Chords + Lyrics | Never Too Much
Intro
| A11 Ab11 A11 Bb11 |
||: B11 | B11 | Gmaj7 | Gmaj7 Em7 A11 |
| B11 | B11 | Gmaj7 |1. Em7 A11 Bb11 :||
|2. Gmaj7 Em7 A11 |
Verse 1
| B11 | B11 |
I can’t fool myself, I don’t want nobody else to ever love me.
| Gmaj7 | Gmaj7 Em7 A11 |
You are my shinin’ star, my guiding light, my love fantasy.
| B11 | B11 |
There’s not a minute, hour, day or night that I don’t love you.
| Gmaj7 | Gmaj7 Em7 A11 |
You’re at the top of my list ’cause I’m always thinkin’ of you.
Verse 2
I still remember in the days when I was scared to touch you.
How I spent my day dreamin’ plannin’ how to say I love you.
You must have known that I had feelings deep enough to swim in.
| Gmaj7 | Gmaj7 Em7 | 2/4 B11 Gmaj7 |
That’s when you opened up your heart and you told me to come in.
Chorus 1
||: 4/4 Em7 | Em7 Em7/F# | G | A B11 Gmaj7 :||
Oh, my love. A thousand kisses from you is never too much.
I just don’t wanna stop.
Oh, my love. A million days in your arms is never too much.
| Em7 | Em7 Em7/F# | G | A6 N.C | N.C A11 | 3/4 Ab11 A11 Bb11 |
I just don’t wanna stop. Too much, never too much, never too much, never too much.
Instrumental
||: 4/4 B11 | B11 | Gmaj7 | Gmaj7 Em7 A11 :||
Verse 3 (as verse 1)
Woke up today, looked at your picture just to get me started.
I called you up, but you weren’t there and I was broken hearted.
Hung up the phone, can’t be too late, the boss is so demandin’.
Opened the door up and to my surprise, there you were standin’.
Verse 4 (as verse 2)
Well, who needs to go to work to hustle for another dollar.
I’d rather be with you ’cause you make my heart scream and holler.
Love is a gamble and I’m so glad that I’m winnin’.
We’ve come a long way and yet this is only the beginnin’.
Chorus 2
||: Em7 | Em7 Em7/F# | G | A B11 :||
Oh, my love. A thousand kisses from you is never too much.
(Never too much, never too much, never too much) I just don’t wanna stop.
Oh, my love. A million days in your arms is never too much.
(Never too much, never too much, never too much) And I just don’t wanna stop.
Oh, my love. A thousand kisses from you is never.
Never, never, never (never too much, never too much, never too much). I just don’t wanna stop.
Oh, my love. A million days in your arms is never too much.
Never Too Much Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
I created two backing tracks for Never Too Much using AI to extract the chords. Practice along with this and the chord chart to get yourself ready for performing this classic with a band.
The second video in the playlist has no vocals, the first which does is blocked in some countries due to copyright restrictions.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
In the key of D/Bm, Never Too Much heavily relies on other chords from these keys.
By disguising that the B is minor and extending the other chords, we get a slick-sounding chord progression which we must break down section per section to get to terms with.
We even have to look at how these chords could be named in different ways in order to fully understand what is going on here. Let’s start with the intro.
Intro
Similar to Sir Duke, we have the same chord moving chromatically, but instead of being a 9, it’s a bigger chord. Depending on who you ask, these chords may be described using different names so let’s look at three possibilities.
- A11 – Ab11 – A11 – Bb11
- G/A – Gb/Ab – G/A – Ab/Bb
- A9sus4 – Ab9sus4 – A9sus4 – Bb9sus4
What’s important to understand with all these chords is that, as seen from the bass note, there is no 3rd. So when the next chord arrives, which could be described as a B11, A/B, or B9sus4. We don’t have a 3rd, should there be one, it’s minor.
Verse
Next, we have a progression that is also the verse, it looks like this:
||: B11 (VI) | B11 | Gmaj7 (IV) | Gmaj7 Em7 (II) A11 (V) :||
Remember the B11 doesn’t have a 3rd, it’s a minor chord should you want to add one. As a chord fill, make it B minor pentatonic or B Dorian.
If you were 100% locked in on music theory it should be B Aeolian but that would be less jazz and if you study the TAB, you’ll find the licks are B Dorian.
Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Never Too Much – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Gmaj7 could also be a Gmaj9. A11, or whatever you prefer calling it should be played in the same way as the B11, just a tone below.
Chorus
The chorus is easier to get along with, even though there are seemingly more chords.
||: Em7 (II) | Em7 Em7/F# | G (IV) | A (V) B11 (VI) :||
The Em7 is chord II, so this chorus is in Dorian, which makes sense theoretically. When we had B Dorian it didn’t, that was a modal interchange.
The G and A chords are just simple triads. The B11 should really be a B9omit3 which could also be described as an A6/B, extremely similar to a B11, just having an F# instead of an E in it.
At first, I did insist on calling it this but then I came to my senses and just went with B11 as that’s not wrong, sometimes naming chords just becomes too much, and it’s better to leave that kind of detail to the TAB.
Anyway, the last line looks like this.
| Em (II) | Em7 Em7/F# | G (IV) | A6 (V) N.C |
| N.C A11 | 3/4 Ab11 (#IV) A11 (V) Bb11 (#V) |
We start in the same way but then play an A6, then rest, hold the A11 for two beats, and then play the chromatic 11 chords in a 3/4 bar before we repeat the intro, starting on B11.
This is a test in most bands, do you know this part then that means you’ve done this before, if not, you’re new to the game!
Here’s a chord chart (same as in the backing track videos) once you can pay the TAB, this will make complete sense.
Never Too Much Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you’d like to download my chord chart, here’s the PDF: Never Too Much chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iReal Pro, and here’s a link to the file: Never Too Much iReal Pro.
With this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key. I’ve had to play Never Too Much in the key of Am/C a few times, and I must admit, I didn’t enjoy that!
Never Too Much TAB | Course Preview
In the course, you get TAB for all sections of Never Too Much, below is an example of what this looks like displaying the verse.
Notice how the it’s almost just one note throughout, the different chords are played by the keyboards. Play along with the backing track and the original recording to get the feel right.
A modern standard
Luther Vandross‘s Never Too Much is so frequently featured on cover bands’ setlists that it can be compared to classics like Respect, Mustang Sally, I Feel Good, All Night Long, and Valerie.
If you want to be a working guitarist, learning to play the correct chords for Never Too Much is essential. Study the chords alongside the lyrics and dive into the meaning behind the progression. Pair this with memorising the TAB to ensure you’re well-prepared.
Released in 1981, Never Too Much was Luther Vandross’s lead single from his debut album. It went straight to #1 and earned two Grammy nominations. On the iconic “Best 500 Songs” list, it claimed the #466 spot.
Still a regular on the radio and among DJs, it’s Soul Bands, especially those at weddings, who have truly made this song their own. If you’re a guitarist, you simply must learn how to play it.
Never Too Much Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Never Too Much (Luther Vandross) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
