Got To Be There by Michael Jackson

Got To Be There

Michael Jackson

1971

By the time the J-5's forth consecutive chart-topper snagged that coveted One-Spot it was pretty obvious who the group's stand-out star was. Berry Gordy had been grooming Michael for a solo career since the group signed with Motown, and almost exactly a year after 'I'll Be There' took off, he decided that the iron was hot. 
 

Sometime during the late summer or early fall of  '71 Motown's whip called in Michael, song-writer Elliott Willensky, and prolific music producer Hal Davis, along with David Blumberg, who arranged the music, and Willie Hutch, who took on production tasks for the vocals, for a history making meeting, and possibly said something to the effect of 'Michael, we're going to write you a hit all your own', then to his writing/producing team 'Guys, write the kid a hit!'

Ok, I actually have no idea if those words were spoken at said meeting, but something sure transpired at Motown's Hitsville West studio in L.A. 'cause they did indeed 'Write The Kid A Hit'. This is another one that everyone who was a kid in the early Seventies recognizes pretty much the instant they hear that short, sweet piano intro leading into Michaels already tight vocals. The team of Willensky, Davis, Blumberg, and Hutch went in the same direction that Davis and Hutch had chosen for 'I'll Be There' a year earlier, even choosing a similar title. Deciding that there was no need to fix something that wasn't broke, they again penned a simple, gentle ballad that showcased Michael Jackson's voice perfectly, then they had him also record his own back-up vocals, a very likely multiple take effort that payed off in spades.

'Got To Be There' was released thirteen months and change after 'I'll Be There', debuting just inside the Billboard Hot 100, at #89, on Oct 39, 1971, cracking the Top 20 two weeks later at #13, and just making the Top 10, at #9, on it's forth week in. It peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 on December 11th and stayed there for a single week before starting down, then dropping off of the chart on Jan. 29th of  '72, enjoying a very respectable fourteen week chart run, with nine of those weeks spent in the Top 10. The tune did even better on both the R&B and Cashbox charts, snagging the top spot on both. Got To Be There was also the title track for Michael Jackson's first solo album,  which was also a hit, selling just under a million copies in the US, and just over three million world wide

This was another tune that had by-then thirteen year old Michael Jackson singing of subjects that were likely a bit beyond his experience in the ways of love and such...the song told of a young dude talking about being with his beloved when she woke up in the morning so he could tell her how much he loved her and 'welcome her into the world'...but I really don't think anyone noticed or particularly cared about that discrepancy this time around. They were too busy loving the tune. It was a sweet love song that had the girls hoping their guys felt exactly that way about them, and it was perfect for Michael's vocals. MJ threw himself into the music, too...one of the many traits that would drive his music success over the next nearly 40 years. When you listened to him sing, you could truly believe he was talking about his love for his girl.

The song really took off on the radio as the Holiday season kicked off, and, as noted above, millions of starry eyed young girls listened to it, hoping that their guy felt that way about them (Or that he would feel that way when they finally got a boyfriend...remember, the J-5's and Michael's music was aimed primarily at the age- group we call 'Tweens' today. 

Like pretty much all of Michael Jackson's solo efforts, 'Got To Be There has enjoyed some tremendous staying power, and you're pretty sure to hear it once in a while if you listen to your favorite Oldies station long enough. It's pretty, soulful, and it kicked off a solo career that became a legend.  

So Enjoy! 'Got To Be There by Michael Jackson