The song was also the lead track on the Jackson 5′s “Third Album” which was released in September 1970.

The Jackson 5 were already hugely successful by the time “I’ll Be There” was released, with three number one singles and two number one albums behind them. The release of this song as a single can be seen as a departure for the group, which had thrived to date on upbeat pop material such as “I Want You Back” and “ABC.” It would prove a wise decision, resulting in the Jackson 5′s biggest ever hit and Motown’s best selling song until eclipsed by “Endless Love” in 1981.

Authorship

“I’ll Be There” was written by Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch.

Recording date/location

“I’ll Be There” was recorded at Hitsville West, 1011 N. Fuller Ave., West Hollywood, California in the summer of 1970.

Musicians

Although the Jackson 5 did play their own instruments on stage, in the studio their backing was generally provided by the legendary Motown house band, The Funk Brothers, or members of The Wrecking Crew when recording in Motown’s Hitsville West studio in Los Angeles, as was the case with “I’ll Be There.” Some sources do credit the Funk Brothers as having played on the single though, so if anyone can clear that up please leave a comment below.

Michael Jackson and his brother Jermaine performed lead vocals on “I’ll Be There.” Jackie, Tito and Marlon provided backing vocals.

On stage, Jermaine played bass, Tito was on lead guitar, Johnny Jackson (no relation) was on drums and Ronnie Rancifer played keyboards.

Chart performance

“I’ll Be There”, backed with “One More Chance”, hit number one on the US pop chart on October 11, 1970 and remained there for five weeks. This was the Jackson 5′s fourth number one single in a row and would be their last. It reached number four in the UK.

The album on which “I’ll Be There” appeared, “Third Album”, hit number four on the US album chart.

Covers

Mariah Carey – “I’ll Be There”

The only notable cover is by Mariah Carey and R&B singer Trey Lorenz. This was performed as part of Mariah’s MTV Unplugged show, which was taped on March 16, 1992 and aired on May 26, 1992. The song was released as the first single from her EP “MTV Unplugged” and hit number one for two weeks in the US. It was also Mariah’s biggest hit to date in many countries, including a number two spot in the UK.

Mariah also performed the song at Michael Jackson’s memorial on July 7, 2009.

There will be a new Song of the Week on October 18.

“I’ll Be There” is available on a number of Jackson 5 compilations, including the recent 2-CD “Icons: The Jackson 5″.

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Icons: Jackson 5 (2 CDs)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

Billboard released Michael Jackson’s chart stats in advance of the anniversary of his death on June 25.

The stats show that although “Billie Jean” was number one for a week longer (seven weeks) on Billboard’s Hot 100 than “Say Say Say,” the latter stayed in the top 10 longer.

“Say Say Say” was recorded at Abbey Road studios and appeared on Paul McCartney’s “Pipes of Peace” album, released in 1983.

Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson – “Say Say Say”

Here’s Michael Jackson’s top ten Billboard successes:

1. “Say Say Say” – a six-week number one on the Hot 100
2. “Billie Jean” – the second single from the “Thriller” album stayed at number one for seven weeks in early 1983
3. “I’ll Be There” – a five-week number one for the Jackson 5 in 1970
4. “Beat It” – another classic from the “Thriller” album, this single was at number one for three weeks in 1983
5. “Rock With You” – Jackson’s first hit of the 1980s, which stayed at number one for four weeks
6. “Dancing Machine” – a number two hit for the Jacksons in 1974
7. “Man in the Mirror” – one of the stand out tracks on Jackson’s “Bad” album and a number one hit on the Hot 100 in 1988
8. “I Want You Back” – the number one Jackson 5 hit from 1969, which kickstarted the group’s career
9. “ABC” – the Jackson 5 also hit number one with this track in 1970
10. “The Girl is Mine” – the number two hit with Paul McCartney from 1983.

This does highlight how there can be a big difference between a song’s initial impact and it’s ongoing importance. “Billie Jean” has been by far the more enduring song and became an important part of Jackson’s live show over the years. Of course “Say Say Say” is a duet, so it wasn’t as easy to showcase the song in a live setting, but ultimately “Billie Jean” is a better and more memorable track. In fact, I think it’s fair to say that the majority of the songs in the top ten eclipse “Say Say Say” in terms of current airplay and popularity.

“All Shook Up” – Elvis Presley

Spring seemed to agree with Elvis Presley, because he was number one on this date in four different years – “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956), “All Shook Up” (1957), “Stuck on You” (1960) and Good Luck Charm” (1962). “All Shook Up” was on the third of its eight week run at number one on this day in 1957. The song was also Elvis’ first number one in the UK.

“Come Softly to Me” – The Fleetwoods

The Fleetwoods scored a number one with the doo-wop classic “Come Softly to Me” on April 13, 1959 and the song remained on top for four weeks. Their second and only other number one was “Mr Blue” in November of the same year.

“Runaway” – Del Shannon

Sandwiched between Elvis’ 1960 and 1962 late April number ones, Del Shannon’s “Runaway” began its four weeks at number one on April 24, 1961. Del knocked Elvis’ “Surrender” off the top spot.

“Can’t Buy Me Love” – The Beatles

In this week of 1964, the Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” was in its fourth week at number one. This was the Beatles’ third US number one and their third consecutive number one on the Billboard chart. “Can’t Buy Me Love” had replaced “She Loves You” at number one on April 4, which had in turn replaced “I Want To Hold Your Hand” at number one.

“ABC” – The Jackson 5

Moving forward a few years, the Jackson 5 were number one on this day in 1970 with the classic “ABC.” They knocked the Beatles’ “Let it Be” off the top spot and stayed at number one for two weeks. “ABC” was the first single from their second album, which was also called “ABC.”

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” – Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack hit the top spot with her memorable version of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” on April 9, 1972 and remained at number one for six weeks The song had already appeared on Roberta’s 1969 album “First Take,” but a re-edited (shorter) version was released as a single after featuring in the Clint Eastwood movie “Play Misty for Me.”

“Night Fever” – The Bee Gees

The Bee Gees were one of the most popular bands in the world when they were at number one with “Night Fever” in this week of 1978. “Night Fever” was taken from the soundtrack of the hit movie “Saturday Night Fever” from the previous year. This would become the best selling soundtrack of all time.

“Call Me” – Blondie

In 1979/80, Blondie did what Elvis had done in the 1950s and scored back to back April number ones with “Heart of Glass” and “Call Me,” respectively. “Call Me” was beginning the third of its six weeks at number one on April 28, 1980.

“I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

In the last week of April 1982, Joan and her band the Blackhearts were enjoying their sixth week at number one with the song most associated with her, “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll.” Joan had originally recorded it in 1979 with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols, but this version remained unreleased until 1993. Joan Jett’s profile has been raised recently with the release of the movie about her first band “The Runaways.”

“Beat It” – Michael Jackson

The year 1983 belonged to Michael Jackson with his hugely successful “Thriller” album and five top ten singles. “Beat It” was number one in the last week of April. “Billie Jean” had already hit the top spot in January and stayed there for seven weeks. Both tracks were on the “Thriller” album.

The “Beat It” video can’t be embedded here, but you can watch it on YouTube.

More number ones
Other great songs to make number one this week in history included:

• 1967 – “Somethin’ Stupid” by Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
• 1969 – “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by The Fifth Dimension
• 1971 – “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night
• 1976 – “Let Your Love Flow” by The Bellamy Brothers
• 1986 – “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer
• 1989 – “Like a Prayer” by Madonna

Thanks to the great website www.joshhosler.biz for the chart data.

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