“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	1985
Genre	Soul, R&B
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" (1987)

"Greatest Love of All" is the fourth and final single released from Whitney Houston's self-titled first studio album, Whitney Houston, released in April 1986. It was written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed, and originally recorded (as "The Greatest Love of All") by George Benson for the 1977 Muhammad Ali film The Greatest. The original record was a minor hit for Benson, though it did not become a Top Twenty hit. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is a six-time Grammy award winning, American R&B singer, soprano, pianist, actress, film producer, and former model. ... Whitney Houston is the self-titled debut album by American R&B singer Whitney Houston, released on February 14, 1985. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. ... Insert from the Winter cassette single by Tori Amos The cassette single was a music recording format that debuted in the 80s. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... For the record label, see 12 Inch Records. ... This article is about the year. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... Contemporary R&B is a music genre of American popular music, the current iteration of the genre that began in the 1940s as rhythm and blues music. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Arista redirects here. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Michael Masser is a composer and producer of popular music. ... Linda Creed (1949 - 1986) was a songwriter who teamed up with Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Michael Walden (born April 23, 1952, in Kalamazoo, Michigan USA) is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. ... Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is a six-time Grammy award winning, American R&B singer, soprano, pianist, actress, film producer, and former model. ... How Will I Know is the third single from Whitney Houstons self-titled first album. ... I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) is the first single from Whitney Houstons second studio album Whitney, released in May 1987. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is a six-time Grammy award winning, American R&B singer, soprano, pianist, actress, film producer, and former model. ... A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Whitney Houston is the self-titled debut album by American R&B singer Whitney Houston, released on February 14, 1985. ... Michael Masser is a composer and producer of popular music. ... Linda Creed (1949 - 1986) was a songwriter who teamed up with Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. ... George Benson (b. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... For other persons named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation). ... The Greatest is a 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali, in which Ali plays himself. ...

In Houston's case, her label head Clive Davis was originally against her recording the song, but eventually gave in after persuasion from Masser. The song was included as a B-side to the single "You Give Good Love", which reached number three in the U.S. Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is a Grammy Award winning record producer and a leading music industry executive. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... You Give Good Love is a song written and produced for American R&B singer Whitney Houstons debut album, Whitney Houston. ...

The original album version features a piano intro, while the single version begins with a keyboard intro. After the single became a success, the keyboard version replaced the version with the piano on future copies of the album.

When Linda Creed wrote the lyrics, she was 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. She eventually succumbed to the disease and died on April 1987 (at the age of 37), the same month the single was released.

Chart information

Houston's version of the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks, remarkable given that the song itself was previously a B-side. The song was also the third chart-topper from the album, an unprecedented achievement for a solo female artist. It was Houston's longest-running number-one single at the time, and her second longest to date after 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. Billboard can refer to: Billboard magazine Billboard (advertising) Billboard antenna In 3D computer graphics, to billboard is to rotate an object so that it faces the viewer. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... I Will Always Love You is a song written and originally performed by American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton (first released as a single in 1974) and then most famously recorded by American pop/R&B singer Whitney Houston. ... The Hot 100 Singles Sales (also known as Singles Sales) is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. ... The Hot 100 Airplay is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. ...

On other Billboard charts, the song performed well, reaching number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart (where its predecessor had managed to make number one). However, the song topped the Adult Contemporary chart for five weeks, Houston's longest stay at the top of the chart at the time. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly known by various names including Hot Soul Singles, Hot Black Singles, and Hot R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ... The Adult Contemporary chart (formerly known as Adult Contemporary Singles) lists the most popular songs weekly calculated by airplay and occasionally sales. ...

Internationally, the song did not manage the success of "How Will I Know", reaching number eight in the United Kingdom, twenty in Switzerland, and twenty-one in Germany. The song did however become Houston's first number one single in Australia.

It won the American Music Award for Favourite 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. The American Music Awards show is one of four annual major US music awards shows (the others being the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammy Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Record of the Year is an award created by record producer Jonathan King voted for by the UK public. ... The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show aired on various television networks in national syndication that honors the best in Black music and entertainment. ...

Music video

The music video, set at the famed Apollo Theater in New York City, features Houston getting ready to perform, but reflecting about performing in her past, showing at the end the young Houston merging into the present Houston, and delivering a spectacular performance. At the end, she repays her mother for everything she has given her with a heart-felt hug. A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Apollo Theater marquee, c. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Alternate Version

There is an alternate version of the song, featuring only the piano and the vocal, which appears on only 200,000 limited copies of the "Whitney Houston" album.

In pop culture

Among the many such references in the pop culture are: Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in a modern society. ...

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

• 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?"

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

• "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".

• Say Anything: The school's salutatorian performs an off-key rendition of the song at graduation.

• 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.

• Full House's 1991-92 season finale: Stephanie Tanner briefly sings part of the first verse.

• "The Finale" of Will and Grace: Grace sings the song to her unborn baby to stimulate her to be familiar with music. The baby, perceiving that it is a terrible performance of the song, starts to kick her mother.

