I'll Be There

Infobox Single
Name = I'll Be There


Artist = The Jackson 5
from Album = Third Album
B-side = "One More Chance"
Released = August 28 1970 (U.S.)
Format = Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded = Hitsville West, Los Angeles; 1970
Genre = Pop, soul
Length = 3:57
Label = Motown
M 1171
Writer = Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch
Producer = Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch
Last single = "The Love You Save"
(1970)
This single = "I'll Be There"
(1970)
Next single = "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
(1970)
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"Mama's Pearl"
(1971)"I'll Be There" is a soul song written by Berry Gordy, Jr., Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch, which resulted in two U.S. number-one hit singles: the original 1970 recording by American vocal quintet The Jackson 5 and a 1992 live version by American pop singer Mariah Carey and American R&B singer Trey Lorenz. It was also covered by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on the album Take a Break.

The Jackson 5 original was recorded for the Motown label, and released as the first single from their "Third Album" in 1970 (see 1970 in music). Produced by the songwriters, "I'll Be There" was The Jackson 5's fourth number-one hit in a row, following "I Want You Back", "ABC", and "The Love You Save". "I'll Be There" is also notable as the most successful single released by Motown during its "classic Detroit era" (1959–1972).

The Mariah Carey/Trey Lorenz cover was recorded during Carey's appearance on "MTV Unplugged" in 1992, and released as the first single from her EP "MTV Unplugged" in the second quarter of 1992 (see 1992 in music). Co-produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, "I'll Be There" became Carey's sixth number-one single in the U.S., and her biggest hit elsewhere at the time.

Jackson 5 version

About the record

After three upbeat "bubblegum soul" number-one singles from the Jackson 5 ("I Want You Back", "ABC", and "The Love You Save"), Motown head Berry Gordy decided to take a risk and craft a ballad for the group. For this song, he brought in writer/producers Hal Davis, Willie Hutch, and Bob West, as opposed to working with the rest of The Corporation, who had crafted the first three hits.

The resulting song was a gentle ballad, in which the narrator asks his ex-lover to give their love another chance. He promises that, this time, he'll always be there "to comfort you", and that even if she "should ever find someone new", he'll still be there for her if her new love treats her wrong. Jackson 5 lead singers Michael Jackson and his older brother Jermaine share the lead vocals on this song. Michael's ad-libbed "just look over your shoulders, honey" is an allusion to "Reach Out I'll Be There", a 1966 number-one hit single recorded by The Four Tops. He was instructed by Gordy to say "just look over your shoulder" (exactly as Levi Stubbs had said it in "Reach Out I'll Be There"), but the slightly flubbed line was allowed to remain in the final mix.

Release and reaction

In his "Moon Walk" autobiography, Michael Jackson noted that "I'll Be There" was the song that solidified The Jackson 5's careers and showed audiences that the group had potential beyond bubblegum pop. The most successful single ever released by the Jackson 5, "I'll Be There" sold 4.2 million copies in the United States, and 6.1 million copies worldwide. It replaced Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968) as the most successful single released on Motown in the U.S., a record it held until the release of Lionel Richie-penned duet with Diana Ross "Endless Love" (1981). Outside the U.S., "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" remained Motown's biggest selling record with worldwide sales of over seven million copies.

The song held the number one position on the "Billboard" Pop Singles chart for five weeks from October 17 to November 14, replacing "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond, and replaced by "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family. "I'll Be There" was also a number-one hit on the "Billboard" Black Singles chart for six weeks, and a number-four hit in the United Kingdom. The single's B-side was "One More Chance".

"I'll Be There" was the Jackson 5's final number-one Pop hit as a group. For the rest of their twenty-year-career as a major-label act, Jackson 5 singles would get no higher than number-two. Michael scored several number-one hits as a solo artist, beginning with "Ben" in 1972. He still performs "I'll Be There" on all his world tours to this day. In the live versions from his 1981 "Triumph" tour to his 1987 solo "Bad" tour, Jackson would seemingly break down in tears, struggling with the words until feeling a jolt as he harmonized and shouted "can you feel it!" to the delight of the audience before dancing to the beat of "Rock With You", in his later tours from "Dangerous" onwards, by the time he would almost cry and struggle with the words, instead, he reminisced on his childhood past, shouting out his brothers' names and ending the song with a jump and a spin to end the song.

"I'll Be There" remains one of the most popular of the Jackson 5's hits, and has been covered by a number of artists, including Josie and the Pussycats and Mariah Carey (see below), whose cover brought the song back into the public's consciousness two decades after its original release. The song was also covered by the punk band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their album "Take a Break".

