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Vanessa Williams Says Tape Error and Artist Passes Redirected Two 1990s No. 1 Hits

Her podcast recollection shows clerical choices in pre-digital studio sessions redirected major pop songs to other performers.

Overview

  • Williams told the Dinner’s on Me podcast that an assistant left Amy Grant’s “Baby, Baby” off a cassette given to her during a studio session, a mistake she says kept the song from reaching her.
  • She said she was the third artist offered “Save the Best for Last” after Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand each declined the song before Williams recorded it.
  • Both outcomes are verifiable: Amy Grant’s “Baby, Baby” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in April 1991, and Williams’ “Save the Best for Last” spent five weeks at No. 1 and earned multiple Grammy nominations.
  • The accounts were reported by People, Billboard and UPI after Williams’ Aug. 11 podcast appearance and are presented as her personal memories rather than independently confirmed documentary evidence.
  • The anecdotes underline how producers, studio staff and physical demo tapes shaped song placement in the pre-digital era and how small clerical decisions can change who scores career-defining hits.