The soulful pop ballad that remains the signature hit for musician/actress Vanessa Williams could have ended up sounding completely different.
The singer recently shared that she was actually the third artist that was offered “Save the Best for Last,” the romantic ballad that would go on to become her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit.
Williams revealed this fact during her appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, explaining that the song had first been sent to fellow musician Bette Midler, who ultimately declined, before it was offered to powerhouse Barbra Streisand.
“They gave it to Bette Midler, who passed,” Williams said. “They gave it to Streisand, and she passed. And I was, like, third one up.”
Williams eventually selected the song for her second studio album, The Comfort Zone, released in 1991. “Save the Best for Last” was the album’s third single, quickly becoming a staple song in Williams’ music career and earning two Grammy nominations, including for record of the year. The song spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, giving Williams her first — and, to date, only — chart-topper. It also became one of the biggest hits of 1992, a year that included such smashes like Sir Mix-a-Lot‘s “Baby Got Back” and Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You,” finishing at No. 4 on the year-end Hot 100.
Williams also told Ferguson about another major pop hit she wished had come her way: Amy Grant’s “Baby Baby,” which topped the Hot 100 for two weeks in 1991. Williams said she would have loved to record that song, but it was never brought to her because of an apparent oversight.
Of course, Williams’ music career goes beyond “Save the Best for Last.” She scored additional Hot 100 hits with songs including “The Comfort Zone,” “Colors of the Wind” from Disney’s Pocahontas, “The Sweetest Days” and “Love Is,” while simultaneously building a major acting career with roles in Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty and films including Shaft.
Watch the full episode with Williams and Ferguson below.
