American Songwriter
One of Bette Midler’s Biggest Hits Was Actually Recorded by Numerous Other Artists First
By Gayle Thompson
May 3, 2026
Bette Midler is an award-winning actress, but she’s also a gifted singer. Beginning with her The Divine Miss M album, out in 1972, Midler spent more than two decades releasing hit singles, including “The Rose“, “My Mother’s Eyes”, and more. But one of Midler’s biggest hits is “Wind Beneath My Wings”. It appears on the soundtrack for the movie Beaches, also starring Midler.
Released in 1989, “Wind Beneath My Wings” was written by Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar. A No. 1 single for Midler, she is not the first person to record the inspiring tune. In fact, several other artists recorded “Wind Beneath My Wings” before Midler took the song and made it her own.
In 1982, Australian singer Kamahl recorded the song for a country album he was doing, although he did not release it as a single. That same year, Colleen Hewitt, also a successful singer from Australia, released the song, making it a moderate hit for her. One year later, Gary Morris had a Top 5 single with “Wind Beneath My Wings”. The song is on his sophomore Why Lady Why record.
Also in 1983, Lou Rawls included a version on his When The Night Comes album. And in 1987, Perry Como put his take on “Wind Beneath My Wings” for his Today record.
What Bette Midler Says About Recording “Wind Beneath My Wings”
Other artists may have put their spin on “Wind Beneath My Wings”. But it’s Midler’s version that remains the most popular. A tribute to those who often go unnoticed, “Wind Beneath My Wings” says, “Did you ever know that you’re my hero / And everything I’d like to be? / I can fly higher than an eagle / ‘Cause you are the wind beneath my wings.”
“Wind Beneath My Wings” might be one of Midler’s biggest hits, but it wasn’t her favorite, at least at first.
“It’s really grown on me,” Midler admits. “When I first heard it, I said, ‘I’m not singing that song.’ But the friend who gave it to me said, ‘If you don’t sing it, I’ll never speak to you again’. So of course, I had to sing the damned song. Whatever reservations I might have had, I certainly don’t have any more.”
In addition to “Wind Beneath My Wings”, Midler sings several other songs on the Beaches soundtrack, including “Under The Boardwalk”, “The Glory Of Love”, and “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today”.
