Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” (1986) Spends Three Weeks at No. 1

Pop music’s most award-winning female artist of all time Whitney Houston hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 for the third consecutive week on this day in 1986 with “Greatest Love of All” (1985). It was a cover rendition of the previously recorded song “The Greatest Love of All” (1977) by singer and guitarist George Benson, which went to No. 2 on the R&B chart. Houston’s variation was a chart-topper not only in the United States, but also Canada and Australia. It was included on her self-titled debut album by Arista Records, which was released on Valentine’s Day of the same year and eventually landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 14 consecutive weeks. The single dropped on March 18, 1986 and first reached the top of the pop chart on May 17, 1986.