The World's Greatest

"The World's Greatest"
Single by R. Kelly
from the album Ali: Original Soundtrack & Chocolate Factory (Bonus Disc Version)
B-side I Decided
Released 18 February 2002
Format CD single
Recorded 2001
Genre R&B, gospel
Length 4:37 (Radio Edit)
Label Jive
Writer(s) R. Kelly
Producer(s) R. Kelly
R. Kelly singles chronology
"A Woman's Threat"
(2001)
"The World's Greatest"
(2002)
"Ignition (Remix)"
(2003)
Chocolate Factory track listing

"The World's Greatest" is a song written and recorded by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was originally featured on the soundtrack to the film Ali,[1] and also appeared on bootleg copies of Kelly's unreleased album, Loveland, which later became a bonus disc to Chocolate Factory.[2] It was covered by folk singer Bonnie Prince Billy on his 2007 EP Ask Forgiveness.

Music video

The music video is directed by Bille Woodruff. Kelly is a boxer in this video, playing the part of Muhammad Ali, as this song was originally a tribute to him. There is no color in the video except for red, Kelly's boxing clothes happen to have that color.

Reception and awards

The song reached number 31 on the Billboard R&B chart.[3] Its music video, which portrayed Kelly as a boxer,[4] was in heavy rotation on channels like MTV and BET. In the UK, it peaked at number four.

Track listing

UK CD single[5]
  1. "The World's Greatest" (Radio Edit)
  2. "The World's Greatest" (Album Version)
  3. "I Decided"

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Dutch Singles Chart 2
French Singles Chart 3
German Singles Chart 13
Belgium Single Chart 9
Irish Singles Chart 6
New Zealand Singles Chart 41
Swiss Singles Chart 11
Swedish Single Chart 7
UK Singles Chart 4
US Billboard Hot 100 34
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 31
US Top 40 Mainstream 24
US Top 40 Tracks 28

Year-end charts

End of year chart (2002) Position
UK Singles Chart[6] 64

Certifications

Territory Certifier Certification Sales
UK BPI Silver[7] 200,000
Sweden IFPI Gold[8] 20,000

Cover versions

YearArtistAlbum
2007Bonnie Prince BillyAsk Forgiveness
2012Ellen and the EscapadesAll The Crooked Scenes

References

  1. Other reviews by Glenn McClanan (2003-08-30). "SoundtrackNet : Ali Soundtrack". Soundtrack.net. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  2. "Don't Just Listen, Be Heard". Soundcrank. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  3. "Video". Technorati. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  4. The World's Greatest: R. Kelly: Amazon.co.uk: Music
  5. "UK Top 100 - 2002". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
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