The World's Greatest
2001 single by R. Kelly
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"The World's Greatest" is a song written and performed by American R&B singer R. Kelly. The song originally appeared 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 World's Greatest" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by R. Kelly | ||||
| from the album Ali: Original Soundtrack and Loveland | ||||
| B-side | "I Decided" | |||
| Released | November 13, 2001 | |||
| Length | 4:37 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter | Robert Kelly | |||
| Producer | R. Kelly | |||
| R. Kelly singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Chart performance
The song reached number 31 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.[3] In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number four.[4]
Music video
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.
Track listings
|
Australian CD single[5]
European CD single[6]
|
UK CD single[7]
UK cassette single[8]
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BVMI)[45] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[46] | Gold | 7,500* |
| Sweden (GLF)[47] | Gold | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[48] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | November 13, 2001 | Interscope | [49] | |
| November 20, 2001 | Contemporary hit radio | [50] | ||
| Australia | February 11, 2002 | CD | Jive | [51] |
| United Kingdom | February 18, 2002 |
|
[52] | |
| Japan | April 24, 2002 | CD | Sony Music Japan | [53] |