"I'll Be There" was one of the songs used in the showcase for "".

Cover Versions

New Kids on the Block performed this song live on their Step By Step concert tour. The performance can be found on their Step By Step video tape.

"I'll Be There" (Jackson 5 version) was covered by Leona Lewis in the first live show of The X Factor.

Guy Sebastian sings "I'll Be There" on the final 2 show 0f Australian Idol in 2003 . He was declared the winner.

Mariah Carey version

Infobox Single
Name = I'll Be There


Artist = Mariah Carey & Trey Lorenz
from Album = MTV Unplugged
Released = May 26 1992 (U.S.)
Format = CD single, cassette single, 7" single
Recorded = Kaufman Astoria Studios, NYC; March 16 1992
Genre = Pop, R&B
Length = 4:25/4:42
Label = Columbia
Writer =
Producer = Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Certification = Gold (RIANZ)
Silver (BPI)
Misc = Extra chronology
Artist = Mariah Carey
Type = singles
Last single = " Till the End of Time"
(1992)
This single = I'll Be There
(1992)
Next single = "If It's Over"
(1992)Extra track listing
Album = MTV Unplugged EP
Type = live
prev_track = "Make It Happen"
prev_no = 5
this_track = "I'll Be There"
track_no = 6
next_track = "Can't Let Go"
next_no = 7Extra track listing
Album = #1's
Type = compilation
prev_track = "Dreamlover"
prev_no = 10
this_track = "I'll Be There"
track_no = 11
next_track = "Emotions"
next_no = 12Extra track listing
Album = Greatest Hits (CD #1)
Type = compilation
prev_track = "Make It Happen"
prev_no = 7
this_track = "I'll Be There"
track_no = 8
next_track = "Dreamlover"
next_no = 9Extra chronology
Artist = Trey Lorenz
Type = singles
Last single =
This single = "I'll Be There"
(1992)
Next single = "Someone to Hold"
(1992)

About the record

Mariah Carey had included "I'll Be There" as a last-minute addition to her "MTV Unplugged" setlist, after she had been informed that most acts on the show commonly perform at least one cover. "I'll Be There" was the sixth track on Carey's "MTV Unplugged" special, taped on March 16 1992. It was performed as a romantic duet, with Carey singing Michael Jackson's lines and R&B singer Trey Lorenz singing Jermaine Jackson's lines. The program and resulting "MTV Unplugged" album were produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, who played the piano for the performance.

The "MTV Unplugged" special aired on May 20 1992, and was a notable success. Carey's record label, Columbia, received many requests to release "I'll Be There" as a single, which had not been planned. A radio edit of the song was created which removed dialogue portions of the performance, and "I'll Be There" was released as a single. In the U.S., the song was issued with "So Blessed" as a B-side; in the United Kingdom, the "I'll Be There" single included the live "Unplugged" version of "Vision of Love" (1990), and the album versions of "If It's Over" and "All in Your Mind".

"I'll Be There" was nominated for the 1993 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, losing to Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" . The "I'll Be There" music video, directed by Larry Jordan, was compiled from footage of Carey's "MTV Unplugged" appearance.

Chart performance

After the underperformance of "Make It Happen" compared to her previous singles, "I'll Be There" was a return to form for Carey: it became her sixth number-one on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 and allayed any concerns her record label had about her career in decline. "I'll Be There" was the number-one song on the Hot 100 for two weeks, from June 13 1992 to June 27; it was the second time that the song hit number one. It replaced "Jump" by Kris Kross, and was itself replaced by "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot. It became a number-one success on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart.

"I'll Be There" was Carey's breakthrough hit outside North America, becoming her most successful single in numerous markets. It topped the Canadian Singles Chart for two weeks, and became her biggest hit in the United Kingdom (where it hit #2) and Australia (where it reached number nine). It peaked inside the top twenty in most markets across Continental Europe, where Carey's success had previously been limited.

Credits

;Jackson 5 version
* Lead vocals by Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Jackson, and Marlon Jackson
* Background vocals by Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, and Marlon Jackson
* Produced by Berry Gordy, Jr., Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch

;Mariah Carey version
* All vocals by Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz
* Produced by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff

Charts

Jackson 5 version

Mariah Carey version

ee also

*Hot 100 number-one hits of 1970 (USA)
*Hot 100 number-one hits of 1992 (USA)

External links

* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:pvotk6hx8krd "All Music Guide"]
* [http://www.lyricsoncall.com/lyrics/mariah-carey/ill-be-there-lyrics.html "I'll be there lyrics"]