The Jackson 5 land fourth consecutive #1 with "I'll Be There"

I’ll Be There The Jackson 5

Writer(s): Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Willie Hutch, Bob West (see lyrics here) Released: August 28, 1970 First Charted: September 19, 1970 Peak: 15 US, 12 CB, 12 GR, 14 HR, 24 AC, 16 RB, 4 UK, 2 CN, 31 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.2 US, 0.2 UK, 6.1 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 76.49 video, 141.35 streaming

I’ll Be There (live) Mariah Carey

Released: May 26, 1992 First Charted: May 15, 1992 Peak: 12 US, 13 CB, 14 GR, 16 RR, 12 AC, 11 RB, 2 UK, 15 CN, 9 AU, 8 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.35 UK, 0.92 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 86.95 video, 75.12 streaming

Awards (Jackson 5): Click on award for more details.

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Awards (Mariah Carey): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Michael Jackson was only 11 years old when The Jackson 5 hit #1 with “I Want You Back”, their chart debut. Less than a year later, “I’ll Be There” became the group’s fourth consecutive chart topper, making them the first black male group to achieve such a feat. WK It was the group’s biggest hit and the most successful Motown single from their 1959-72 Detroit era, WK but it would be the last time the Jackson brothers would collectively peak in the pole position. Michael would go on to hit the top slot thirteen times as a solo act. Motown chief Berry Gordy decided for a change of pace after three upbeat singles from The Jackson 5. Instead of relying on the stable of Motown songwriters known as “The Corporation,” he turned to Hal Davis and Willie Hutch to tweak a song written by Bob West. SS In the song, a man declares eternal dedication to a former lover, saying that she can always come back to him. Michael and older brother Jermaine share the lead vocal, but this is really Michael’s showcase. “Rarely, if ever, had one so young sung with so much authority and grace,” AMG bringing “perfect aplomb…to material that ought to be both more romantic and more dramatic than he could possibly comprehend.” DM Michael said it was the song that solidified the Jackson 5’s career. RC Michael also demonstrates how well he was learning from his mentors at Motown. His mastery of phrasing and “the way he oohs his way out of the choruses” DM are taken from Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson. DM “The harmonies rival those of the Temptations” AMG and he even ad-libs a line (“Just look over your shoulder, honey!”) in tribute to The Four Tops’ “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)”. More than twenty years later, Mariah Carey scored her own #1 version of the song on the pop charts. It was a last minute addition to her 1992 MTV Unplugged appearance, performed as a duet with R&B singer Trey Lorenz. WK Her version was even more successful than The Jackson 5’s original on the adult contemporary and UK charts where it went to #1 and #2 respectively. Resources: AMG All Music Guide RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Pages 218-9. DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 94. DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Pages 215-6. SF Songfacts.com SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Page 863. WK Wikipedia.org Related Links: First posted 10/17/2011; last updated 4/29/2024.