 In 1982, Jennifer Holliday, the actress who portrayed Effie in the original Broadway production, released the song as a single.It was her first single release and it met with great success, topping the "Billboard" R&B charts and attaining top forty positions on both the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.In 1983, Holliday won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female for the single.