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“The Greatest Love of All” is a song written by Michael Masser, who composed the music, and Linda Creed, who wrote the lyrics. It was originally recorded in 1977 by George Benson, who made the song a substantial hit, peaking at number two on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 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, and is performed during the opening credits. 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 one in the United States, Australia, Canada and on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in early 1986.
The original recording by Benson was released in 1977 in the United States, Japan, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Brazil, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and 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 Luciano Pavarotti in 2001. Since 1977, twelve several artists recorded this song, amongst others Shirley Bassey.
The song’s music was composed by Michael Masser, and its lyrics were written by 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 Los 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 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 the 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 Los 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. 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 Greatest Love of All” | |
|---|---|
| One of A-side track labels of the U.S. vinyl release | |
| Single by George Benson | |
| from the album The Greatest soundtrack | |
| B-side | “Ali’s Theme” |
| Released | June 1977 |
| Format | 7″ single |
| Recorded | 1977 |
| Genre | Smooth jazzR&Bsoul |
| Length | 5:32 (Album full version) 3:29 (Single edited version) |
| Label | Arista |
| Songwriter(s) | Michael MasserLinda Creed |
| Producer(s) | Michael Masser |
| George Benson singles chronology | |
| “Gonna Love You More” (1977)”The Greatest Love of All“ (1977)”On Broadway“ (1978) |
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 number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart, the first R&B Top Ten hit for Arista Records, and ended the year at position 33.[9] 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, two of his numerous collections were intutated as The Greatest Hits of All, and The Very Best of George Benson: The Greatest Hits of All, both released in 2003.
(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 number 2 on the soundtrack album, was not released as a single.)
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.
Whitney Houston was still an unknown hopeful when the then-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 experience for the very first time. There was no hesitation. I wanted to sign Whitney.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
| The Greatest | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Tom Gries |
| Produced by | John Marshall |
| Written by | Muhammad Ali (short) Herbert Muhammad & Richard Durham (book) Ring Lardner, Jr. |
| Starring | Muhammad Ali Ernest Borgnine James Earl Jones Robert Duvall |
| Music by | Michael Masser Lee Holdridge |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling, Jr. |
| Edited by | Byron Brandt |
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Production
company |
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Release date
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19 May 1977 |
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Running time
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101 minutes |
| Country | United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Greatest is a 1977 film about the life of boxer Muhammad Ali, in which Ali plays himself. It was directed by Tom Gries. The film follows Ali’s life from the 1960 Summer Olympics to his regaining the heavyweight crown from George Foreman in their famous “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in 1974. The footage of the boxing matches themselves are largely the actual footage from the time involved.
The film is based on the book The Greatest: My Own Story written by Muhammad Ali and Richard Durham and edited by Toni Morrison.
The song “The Greatest Love of All” was written for this film by Michael Masser (music) and Linda Creed, (lyrics) and sung by George Benson; it was later covered by Whitney Houston.
Rahman Ali, Howard Bingham, Harold Conrad, Don Dunphy, Lloyd Wells, Pat Patterson, and Gene Kilroy appear as themselves.
There are many uncredited roles in the film including some major characters, such as Ruby Sanderson and his girlfriend, Belinda Board, who became his wife, and Herbert Mohammed, son of Elijah Muhammad, who was Ali’s manager at one point.
Lonette McKee was originally going to portray the role played by Annazette Chase.
Watch the movie ” Muhammad Ali – The Greatest”
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