Got to Be There (song) explained

Got to Be There
Type:single
Artist:Michael Jackson
Album:Got to Be There
B-Side:Maria (You Were the Only One)
Recorded:June 1971[1]
Studio:Motown Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre:
Length:3:22
Label:Motown
Producer:Hal Davis
Next Title:Rockin' Robin
Next Year:1972

"Got to Be There" is the debut solo single by the American singer Michael Jackson, written by Elliot Willensky and released as a single on October 7, 1971, on Motown Records. The song was produced by Hal Davis and recorded at Motown's Hitsville West studios in Hollywood.

The single became an immediate success, reaching number one on Cashbox's pop and R&B singles charts, while reaching number four on Billboard's pop and R&B singles charts.[2] Released to select European countries, it also found success, reaching number five in the UK.[3] The song was composed as a pop ballad with soul and soft rock elements. The song was musically arranged by Dave Blumberg while Willie Hutch produced its vocal arrangements.

Motown label mates the Miracles released their version on their 1972 album Flying High Together, while Diana Ross recorded a version of the song for her unreleased 1973 album To the Baby which was eventually issued as part of the 2010 Expanded edition of her Touch Me in the Morning album. R&B group Black Ivory recorded a version on their 1972 debut album entitled, "Don't Turn Around", which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard's R&B chart.

A cover version of the song by Chaka Khan from her eponymous fourth solo album reached #5 on the R&B Charts in 1983.

Track listing

Live performances

  1. Hellzapoppin': Jackson performed "Got to Be There" for the first time at Hellzapoppin' at March 1, 1972 with his brothers, along with Sugar Daddy and Brand New Thing.[4] The performance is about 2 minutes and it included an intro showing a garage door opening revealing the Jackson 5.
  2. Live at the Forum: The performance is similar to the one from Hellzapoppin'. It was recorded on August 26, 1972, and released on June 21, 2010.[5]
  3. The Jackson 5 in Japan: Audio recording from the concert in Japan at April 30, 1973 was released on the album Jackson 5 in Japan.[6] Here, the performance is almost 4 minutes and it had a spoken line for intro.

Personnel

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1971–72)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart83
Canadian RPM Top Singles3
UK Singles Chart5
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 4
US Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles4
US Billboard Easy Listening14
US Cash Box Top 100[8] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1971)! scope="col"
Position
Canada[9] 38

Cover versions

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Richard . Lecocq . François . Allard . 2018 . Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track . Bad . London, England . . 9781788400572 . https://books.google.com/books?id=4qJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT500.
  2. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4576/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} ''Billboard'' Singles]. . 2010-03-01.
  3. Web site: Official Charts Company . . 2010-03-01 .
  4. Web site: Hellzapoppin' Live performance recording details. Mjj.lt. en. 2019-03-13.
  5. Web site: Live At The Forum Album information. Mjj.lt. en. 2019-03-13.
  6. Web site: In Japan! Album information. Mjj.lt. en. 2019-03-13.
  7. Web site: Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot 100). Billboard. 30 September 2021. en. 30 September 2021.
  8. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 1/01/72 . Tropicalglen.com . 1972-01-01 . 2016-10-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160916211016/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19720101.html . 2016-09-16 . dead .
  9. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada. collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  10. Black Ivory. Billboard. 23 April 2021.
  11. Black Ivory. Billboard. 23 April 2021.

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