"The World's Greatest" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by R. Kelly | ||||
from the album Ali: Original Soundtrack and Loveland (Bonus Disc) | ||||
B-side | "I Decided" | |||
Released | November 13, 2001 | |||
Length | 4:37 | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) | Robert Kelly | |||
Producer(s) | R. Kelly | |||
R. Kelly singles chronology | ||||
|
"The World's Greatest" is a song written and performed by American 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] Released as a single in November 2001, "The World's Greatest" became a hit in Europe, reaching number two in the Netherlands, number four in the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in nine other European countries. In the United States, it peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song reached number 31 on the Billboard R&B chart. [3] In the UK, it peaked at number four. [4]
The music video was 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, the hue of Kelly's boxing clothes.
Australian CD single [5]
European CD single [6]
| UK CD single [7]
UK cassette single [8]
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Germany (BVMI) [45] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [46] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [47] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | November 13, 2001 | Interscope | [48] | |
November 20, 2001 | Contemporary hit radio | [49] | ||
Australia | February 11, 2002 | CD | Jive | [50] |
United Kingdom | February 18, 2002 |
| [51] | |
Japan | April 24, 2002 | CD | Sony Music Japan | [52] |
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)