| "The Greatest Love of All" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byGeorge Benson | ||||
| from the albumThe Greatest soundtrack | ||||
| B-side | "Ali's Theme" | |||
| Released | June 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Arista | |||
| Composer | Michael Masser | |||
| Lyricist | Linda Creed | |||
| Producer | Michael Masser | |||
| George Benson singles chronology | ||||
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"The Greatest Love of All" is a song written byMichael Masser, who composed the music, andLinda Creed, who wrote the lyrics. It was originally recorded in 1977 byGeorge Benson, who made the song a substantial hit, peaking at number two on the USHot Soul Singles chart that year, the first R&B chart top-ten hit forArista Records. The song was written and recorded to be the main theme of the 1977 filmThe Greatest, a biopic of the boxerMuhammad Ali, and is performed during the opening credits.[1]
Benson's original recording was released in 1977 in the United States, Japan, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Brazil, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Thailand, on anextended play (EP).[2] He officially recorded the song four times; in addition to the studio single, Benson also recorded three live versions,[3][4] the last time in a duet withLuciano Pavarotti in 2001.[5] Since 1977, a great number of artists have recorded this song, includingShirley Bassey,Oleta Adams,Alexandra Burke,Deborah Cox,Ferrante & Teicher andKevin Rowland.
Eight years after Benson's original recording, the song became even more well known whenWhitney Houston's1985 cover (with the slightly amended title "Greatest Love of All") eventually topped the charts, peaking at number one in the United States, Australia, Canada and on the US R&B chart in early 1986.
The song's music was composed byMichael Masser, and its lyrics were written byLinda Creed, in 1976 forThe Greatest.[6] According to theLos Angeles Times, after he had been asked to write the song for the movie, Masser felt drawn toJerusalem, even though he was not a religious man, "to get the feelings—not just my own."[clarification needed] Masser also told theLos Angeles Times his special feelings about Ali:
Here was a man who wanted to change his name and religion. That's all. Ali hadn't believed in thewar in Vietnam and had refused to fight in it. He won that battle through the legal system. Still, he lost everything—including his title. But Ali retained the most important thing of all—his dignity.[6]
In an interview with theOcala Star-Banner in 1988, similarly, Masser said that "He (Ali) represented to me a tremendous athlete who suffered prejudice from the white man's world. He didn't give up what he believed even though he lost his title."[7] Masser also told theLos Angeles Times that the song had another personal meaning for him to give up a legal career to pursue his interest in music, adding, "People thought I was crazy. I had to starve. Had no money. Marriage broke up. But I had to do what I'd wanted to do since I was 6... write music." Upon his return from Jerusalem, he contracted with lyricist Creed to work on the song and wrote it right from the heart, with Creed drawing inspiration from her family.[8] Then Masser had George Benson perform the song for the soundtrack. He said, "The record came out and the song became an underground theme for black people."[6][7]
Benson recorded "The Greatest Love of All" for thesoundtrack album ofThe Greatest. The song was released as a single in the same year and was a substantial hit, reaching number 2 on theBillboard R&B chart, the first R&B Top Ten hit forArista Records, and ended the year at position 33.[9] The single also reached positions number 3 on theCash BoxTop 100 R&B and number 4 on theRecord World R&B Singles. In other charts, the single was between positions number 22 and number 29 in the US, number 27 in the UK, and number 25 and 42 in Canada. "The Greatest Love of All" is one of George Benson's most successful hits, and for this reason was included in two of his many collections,The Greatest Hits of All[10] andThe Very Best of George Benson: The Greatest Hits of All.[11]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| "Greatest Love of All" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byWhitney Houston | ||||
| from the albumWhitney Houston | ||||
| B-side | "Thinking About You" | |||
| Released | March 18, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | December 1984 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Composer | Michael Masser | |||
| Lyricist | Linda Creed | |||
| Producer | Michael Masser | |||
| Whitney Houston singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Greatest Love of All" onYouTube | ||||
The song was further popularized by American singerWhitney Houston under the title "Greatest Love of All", without the definite article "The". The song was recorded in December 1984 for her 1985self-titled debut studioalbum. The song became a major hit, topping the charts in Australia, Canada and the US, while reaching the top 20 in most countries, including Italy, Sweden and the UK. It remains her third biggest US hit, after "I Will Always Love You" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)".[26] The three songs re-entered theBillboard Hot 100 chart after Houston's death in 2012, in order of their former popularity, debuting the same week at numbers 7, 35 and 41, respectively, giving Houston three posthumous chart hits.[27]
Clive Davis, founder of Houston's labelArista Records, was initially against Houston recording the song for her debut studio album,Whitney Houston, but he eventually gave in after persuasion from Houston and Masser. It was released as theB-side to the single "You Give Good Love", a previous Top 5 hit by Houston. The song, eventually released as a single in its own right on March 18, 1986, was the seventh release from Houston's debut album, and eventually topped theBillboard Hot 100 for the week of May 17, 1986. It would spend three cumulative weeks atop the chart.[28][29] It spent 14 weeks inside the top 40, includingseven weeks in the top ten, spending an initial 18 weeks on the charts. Upon its return to the charts in the aftermath of Houston's death, the song reentered the Hot 100 on February 25 and charted for an additional second week on March 3 at numbers 41 and 36 respectively, eventually accumulating 20 weeks including 15 weeks in the top 40.[30][31] The single cemented Houston's status as aglobal pop star.
