whitney houston my love
| “Greatest Love of All” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 | |||||
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"Greatest Love of All" is the fourth and final single released from Whitney Houston's self-titled 13x platinum (U.S.) first studio album, Whitney Houston, released in April 1986. The single reached #1 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart. 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.
Label head Clive Davis was against Houston 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", another Top 5 hit by Houston in the U.S.
The 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.
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 in April 1986 (at the age of 37), the same month that the single was released.
