“Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston

“Greatest Love of All” was produced by Michael Masser and written by the late Linda Creed, who is said to have written it during her battle with breast cancer. Whitney Houston recorded a cover of the song and released it as the ninth track on her 1985 self-titled album.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Whitney Houston's Greatest Love of All at Lyrics.org.

The song is primarily dedicated to children, specifically as a piece of advice the writer wished they would have gotten in their youth. From Whitney’s perspective, almost her whole life was spent building her career and performing.

Although her parents managed her and she made friends with the people in the industry, she longed for role models and a particular environment to nurture her as a child. These are the things captured in the song that the singer wants every child to enjoy in order to succeed in future.

Another major point sang about in this piece is that people should learn to believe in themselves and love themselves no matter what. According to her, one may end up being alone because of the path they take in life. Others may also encounter opposition, failure or great success. However, in all these, the most important feeling an individual needs to develop is love for themselves, otherwise they may just lose themselves in life’s struggles.

“The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
Is the greatest love of all”

Facts about “Greatest Love of All”

Though the song, “Greatest Love of All”, was first released by George Benson in 1977, it was made popular by Houston when she released her cover in 1986. The track was added to her self-named maiden studio album.

After it was released, the song became one of the most successful singles released in 1986. Accordingly, it topped multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100. It also earned a nomination for the “Record of the Year” prize at the Grammy Awards.

In addition to that, the song was listed among the contenders for the “Single of the Year” accolade at the Soul Train Music Award in 1987.

The song later gave Whitney the “Favorite Soul/R&B Video Single” award at the American Music Award that same year.

Initially, the founder of Arista Records, Clive Davis, suggested that the song shouldn’t be included in Houston’s album but was persuaded by the singer and Michael Masser. A further lawsuit against Messer by Gordon Lightfoot affected the performance of the song since it was alleged that the former had plagiarized a portion of the latter’s song titled “If You Could Read My Mind”.

The song however, went on to play an instrumental role in making Houston one of the greatest female musicians of all time.

Meaning of “The Greatest Love of All”

So in all, Whitney Houston is talking about “self-love” when she talks about the “greatest love of all love”.

But what really is self-love? And why is it important? Self-love is basically the ability to deny things that cause harm to your mental, physical and psychological well-being irrespective of whom or what may be demanding them. 

In as much as caring for others is necessary, your well-being also matters. If you’re not fit enough, how then will there be strength to cater for the emotional and psychological needs of others?

That being said, below are some of the major reasons why it is important to practice self-love (the “Greatest Love of All”):

  • Ever wondered why your head is shaped that way? Why your teeth are arranged that way? Or why you are beardless? It’s because that’s whom you are. The more you begin to accept these attributes of yours, the more you love yourself in order to step out and be completely different.
  • Self-love helps you maintain a life-sustaining energy. There is a kind of energy that radiates from you when you love yourself. This energy is necessary for longevity.
  • Self love relieves you of the pressure of competition. You will not see the need to be like anyone else if you completely accept and love yourself for who you are.

In addition to the above, self-love also helps us boost our self confidence. It also assists us in maintaining healthy relationships. These are just some of the reasons why it is imperative to practice self-love (which is the greatest love of all).

7 Responses

  1. Amelia Daigneault says:

    This is so great!! thanks for the kind words and meaning! 💚

  2. Anonymous says:

    Amazing… this really helped with my research and helped me to understand better … thank you !!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Thank you for giving more meaning of the song 🎵 THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL !

  4. Anonymous says:

    Greatest love of all inspires me about the passion for self confidence i must learn and fight to see myself achieve my humble request despite failures.opposition,disappiontment,misunderstanding,resentment,and emotional torture and if i could not achieve my request i can still worth more than diamonds

  5. Anonymous says:

    With this song i believe there are many wounderful ways of archieve one target its not fair to make people a replica of us insteand we should allow others enjoy choosing for themselves so they wount walk on our shadows

  6. Anonymous says:

    I love this song.
    Many thanks for giving an in depth meaning to this song.

  7. song lover says:

    Every time I hear the song, I am tearful – it is so inspiring and moving. Thanks for the info on the meaning of the lyrics.

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