Who raps on "I Can't Wait No Longer (Let's Do This)"?
Deidra "Spin" Roper, better known as Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa. She also co-wrote the track with Marcus Miller, and Vandross has no writing credit on it.
Did the album win a Grammy?
The title track won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997 and was also nominated for Best R&B Song.
How did Your Secret Love chart?
Number 9 on the Billboard 200, number 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and number 14 in the UK.
How well did it sell?
It is certified platinum by the RIAA, silver by the BPI and gold in Canada. No sold figure is published on the pages cited here.
Data note: Two title variants are in circulation for track 2. Wikipedia, Genius, Deezer and the 1996 Epic promo 12-inch (EAS 9939) all call it "Love Don't Love You Anymore", which is used here; Discogs and MusicBrainz transcribe the album sleeve as "Love Don't Hurt You Anymore". The instrument credits in the Wikipedia personnel section are numbered against the 10-track vinyl edition, which drops "Crazy Love" and "This Time I'm Right", so they are renumbered here to the 12-track CD sequence and checked against the Discogs and Genius per-track credits. Genius additionally lists Leon Pendarvis among the backing vocalists on "This Time I'm Right"; he is credited only as a string arranger everywhere else on the record, so that one credit is left out.
Sources
Wikipedia: Your Secret Love
Wikipedia: Your Secret Love (song)
Wikipedia: I Can Make It Better
Wikipedia: Teddy Randazzo
Wikipedia: Bobby Weinstein
Wikipedia: Marcus Miller
Wikipedia: Stevie Wonder
Discogs: Your Secret Love, Europe CD (Epic 484383 2)
Discogs: Your Secret Love, US LP with itemized per-track credits (Epic E 67553)
Discogs: Your Secret Love, US CD, 12-track per-track credits (Epic EK 67553)
Discogs: Love Don't Love You Anymore promo 12-inch (Epic EAS 9939)
Discogs: Your Secret Love master versions
MusicBrainz: Your Secret Love release group
MusicBrainz: Your Secret Love release with recordings
Cover Art Archive: Your Secret Love release group
Genius: Crazy Love credits
Genius: Whether or Not the World Gets Better credits
Genius: This Time I'm Right credits
Genius: Knocks Me Off My Feet credits
Genius: Goin' Out of My Head credits
Genius: Love Don't Love You Anymore credits
Deezer: Your Secret Love album metadata
Cover Art Archive: Your Secret Love by Luther Vandross