American singer Whitney Houston recorded it for her self-titled debut studio album (1985).

It was released on August 13, 1985, by Arista Records, as the second single from the album in the United States, and third worldwide.

Houston's version of "Saving All My Love for You" garnered positive critical response, with reviewers praising its melodious production and her vocal performance, and picked it as one of the album's highlights.

It became her first song to top the US Billboard Hot 100, staying there for one week, and is certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1 million copies.

[2] Years later, Masser saw Houston for the first time when he went into New York City's Sweetwater club, an invitation made by Arista Records president Clive Davis, and she was singing one of his songs, "The Greatest Love of All".

He proposed that if all the women get on their feet when Houston sings "Saving All My Love for You", then Davis would agree that it should be the next single.

"Saving All My Love for You" is a soul and R&B song, composed in the key of A major,[4] having a slow tempo of 84 beats per minute.

"[10] Dave Heaton of PopMatters praised Houston for "singing as 'the other woman', ratcheting up the drama without overdoing it.

"[6] Brad Wete of Vibe called it "goliath", writing that the song "was a fresh serving of precocious talent compared to 1985's mildly flavored R&B bluffet.

"[12] Los Angeles Times praised her vocal performance, writing that, "it should mean a cinch Grammy nomination.

In the United Kingdom, the song hit number-one on December 8, 1985, spending two weeks at the top.

[18] In 2012, Dan Lane of the Official Charts Company listed "Houston's Top 20 Biggest Selling Tracks in the UK to Date" and "Saving All My Love for You" was placed at number 3, only losing to "I Will Always Love You" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody".

[26] The music video was directed by Stuart Orme and was filmed in London, where Houston was doing a promotional tour.

The narrative for the music video follows the song's theme: Houston's character is a recording artist who is emotionally involved with her married producer, played by American actor Ricco Ross.

[27] At the time of release, the adultery theme of the video for generated much media controversy, which led Houston to insist, "I could never see myself in that position.