Who wrote 'Saving All My Love for You' with Michael Masser?

Gerry Goffin wrote “Saving All My Love for You” with composer Michael Masser.

The song was written during the 1970s and was originally recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. for their 1978 album Marilyn & Billy. Houston’s version appeared on her 1985 debut album, Whitney Houston, with Masser also producing the recording.

The lyrics describe a narrator devoted to a relationship with someone who already has a family, giving the ballad a more complicated storyline than its romantic title might suggest. Houston’s restrained opening and powerful climax helped turn the song into her first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single.

Goffin was one of the most important lyricists of the Brill Building era. He famously collaborated with Carole King, but “Saving All My Love for You” belongs to his later songwriting partnership with Masser. The pair had also written “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To),” a major hit for Diana Ross.