1983 · Behind the Songs
Two voices, one farewell — Dionne and Luther share the goodbye.
“How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye” was the title song of Dionne Warwick’s 1983 album, and a genuine duet: Luther Vandross sings it with her, not behind her. By 1983 Vandross was a solo star in his own right — “Never Too Much” had made him the defining male voice of early-1980s R&B — and he co-produced the album with Narada Michael Walden. The pairing made sense on paper: Warwick’s precision and Vandross’s warmth are both built on control, and the song gives each of them a verse to plead their case before they join on the chorus.
The album continued the second act Warwick had started a few years earlier with “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” and “Déjà Vu” — both already covered on this site — records that returned her to the charts after the quieter mid-1970s. A duet title track was a smart centerpiece: it let her share the spotlight with the singer who was carrying the quiet-storm torch she had helped light. The song wasn’t her biggest hit, but as a meeting of two stylists at the top of their games, it is one of the most elegant farewells in her catalog.