I Wanna Be Where You Are

Infobox Single
Name = I Wanna Be Where You Are


Artist = Michael Jackson
from Album = Got to Be There
Released = 1972
Format = 7" single
Recorded = Hitsville West, Los Angeles, California
Genre = Soul
Length = 3:16
Label = Motown
M1202F
Writer = Leon Ware
Arthur "T-Boy" Ross
Producer = Hal Davis
Last single = "Rockin' Robin"
(1972)
This single = "I Wanna Be Where You Are"
(1972)
Next single = "Ain't No Sunshine"
(1972)Song infobox
Name = I Wanna Be Where You Are


Artist = Marvin Gaye
Album = I Want You
Released = 1976
Recorded = 1975, Marvin's Room, Los Angeles, California
Genre = Soul
Label = Tamla
Producer = Leon Ware
Marvin Gaye

"I Wanna Be Where You Are" is a song written by Leon Ware and Arthur "T-Boy" Ross for Michael Jackson, who took the song to number sixteen on the U.S. pop singles chart and number two on the U.S. R&B singles chart in 1972. His third straight Top 40 pop hit during his early solo career in Motown, it was also the first collaboration between Ware and Ross, the younger brother of R&B singer Diana Ross. This song would be one of Jackson's most covered songs sung by everyone from Marvin Gaye to Willie Hutch, from Jason Weaver to The Fugees. Ware and Ross would be famous together for penning the classic Marvin Gaye single, "I Want You" several years afterwards.

While the versions of Hutch's and Weaver's followed the original, the Fugees' version was completely different save for the choruses sung by Lauryn Hill while Marvin's was more of an instrumental except for Marvin singing the title and dedicating the track to his then-girlfriend Janis Hunter and his children Marvin III (sometimes referred as Marvin, Jr. in some levels), Nona and Frankie Christian. The alternate instrumental, later issued on a deluxe edition re-release of Marvin's "I Want You" album, was a funk-styled instrumental that featured Marvin's background vocals harmonizing throughout the track, which was also produced by Ware.

Hutch's version was later sampled by singer Mary J. Blige for her song, "You Can't Hide from Luv" from her "The Breakthrough" album.

Jennifer Lopez also samples the song in her song "Gotta Be There", which is included in her 2007 album "Brave".

It should be noted that Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano, while on Motown Records, covered the song in 1981.

Credits

Michael Jackson version

*Lead vocals by Michael Jackson
*Hollers by Leon Ware and Arthur Ross
*Instrumentation by assorted Los Angeles musicians
*Produced by Hal Davis

Marvin Gaye version

*All vocals by Marvin Gaye
*Instrumentation by assorted musicians
*Produced by Leon Ware and Marvin Gaye

References