Her live performance in 1990 inthe 15th anniversary of Arista Records concert inRadio City Music Hall was included in the 25th anniversary deluxe edition ofWhitney Houston and the 2014 CD/DVD release,Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances.[32]
Masser said, "When I first met Whitney in 1981–82, she was about 19 or 20 and unknown. I went into Sweetwater's, and I thought I must be totally out of it—I said, 'I must be going crazy, I think I'm hearing one of my songs.' She was singing 'The Greatest Love of All' just as I walked in, and that meant something to me. Two and a half years later when I was doingTeddy Pendergrass there was a duet and everybody wanted me to use this or that known person. Only because I had heard Whitney singing 'The Greatest Love of All'. I chose her."[7]
Houston's music video was filmed atHarlem'sApollo Theater in New York City. In the video, she is a successful singer who is about to perform in front of an audience. She reminisces about the time when she was a child performing in a talent competition and receiving encouragement from her mother. The video features Houston's motherCissy Houston playing herself, supporting a young Houston, as well as hugging present Houston at the end of the video. It was directed by Peter Israelson, filmed with James Contner as DP and Steadicam operator Robin Buerki shooting 35mm film. In February 2020, the music video was restored in4K.[33]
Many critics called the song the centerpiece of Houston's debut album.Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times wrote that "Houston sings it with a forceful directness that gives its message of self-worth an astounding resonance and conviction" and called the song a compelling assertion of spiritual devotion, black pride, and family loyalty, all at once.[34] Don Shewey ofRolling Stone wrote that as the song builds, Houston "slowly pours on the soul, slips in some churchy phrasing, holds notes a little longer and shows off her glorious voice."[35]
Benson's 1977 version was an R&B hit, reaching number 2 on the R&B chart. It was a moderate pop hit, making the top 40 on theBillboard Hot 100.[36] Houston's version reached number one on the Hot 100 chart for three weeks in 1986. The single was the fourth hit (and third number 1) from her debut album, she became the first female artist to score three number ones from one album.[37]
To date, this song was her second longest stay atop this chart, behind 1992's "I Will Always Love You". The song also reached number one on both component charts, theHot 100 Singles Sales and theHot 100 Airplay, her second consecutive release to do so, and stayed for 14 weeks inside the top 40. On otherBillboard charts, Houston also performed well, reaching number three on theR&B chart. The song topped theadult contemporary chart for five weeks, Houston's longest stay at the top of that chart at the time.[36] The song ranked No. 11 onBillboard's year end pop singles chart.[38]
After her death, the single returned to theBillboard Hot 100, debuting at number 41, the next week it re-entered the top 40 at number 36, earning a 15th week inside the top 40.[39]
Houston's version of the song was featured in thefirst season ofRuPaul's Drag Race, being performed by contestants Akashia andShannel in a "lipsync for your life".
Houston won theAmerican Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Video Single, and was nominated for aGrammy Award for Record of the Year and aSoul Train Music Award for Single of the Year.[40][41][42]
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Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[80] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[81] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[82] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[83] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
A number of other artists have covered this song, includingShirley Bassey,Oleta Adams,Alexandra Burke,Deborah Cox,Lea Salonga,Ferrante & Teicher,Kevin Rowland andJane Olivor.[84][85]
On May 29, 2001, the Italian operatic tenorLuciano Pavarotti performed the concert "Pavarotti & Friends" in his hometown ofModena, Italy.[86] Intended to raise money for refugees fromAfghanistan under theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this concert was called "Pavarotti & Friends for Afghanistan" and featured various guest artists, one of them being his friendGeorge Benson.[86] The song performed in duet by the two was Benson's song "The Greatest Love of All", sung in parts by Benson in English and elsewhere by Pavarotti in Italian. This complete concert "Pavarotti & Friends for Afghanistan" raised $3.3 million for its cause,[87] and was recorded and released in CD in 2001.[86] The song was credited with the original title "The Greatest Love of All" recorded by Benson.[86]
A performance of "The Greatest Love of All" is a major plot point in the 2016 German comedy-dramaToni Erdmann, where the song is sung bySandra Hüller.
According to thesampling database site,WhoSampled, the George Benson version has been covered 24 times, while the Whitney Houston version has been covered 53 times.[88][89]
In April 1987,Gordon Lightfoot filed a lawsuit againstMichael Masser, alleging that Masser's song "The Greatest Love of All" stole twenty-four bars from Lightfoot's 1970 hit "If You Could Read My Mind". According toMaclean's, Lightfoot commented, "It really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't want the present-day generation to think that I stole my song from him."[90] Lightfoot has stated that he dropped the suit when he felt it was having a negative effect on Houston, as the suit was about Masser and not her.[91] Ultimately the case was settled out of court and Masser issued a public apology.[92]
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