LOVE TRAX: This Classic Was Supposed To Be Instrumental

Today’s THROWBACK LOVE TRAX features a surprise we didn’t see coming!

“Endless Love,” the 1981 song that Billboard called the greatest song duet of all time, almost didn’t happen!

Richie met with movie producer Jon Peters and director Franco Zeffirelli. They wanted Richie to do a song for their new movie, “Endless Love.”

Richie wrote the song but originally intended for it to be instrumental. (There is an instrumental version on the soundtrack!)

Richie said that once it was written, producers came to him and said there was a spot where a woman could sing one verse.

Then, they changed their minds again and said it needed to be a duet.

They said they had Diana Ross lined up to do the female part, and who did Richie want to do the male part?

Um, hello? Lionel said it had to be him, of course!

He said they recorded the song at 3am and the rest was history!

It was No. 1 for nine weeks, and was nominated for an Oscar.

We’re including a video of Richie and Ross performing the song at the Oscars, and also the trailer for the movie, starring Brooke Shields and a very young Tom Cruise!