"The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by songwriters Michael Masser, who composed the music, and Linda Creed, who wrote the lyrics. It was originally recorded in 1977 by American singer and guitarist George Benson, who made the song a substantial hit, peaking at number 2 on the US R&B chart that year, the first R&B chart Top Ten hit for Arista Records. The song was written and recorded to be the main theme of the 1977 film The Greatest, a biopic of the boxer Muhammad Ali. Eight years after Benson's original recording, the song became even more well known for a version by Whitney Houston, whose 1985 cover (with the slightly amended title "Greatest Love of All") eventually topped the charts, peaking at number 1 in Australia, Canada, U.S. and on the US R&B chart in 1986, also by Arista Records.
The original recording by Benson was released in 1977 in the U.S., Japan, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Brazil, Netherlands, U.K. and in Thailand, on an extended play (EP). He officially recorded the song four times; in addition to the studio single, Benson also recorded three live versions, the last time in a duet with Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti in 2001.
Background and composition
Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All - Whitney Houston's official music video for 'Greatest Love Of All'. Click to listen to Whitney Houston on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/WhitneyHSpotify?IQ... As featured ...
The song's music was composed by Michael Masser, and its lyrics were written the late Linda Creed, in 1976 for The Greatest, a film based on the life of former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. According to the Los Angeles Times, after he had been asked to write the song for the movie, Masser felt drawn to Jerusalem, even though he was not a religious man, "to get the feelings--not just my own." Masser also told the L. A. 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 the war 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.
In an interview with Ocala 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." Masser also told the L. A. 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. 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." He was later accused by Gordon Lightfoot of plagiarizing 24 bars of his 1971 hit "If You Could Read My Mind," but Lightfoot eventually dropped the suit out of respect for singer Whitney Houston.
The George Benson version, 1977
The original version of "The Greatest Love of All" was recorded in 1977 by Benson and originally released on the soundtrack album for The Greatest. The song was released as a single in the same year and was a substantial hit, reaching at number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart, becoming the first R&B Top Ten hit for Arista Records. The single also reached positions number 3 on the Cash Box Top 100 R&B and number 4 on the Record World R&B Singles. In other charts, the single was between positions number 22 and number 29 in the U.S., 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, one of his many collections, released in 2003, is called The Greatest Hits of All.
(Another selection from the film soundtrack among the same lines, again with Masser's music and Creed's lyrics, and again performed by Benson, was called "I Always Knew I Had It In Me." This, selection mumber 2 on the soundtrack album, was not released as a single.)
Charts Positions
The original version of "The Greatest Love of All" recorded in 1977 by George Benson reached the following positions:
Track listing
- The full length of "The Greatest Love of All" on the album The Greatest is 5:32. The length of 3:29 on the 7" single is an edited version of the song.
Personnel
- Writer â€" Michael Masser, Linda Creed
- Arranger â€" Michael Masser, Lee Holdridge
- Conductor, Orchestrated by â€" Lee Holdridge
- Producer â€" Michael Masser
- Lead Vocal - George Benson
- Piano â€" Michael Masser
- Guitar â€" Lee Ritenour
- Drums â€" Harvey Mason
- Bass â€" Stanley Banks
George Benson and Luciano Pavarotti
On May 29, 2001, the Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti performed the concert "Pavarotti & Friends" in his hometown of Modena, Italy. To raise money for refugees from Afghanistan under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this concert called "Pavarotti & Friends for Afghanistan" featured guest artists, one of them being his friend George Benson. 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, and was recorded and released in CD in 2001. The song was credited with the original title "The Greatest Love of All" recorded by Benson.
Versions of the single in other countries
The original single of "The Greatest Love of All" by George Benson has also been released in several other countries, as shown in the chart below.
Single with "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)"
In July 1984, a single was released in the UK by label Old Gold, with "The Greatest Love of All". Benson's original recording remained on the A-side of the single, and on the B-side was another hit single of another artist: "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" by Tom Browne, originally released in 1980.
The Floating Gold EP in Thailand
In 1977, an extended play (EP) with four successful soul music songs from that year was released in Thailand. The EP was called Floating Gold, released by label Royalsound, in reference to the song "Float On" by the Floaters, the first track of the EP. The second track was the Manhattans' "We Never Danced To Love Song" and the third was the Brothers Johnson's "Strawberry Letter 23". To finish the EP, the fourth track was "The Greatest Love of All" by George Benson.
