Whitney Houston sings “The Greatest Love of All” at the 1987 Grammys.
Of course I have reservations about featuring a Whitney Houston song in the 350 Jersey Songs series. I realize that her tragic 2012 death, and her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown’s current fight for her life, overshadow the music Whitney made during her lifetime, in many ways.
And yet … she is one of the most extraordinary artists New Jersey ever has produced, and I feel the need to recognize that. So today’s entry is one of her greatest moments: her show-stopping rendition of one of her most powerfully inspirational songs, “The Greatest Love of All,” at the 1987 Grammys.
Houston’s No. 1 hit recording of the song, co-written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed and originally recorded by George Benson, was nominated for Record of the Year at that ceremony, but lost to Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love.”
Please watch the video below, and remember Houston at her best.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday in 2014. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we marked the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, from September 2014 to September 2015 — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. To see the entire list, click here.
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