"Got to Be There" is the debut solo single by the American recording artist

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

, written by Elliot Willensky and released as a single on October 7, 1971, on

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''m ...

. The song was produced by

Hal Davis Harold Edward Davis (February 8, 1933 – November 18, 1998) was an American songwriter and record producer. Davis was a producer and writer for Motown Records for nearly thirty years, and was a key figure in the latter part of the Motown ...

and recorded at Motown's Hitsville West studios in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

. 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. Released to select European countries, it also found success, reaching number five in the UK. 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 William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Biog ...

produced its vocal arrangements. Motown label mates Smokey Robinson & The Miracles released their version on their 1972 album '' Flying High Together'', while

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

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 Black Ivory is an American rhythm and blues, R&B group from Harlem, which had a number of hits in the 1970s, including "Don't Turn Around (R&B Song), Don't Turn Around", "You and I (Black Ivory song), You and I", "Time Is Love (Black Ivory song ...

recorded a version on their 1972 debut album entitled, "

Don't Turn Around "Don't Turn Around" is a popular song written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by Tina Turner as the B-side to the single "Typical Male" in 1986. It has since been included on the rarities disc of the 1994 compil ...

", which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard's R&B chart. A cover version of the song by

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

from her eponymous fourth solo album reached #5 on the R&B Charts in 1983.

Track listing

*A. "Got To Be There" – 3:23 *B. "Maria (You Were the Only One)" – 3:41

Live performances

# 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. The performance is about 2 minutes and it included an intro showing a garage door opening revealing the Jackson 5. # 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. # Jackson 5 In Japan: Audio recording from the concert in Japan at April 30, 1973 was released on the album "Jackson 5 in Japan". Here, the performance is almost 4 minutes and it had a spoken line for intro.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

Personnel

*Written and composed by Elliot Willensky *Produced by Hal Davis *Lead vocals by

*Background vocals by Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson,

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackso ...

, and

Marlon Jackson Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957) is an American entertainer, singer and dancer best known as a member of the Jackson 5. He is the sixth child of the Jackson family. Marlon now runs Study Peace Foundation to promote peace and unity wor ...

*Arrangement by Dave Blumberg *Vocal arrangement by Willie Hutch

Cover versions

* Fellow Motown recording act

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...

recorded the track for their final studio album, '' Flying High Together'', in 1972. * In 1972, R&B Group,

recorded a version on their top R&B 20 debut album, "Don't Turn Around". It was the B-side to their top 40 single, "Time Is Love". * In 1982,

had a top 5 R&B hit version with the song, featured on her self-titled album. * In 1993,

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

performed the track using his guitar and vocal hums on his 1993 album, ''Love Remembers''. * In 2007, group

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

covered it for their 2007 release, '' Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA''.

References

External links

List of cover versions of "Got to Be There"
at SecondHandSongs.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Got To Be There (Song) Michael Jackson songs 1971 debut singles Song recordings produced by Hal Davis Cashbox number-one singles Pop ballads Rhythm and blues ballads 1970s ballads Motown singles 1971 songs