The Whitney Houston version, 1986
The song was further popularized by Whitney Houston under the title "Greatest Love of All," without the "The." The song was recorded by the American recording artist for her self-titled debut album, which was released in February 1985 by Arista Records. 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)". All three songs, in order of their former popularity, re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart, after Houston's death in 2012, debuting the same week at numbers 7, 35 and 41, respectively, giving Houston three posthumous chart hits.
Clive Davis, founder of Houston's label Arista 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 the B-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 spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May of that year.
Houston's album version features a piano intro, while the single version begins with a keyboard intro. After the single became a success, it replaced the original album version on subsequent pressings of the album. However, the original version was restored for the 2010 Deluxe Anniversary Edition reissue of the album and international releases.
Her live performance in 1990 in the 15th anniversary of Arista Records concert in Radio City Music Hall was included in the 25th anniversary deluxe edition of Whitney Houston and the 2014 CD/DVD release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances.
Background
Whitney Houston was still an unknown hopeful when then the president of Arista Records, Clive Davis, and Masser heard her sing "Greatest Love" in a New York club on Amsterdam Avenue at about 68th St. a few years before her debut. Davis later described the first time he heard Houston sing:
I went down there [Sweetwater's club] instead of having her audition in a studio; I was seeing her before an audience. She did backup singing and you could see she was a beautiful young girl. But then she stepped out and she did two solo numbers, one of which was the song "The Greatest Love of All." Whitney sang the song with such fervor, with such a natural vocal gift, with such passion, that I was stunned. I knew really right then and there that this was a special talent and I was blown away by her. As I reflect back on this, I can relive the exprience for the very first time. There was no hesitation. I wanted to sign Whitney.
Masser said, "When I first met Whitney, she was about 19 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 doing Teddy 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." (The eventual duet between Pendergrass and Houston to which Masser referred, which served as Houston's debut single, was titled "Hold Me In Your Arms.")
Music video
Houston's music video was filmed at Harlem's Apollo 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 mother Cissy Houston playing herself, supporting a young Whitney, as well as hugging present Whitney 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.
Reception
Critical reception
Many critics called the song the centerpiece of Houston's debut album. Stephen Holden of The 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. Don Shewey of Rolling 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."
Chart performance
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 the Billboard Hot 100. 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. 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, the Hot 100 Singles Sales and the Hot 100 Airplay, her second consecutive release to do so, and stayed for 14 weeks inside the top 40. On other Billboard charts, Houston also performed well, reaching number three on the R&B chart. The song topped the adult contemporary chart for five weeks, Houston's longest stay at the top of that chart at the time. The song ranked No. 11 on Billboard's year end pop singles chart. Houston's single fared well globally as well, reaching No. 8 in the United Kingdom and the top ten or No. 1 in several other European countries. It became her first No. 1 single in Australia. After her death, the single returned to the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 41.
Accolades
Houston won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Video Single, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and a Soul Train Music Award for Single of the Year.
Controversy
In April 1987, Gordon Lightfoot filed a lawsuit against Michael 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 to Maclean'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." Lightfoot has stated that he dropped the suit when he felt it was having a negative effect on Whitney Houston, as the suit was about Masser and not her.
Track listing
- US vinyl/7"/Single
- A "Greatest Love of All" â€" 4:51
- B "Thinking About You" â€" 4:06
Personnel
- Writer â€" Michael Masser, Linda Creed
- Producer â€" Michael Masser
- Arranger â€" Gene Page, Jr.
- The players â€" Robbie Buchanan, Nathan East, Dann Huff, Paul Jackson, Jr., Randy Kerber, Richard Marx, Lou Shelton, Debbie Thomas, Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Oren Waters, John Robinson
- Mixer â€" Bill Schnee
- Engineers â€" Michael Mancini, Russell Schmitt
Charts and certifications
References
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
- Benson's "The Greatest Love of All" music video (from The Greatest) on YouTube
- Benson's "The Greatest Love of All" page at Discogs
- Benson's "The Greatest Love of All" page at 45cat
- Houston's "Greatest Love of All" music video on YouTube
- Houston's "Greatest Love of All" page at Discogs
