The Greatest Love of All
"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 Soul Singles 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.[1]
For other uses, see The Greatest Love of All (disambiguation)."The Greatest Love of All"
"Ali's Theme"
June 1977
1977
- 5:32 (full album version)
- 3:29 (edited single version)
- Michael Masser (composition)
- Linda Creed (lyrics)
Michael Masser
Benson's original recording 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).[2] He officially recorded the song four times; in addition to the studio single, Benson also recorded three live versions,[3][4] the last time in a duet with Luciano Pavarotti in 2001.[5] Since 1977, a great number of artists have recorded this song, including Shirley Bassey, Oleta Adams, Alexandra Burke, Deborah Cox, Ferrante & Teicher and Kevin Rowland.
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 R&B chart in early 1986.
"Greatest Love of All"
March 18, 1986
December 1984
- 4:51 (album version)
- 4:56 (deluxe version)
Michael Masser
Other versions[edit]
A number of other artists have covered this song, including Shirley Bassey, Oleta Adams, Alexandra Burke, Deborah Cox, Lea Salonga, Ferrante & Teicher, Kevin Rowland and Jane Olivor.[77][78]
On May 29, 2001,[79] the Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti performed the concert "Pavarotti & Friends" in his hometown of Modena, Italy.[79] To raise money for refugees from Afghanistan under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,[79] this concert called "Pavarotti & Friends for Afghanistan"[79] featured guest artists, one of them being his friend George Benson.[79] The song performed in duet by the two was Benson's song "The Greatest Love of All",[79] 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,[80] and was recorded and released in CD in 2001.[79] The song was credited with the original title "The Greatest Love of All" recorded by Benson.[79]
Copyright infringement lawsuit and settlement[edit]
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."[81] Lightfoot has stated that he dropped the suit when he felt it was having a negative effect on Houston, as the suit was about Masser and not her.[82] Ultimately the case was settled out of court and Masser issued a public apology.[83]