The Greatest Love of All

• 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.

• Writer – Michael Masser, Linda Creed
• Arranger – Michael Masser, Lee Holdridge
• Conductor, Orchestrated by – Lee Holdridge
• Producer – Michael Masser
• Lead Vocal - George Benson
• Piano – Michael Masser
• Guitar – Lee Ritenour
• Drums – Harvey Mason
• Bass – Stanley Banks

On May 29, 2001,[27] the Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti performed the concert "Pavarotti & Friends" in his hometown of Modena, Italy.[27] To raise money for refugees from Afghanistan under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,[27] this concert called "Pavarotti & Friends for Afghanistan"[27] featured guest artists, one of them being his friend George Benson.[27] The song performed in duet by the two was Benson's song "The Greatest Love of All",[27] 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,[28] and was recorded and released in CD in 2001.[27] The song was credited with the original title "The Greatest Love of All" recorded by Benson.[27]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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."[9] (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".)

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. On February 2020, the music video was upscaled to 4K.[33]

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.[34] 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."[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 the Billboard 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. 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.[36] The song ranked No. 11 on Billboard's year end pop singles chart.[37] 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.[38]

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.[39][40][41]

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."[42] 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.[43] Ultimately the case was settled out of court and Masser issued a public apology.[44]

• US vinyl/7"/Single
  • A "Greatest Love of All" – 4:51
  • B "Thinking About You" – 4:06

• Writer – Michael Masser, Linda Creed
• Producer – Michael Masser
• Arranger – Gene Page, Jr.
• The players – 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 – Bill Schnee
• Engineers – Michael Mancini, Russell Schmitt