Vanessa Williams Says Two Music Legends Passed on ‘Save the Best for Last’ Before It Came Her Way: ‘I Was Third One Up’
The ballad became a career-defining hit for Williams, spending five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Vanessa Williams disclosed on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Dinner's on Me podcast that the romantic ballad "Save the Best for Last" was initially offered to three artists before it became her signature hit. The soulful pop song, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, was first presented to Bette Midler, who declined it. Barbra Streisand subsequently received the proposal and also turned it down, leaving Williams as the third artist to receive the song.
"I was the third one up," Williams shared. "They gave it to Bette Midler, who passed. They gave it to Streisand, and she passed." Eventually, Williams chose "Save the Best for Last" for her second studio album, The Comfort Zone, released in 1991. The track quickly became an essential part of her music career, earning her two Grammy nominations, including one for Record of the Year.
The song spent five weeks at the top of the Hot 100, making it Williams' only chart-topping single. Despite its success, Williams expressed regret about not having recorded another hit by Amy Grant, "Baby Baby," which topped the Hot 100 in 1991. Williams' discography includes numerous other hits, spanning both music and acting careers, with hits like "The Comfort Zone," "Colors of the Wind," and roles in popular TV shows and films.
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