Greatest Love of All

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"The Greatest Love of All"
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album Whitney Houston
Released	April 1986
Format	CD single Cassette single 7" single 12" single
Recorded	1984
Genre	Soul, Soft rock
Length	4:52
Label	Arista Records
Writer(s)	Michael Masser Linda Creed
Producer	Narada Michael Walden
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"How Will I Know" (1985) "Greatest Love of All" (1986) "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (1987)

"Greatest Love of All" is an inspirational song written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed. Creed wrote the lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer. The words describe her feelings about coping with a terminal illness and being a young mother. Creed eventually succumbed to the disease in April 1986 (at the age of 37).

The song was the fourth and final single released from Whitney Houston's self-titled multi-platinum debut studio album, Whitney Houston. The single, released in April 1986, spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May of that year.^[1] Clive Davis, founder of Houston's label Arista Records, was initially against Houston recording the song, but he eventually gave in after persuasion from Houston and Masser. The song was first included as the B-side to the single "You Give Good Love", another Top 5 hit by Houston.

Houston's original album version features a piano intro, while the single version begins with a keyboard intro. After the single became a success, it replaced the album version on subsequent copies of the album.

Chart information

The song had originally been recorded by George Benson for the 1977 Muhammad Ali film The Greatest. Benson's version was a moderate hit, reaching #2 on the R&B chart and making the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[2]

Houston's single reached number one on the Hot 100 chart for three weeks in 1986. The single was the fourth hit (and third #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 fourteen weeks in the top forty.

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 the chart at the time.^[2] The song ranked #11 on Billboard's year end pop singles chart.^[3]

Houston's single fared well internationally as well, reaching #8 in the United Kingdom and the top ten or #1 in several other European countries. It became her first #1 single in Australia.

Houston won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Video, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and a Soul Train Music Award for Single of the Year.

Reception

Many critics called the single 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.^[4] 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."^[5]

Gordon Lightfoot lawsuit

In April 1987, Canadian folk-rock singer Gordon Lightfoot filed a lawsuit against composer Michael Masser, claiming that Masser's melody used twenty-four bars from Lightfoot's 1969 hit "If You Could Read My Mind". The case was settled out of court.^[6]

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 about to perform in from of an audience at the Apollo Theater. She reminisces about the time when she was a child performing in a talent competition at the very same theater. The video features Houston's mother Cissy Houston playing herself, encouraging and supporting a young Whitney.

Track listing

US Vinyl, 7", Single

• A Greatest Love Of All 4:51
• B Thinking About You 4:06

Alternate version

An alternate version of the song, featuring just the piano and the vocal, appeared on 200,000 limited copies of the album Whitney Houston.

In popular culture

Among the many such references in the popular culture are:

• In an episode of Miranda, during a job interview for a department store Miranda manages to get the job by singing the entire song

• In an episode of Felicity, R&B singer Monica plays a beauty pageant contestant and performs the song. Monica also performed this song when obtaining her recording contract, and has publicly named Houston as one of her favorite performers.

• Rapper The Game makes reference to Houston and the opening line of the song in his song "Dreams", in which he raps "We the future, Whitney Houston told me that".

• In the film Coming to America, Randy Watson (Eddie Murphy) leads his band Sexual Chocolate in a cover of the song.

• In the film Camp Nowhere, Zack (Andrew Keegan) tells Trish (Marnette Patterson) that she has to stay in school, because otherwise "who's gonna sing 'Greatest Love of All' at graduation?"

• In the film School of Rock, Dewy (Jack Black) says that he doesn't believe in testing because he "believes that children are the future."

• In "The Puppet Show," an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cordelia auditions for the school talent show with an off-key rendition of the song, saying, "My song is about dignity, and human feelings, and personal— hygiene or something. Anyway, it's sappy . . . ." Cordelia performs the song again in the Angel episode "Slouching Toward Bethlehem".

• In the film Say Anything, the school's salutatorian performs an off-key rendition of the song at graduation.

• In the film American Psycho, Patrick Bateman, the titular character, names the song as a favorite, which represents his self love and narcissism in both the film and book. During the scene in the film, the song is played in the background.

• On the episode "The Finale" of Will and Grace, Grace sings the song to her unborn baby so that the baby can become familiar with music. The baby, perceiving that it is a terrible performance by Grace, starts to kick its mother while still in the womb.

• Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) performed this song in the 30 Rock episode "The Baby Show."

• In the Everybody Loves Raymond episode "Hackidu," Amy's brother Russell tells Ray that Ray's brother, Robert, "needs to learn to love himself." Ray responds with "Yeah, well, that's the greatest love of all, right?"

• In the film Over Her Dead Body, Eva Longoria character attempts to sings this song, irritating Ashley (Lake Bell).

Other versions

• George Benson recorded the original version in 1977
• Shirley Bassey
• Mindless Self Indulgence covered the song as a demo b-side on their "Pay for It" single.
• Kevin Rowland, lead singer of Dexys Midnight Runners, chose the song as lead-in track for his solo album My Beauty in 1999

References