• "Francine's Flashback", an episode of American Dad!: Stan makes Houston (impersonated by comedian Debra Wilson) sing this song for his wife in exchange for a fix of cocaine (in a reference to Houston's crack addiction, which became a tabloid sensation of the late 1990s).

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

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

• In an episode of Felicity, R&B singer Monica plays a beauty pageant contestant and performs the song. Monica also performed the song to get her record contract and also idolizes Whitney Houston.

For the reality television series starring Victoria Beckham, see Victoria Beckham: Coming to America. ... For other uses, see Eddie Murphy (disambiguation). ... Camp Nowhere is a 1994 film directed by Jonathan Prince, written by Andrew Kurtzman and Eliot Wald, and starring Jonathan Jackson, Christopher Lloyd, Melody Kay, Andrew Keegan, and Marne Patterson. ... Andrew Keegan (born January 29, 1979 in Los Angeles, California)He is 57 189 Pounds is an American actor. ... Marnette Marne Patterson (b. ... For other uses, see School of Rock (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Jack Black, see Jack Black (disambiguation). ... The Puppet Show is the ninth episode in the first season of Buffy, and is the first to feature Principal Snyder, played by Armin Shimerman. ... For other uses, see Buffy the Vampire Slayer (disambiguation). ... Cordelia Chase (born December 1980[1], in Sunnydale, California, died in 2004 in Los Angeles) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel, portrayed by Charisma Carpenter. ... For the South Korean TV series of the same name, see Angel (2007 TV series). ... Plot Outline Cordelia inexplicably returns from her higher dimension, but she has no memory of who she is and who her friends are. ... For other uses, see American Psycho (disambiguation). ... Full House was a popular American television family sitcom that originally ran from September 22, 1987 to May 23, 1995 on ABC. // Full House is set in San Francisco, California, where Danny Tanner is left to raise his three young daughters D.J., Stephanie and Michelle following the death of... Season five episodes of Full House (a television sitcom that ran on the ABC) The fifth season of the show was first aired in (1991-1992) before the series went into syndication. ... Stephanie Judith Tanner (b. ... The Finale is the series finale of NBCs Will & Grace, and the 23rd and 24th episodes of season eight. ... Will & Grace is an American television situation comedy focusing on Will Truman, a gay attorney and his best friend Grace Adler, a straight Jewish woman who runs her own interior design firm. ... Information Nickname(s) Gracie, G, Gracious Gender Unknown Age 30 at series beginning (Series began in March 1998, Grace turned 31 in April 1998), 38 or 39 by series end Date of birth April 26, 1967 Occupation Interior Designer Title Mrs. ... List of American Dad! episodes Francines Flashback is the fourth episode produced in the TV animated series American Dad!. It features the special voice participation of Billy West (as Elmo/Big Bird), Jeff Fischer (as Jeff), Patrick Stewart (as Bullock), Debra Wilson (as Whitney Houston), Marissa Jaret Winokur (as... American Dad! is a satirical American animated series produced by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions for 20th Century Fox Television. ... Stanley Stan Smith is the main character of the animated television series American Dad! Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency agent and, later on in the series, the Deputy-Deputy Director, placing him on the third tier of importance in the C.I.A. under Deputy-Director Bullock. ... Debra Renee Wilson Skelton (born April 26, 1962) is an American comedian and actress. ... For other uses, see Cocaine (disambiguation). ... A pile of crack cocaine ‘rocks’. Crack cocaine is a solid, smokeable form of cocaine and is a highly addictive drug popular for its intense psychoactive high. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski. ... Jane Krakowski (née Krajkowski, born October 11, 1968 in Parsippany, New Jersey) is a Tony Award-winning American actress and singer. ... This article is about the TV series. ... The Baby Show is the ninth episode in the situation comedy series 30 Rock, which aired January 4, 2007. ... Jayceon Terell Taylor (born November 27, 1979 in Los Angeles,[1] California), better known by his stage name The Game, is a multi-platinum American rapper signed to Interscope Records. ... Felicity is a Golden Globe-winning American primetime television drama produced by Touchstone Television and Imagine Television for The WB network. ... Monica Denise Arnold (born October 24, 1980), professionally known as Monica, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. ...

Covers

• Shirley Bassey
• Aretha Franklin- Franklin did this song as the closing to a show she did at the Palais Des Sports in Paris, France in 1977.
• Kevin Rowland, lead singer of Dexy's Midnight Runners, chose the song as lead-in track for his solo-comeback album My Beauty in 1999

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE, CBE (born January 8, 1937 in Cardiff, Wales), is a Welsh singer. ... Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... Kevin Rowland in the music video of Come on Eileen. Kevin Rowland (born August 17, 1953, in Wolverhampton, England) is a singer, songwriter and former frontman of Dexys Midnight Runners. ... Too-Rye-Ay (1983) Dexys Midnight Runners - the name consistently spelled without an apostrophe [1] - were a British New Wave and Northern Soul band, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. ...

References