I'll Be There
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| “I'll Be There” | |||||
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| Single by The Jackson 5 from the album Third Album |
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| 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 |
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| Writer(s) | Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch | ||||
| Producer | Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch | ||||
| The Jackson 5 singles chronology | |||||
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"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.
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.
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[edit] Jackson 5 version
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 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 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, there would almost always be a period where Jackson breaks down in tears, struggling on the words and reminiscing on his childhood career, followed by 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 Grease: You're the One that I Want!.
| Preceded by "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single October 17 - November 14, 1970 |
Succeeded by "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family |
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[edit] Mariah Carey version
| “I'll Be There” | |||||
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| Single by Mariah Carey & Trey Lorenz from the album MTV Unplugged |
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| 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 | ||||
| Producer | Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff | ||||
| Mariah Carey singles chronology | |||||
| " Till the End of Time" (1992) |
I'll Be There (1992) |
"If It's Over" (1992) |
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| MTV Unplugged EP track listing | |||||
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| #1's track listing | |||||
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| Greatest Hits (CD #1) track listing | |||||
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| Trey Lorenz singles chronology | |||||
| "I'll Be There" (1992) |
"Someone to Hold" (1992) |
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[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Credits
- Jackson 5 version
- Lead vocals by Michael Jackson and Jermaine 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
[edit] Charts
[edit] Jackson 5 version
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
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| U.S. Billboard Pop Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Black Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 24 |
| UK Singles Chart | 4 |
[edit] Mariah Carey version
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
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| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 9 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 16 |
| German Singles Chart | 34 |
| Israeli Singles Chart | 10 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 10 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 20 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| Preceded by "Jump" by Kris Kross |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single June 20, 1992 – June 27, 1992 |
Succeeded by "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot |
