I'll Be There-The Jackson Five

I'll Be There

1970

The Jackson Five

If you were a kid back in 1970 and you hear a certain twice-repeated 8-note piano intro on the local Oldies station today, it's a pretty good bet that you know what song's starting up without even having to think about it. If you don't recognize it...which would likely mean you had the misfortune to spend your teen years in some music-free vacuum...that intro kicks off the song that probably became The Jackson Five's most beloved hit and definitely became their most successful hit.  'I'll Be There' was so popular, and so good, in fact, that it scored the top spot on the Hot 100 for not just one, but two legendary artists about two decades or so apart.

'I'll Be There' was a major change-up for The Jackson Five. The group was rightly considered to be one of the ambassadors of Bubblegum Pop, and that's the sound that had earned them a hat-trick of #1 hits...but Berry Gordy wanted to show the world that The J-5 could do more than just crank out Bubblegum Pop. HMMMMM...how do do this....a Ballad? Yes! A ballad! OF course, when Berry Gordy decided to go with a ballad for the J-5's next single, he knew he was taking a risk. It wasn't the kind of music they were known for, and most importantly, it wasn't a type of song they'd ever sung for the masses.

The first thing he had to do was give The Corporation some time off...Ballads weren't their forte'. He called in Hal Davis, Willie Hutch, and Bob West, talented and experienced songwriters all, especially Hal Davis. Take a look at the record jackets for any and all of Motown's biggest artists and hits and you'll see his name in the writing and /or producing credits. Once Berry Gordy got this cadre of hit-makers gathered in one place he sat 'em down and told them what he needed. And, with instructions in hand, they preceded to crank out a legendary classic.

This team put together a simple, gentle ballad for The J-5, taking Michael Jackson's already  extraordinary singing talents and paring his voice with older bro Jermaine for what is, arguably, one of the prettiest, most soulful ballads to come out of the early Seventies. Like all of the J-5's songs the concept was pretty straight-forward as well as a feeling every guy alive can probably identify with. That feeling being letting a girl he still loves and adores know that he'll always be there for her. 

They done good...heck, they knocked it out of the park, with the bases loaded. Those sweet, soulful lyrics sung to a soft, flowing melody and slow, wistful rhythm are timeless, and the song's still a favorite forty five years later because of it. Anyone who says they haven't thought about someone they love while listening to those soulful, haunting lyrics is lying. Those same qualities are what made it an instant, run-away hit

'I'll Be There' was a hit from the instant it debuted on The Billboard Hot 100...no, seriously, I'm not kidding...it cracked the Top 40, at #40, on September 19th, 1970...the same day it debuted. It then commenced to chart-climbing like a homesick space-alien, slipping into the Top 20 (#19) on it's second week in and the Top 10 (#6) on Week 3. Four weeks in it was at #2, and on week 5, it snagged the coveted 1-spot, where it'd stay for five weeks, making it The Jackson Five's most successful hit by far. While it was at it, it also snagged the top spot on the Billboard Black Singles Chart and #24 on the Billboard Easy Listening Chart (What's known today as Adult Contemporary)

I'll Be There pulled something off that very few other tunes can boast of...it never dropped out of the Top 40 during it's 16 week chart run. Not only that, it hung around the Top 10 for eleven of those sixteen weeks...in fact the only two weeks that it wasn't in the Top 20 or better were it's first and last weeks on the chart...it was still at #29 when it finally dropped off the charts, still putting it in the Top 30. It was, by far, their most successful single, moving 4.2 million singles in the U.S., and 6. million world-wide.. It'd apparently also be a tough act to follow...The J-5'd never again snag the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, though they'd grab the runner-up position a few times.

 Michael Jackson noted himself, in his autobiography 'Moonwalk', that 'I'll Be There' is the tune that lifted The Jackson Five beyond 'Bubblegum Pop', and I'll take that a step further and say that it's very likely the song that lit off the afterburners on Micheal's career...his solo career began just about a year later, and anyone living on Planet Earth and having some vague knowledge of music over the last 45 or so years knows what a talent he was and what a career he had.

'I'll Be There' was not only The Jackson Fives best-loved hit, it was likely their most covered hit, with the covers starting early...Andy Williams released a version in 1971...but the absolute best known cover was released twenty years and small change after The J-5 snagged the Hot 100's top spot with it...and  also grabbed The Billboard 100's top spot, The artist? A young lady named Mariah Carey

The way that cover happened is an interesting little story in itself...back in 1992, when MTV actually played Music and showed music videos, they had a show called 'MTV Unplugged, which featured popular artists and acts playing acoustic instruments. Mariah Cary was to appear on the show, and was told that 'Everyone covers an early hit'. Annnnd...she hadn't really prepared one. She and R&B singer Trey Lorenz knocked out a version, with Mariah singing Michael Jackson's parts, and Trey handling Jermaine Jackson's parts, added it to their 'MTV Unplugged set list, then told the crew at Music Television 'This is what we came up with, knocked it out kinda quick, hope it'll do...'

Really, Mariah...really...Hope it'll do???

Needless to say, Mariah Carey knocked it slam out of the park because, well because she's Mariah Carey. The wild thing was...they weren't planning on releasing it as a single. Again, it was basically knocked out on the quick so they'd have a cover for their 'Unplugged' set. The phone calls...both to MTV and to Mariah Carey's label...wanting to know where they could buy the single started almost as soon as the final credits for that ep of 'Unplugged' rolled.

They edited the performance and released it as a single to a waiting public. The Mariah Carey version debuted on The Hot 100 on Memorial Day Weekend, 1992 at #13, broke into the Top 10 at #4 a week later, and snagged #1...where it'd stay for two weeks...on June 20th. It'd be in the Top 10 for eight of it's twenty weeks on the charts, and while it was at it, would score a Grammy Nomination for Best R&B Duo performance(They lost to 'Boyz II Men). Mariah Carey never forgot where the song came from, BTW. She and Trey reunited on July 7th, 2009, at Michael Jackson's memorial service, to sing their version as a tribute to The Gloved One.

Mariah Carey's version was awesome, but the original's, of course, the one that's best loved. This is the Jackson Five song that you'll absolutely, definitely and inevitably hear on the Oldies stations today. It made the group a serious contender in the record industry, and really kicked off the career of a true legend.  It's probably also inspired a few million wistful thoughts as it was listened to by a guy or gal who'd always be there for the one they loved, and that smooth, sweet melody, and those soulful lyrics still bring smiles to lots of faces today when it shows up on an Oldies station (That'd be WBBT, 107.3 in the Richmond area).

'I'll Be There'll probably be inspiring those wistful thoughts for decades after Us Seventies Kids are gone...it's a classic, and it really is that pretty and that awesome.

So Enjoy!   I'll Be There', by The Jackson Five.  


As a bonus,  Mariah Carie's adds her own style to the tune in her chart-topping cover of I'll Be There...she has always made any song she sings a treat. Better yet, this is the studio version, which was never released publicly. Needless to say she nails it to the wall...after all, she's Mariah Cary!


Bonus Numero Dos...speakin' of keepin' the music of The Seventies alive and young ladies who make any song they sing a treat, take a listen to this. The lovely and uber-talented young lady you'll hear nailing 'I'll Be There' to the wall in this video is Andi Kitten, and she was the lead singer of a quartet of  lovely and uber-talented young ladies hailing from Lubbock, Texas and calling themselves the Cactus Cuties. They rose to a pretty decent level of fame after a video of them at a Texas Tech Women's Basketball game singing what, IMHO, is the best rendition of The Star Spangled Banner ever performed anywhere  went viral. People took notice. Big-time. The girls specialized in religious and patriotic songs, then crossed over to singing Oldies and some modern Pop, with a couple of original songs thrown into the mix. They appeared on Disney Channel's Cory In The House, toured the country, sang for the President, sang the National Anthem at more than a few pro football games in their home state, and won the hearts of millions before the group folded and the girls...all still close friends...went their separate ways.

When they were still The Cactus Cuties, they were music students at Lubbock's Cactus Theater...The  Cuties were the best known sub-set of a large group of talented kids known as The Cactus Kids...and back in September 2009 The Cactus put on a Michael Jackson Tribute Concert.  All of the kids were given a MJ song to research and sing, and when their teacher and mentor Cami Caldwell gave Andi her assignment for the concert, it was 'I'll Be There', which was suited just about perfectly to her singing voice. As you'll hear she not only knocked it outa the park, she just might have out-done the original! Oh...she was still a couple of days away from her 13th birthday when she made 'I'll Be There' her own. She still sings, often partnering up with Madeline Powell, another former Cutie, and the granddaughter of the gent who made the video that put them in the spotlight, and she's only gotten better and better as she's gotten older. (She's still an Oldies fanatic from what I hear, too!). 

Take a listen, especially when she really kicks the afterburners in at about 3:50 into the video!

A couple of interesting little factoids.

 Remember when Michael Jackson says 'Just look over your shoulders, Honey!' towards the end of the song? Well...he kinda flubbed his line. Berry Gordy added in this spoken line as a tribute to The Four Tops tune 'Reach Out, I'll Be There', and told Michael to say it as ...over your shoulder...' Singular. As in one shoulder or the other.

When they recorded it, MJ spoke the line as it still is...shoulders...and the slightly flubbed line was allowed to stay. I mean really...the song's pretty much perfect. Were they really gonna do another take because of a misplaced 's' that most likely no one'd really notice anyway?

SO the line stayed as is.

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Of all the different versions of 'I'll Be There', one of the most interesting is when Michael Jackson did a duet with his younger self, all in the name of  'The Pepsi Generation'

Michael Jackson did a slew of commercials for Pepsi during a ten or so year span from the early 80s to the early 90s, all of which were more production than mere commercial. The last commercial he filmed for Pepsi was back in 1992, during the Dangerous Tour. In this last well-paid shout-out to Pepsi he was sitting at a piano, singing I'll Be There as he reminisced about the Jackson Five days, when his 11 year old self appeared at the doorway to the room and joined in. It was a fun little TV ad...Especially for MJ fans, of which there were more than a few...but of course, it wasn't all that simple. This last MJ Pepsi commercial bred it's own bit of controversy.

First, we never got to see it in the U.S. (At least not until YouTube came along). See, this commercial was never aired in the US because it was meant for the international audiences...not at all unusual for any celeb, so that's not where the controversy arose...the controversy arose because of the young actor chosen to portray young Michael.

The boy chosen to portray the younger MJ was Caucasian. This probably wouldn't have been a problem until the New York Post found out about it, and in the best tabloid tradition, made it into a headline...and their article was pretty vocal as to their thoughts on just why the choice was made.

Now, keep in mind this was 1992, twenty years and change after 'I'll Be There' rocketed to #1 and well into the plastic surgery/skin bleaching phase of Michael Jackson's life. The general consensus, pushed hard by The Post, was that he chose a white child so it wouldn't be as obvious that present-day Michael's skin was shades lighter than then younger Michael's. Of course, with that being said, the boy's face was digitally replaced and darkened so it resembled...closely...a young Michael Jackson, which would have made the choice of actor somewhat of a moot point.

M.J. himself made it clear in his famous Oprah Winfree interview that he didn't have a whole lot of input on the choice of actor, and that the kid's chemistry with cast and crew, and most importantly, his ability to...well...act...were the qualities that got him the gig. You know, like pretty much any acting job.

The only things the controversy actually did was whet the ad-watching public's appetite for the commercial to see what all the hub-bub was about, tick off M.J. American fans because they couldn't see the commercial, and give Pepsi all kind of publicity, which is pretty much the general purpose of any ad.

Controversy aside, it was still well received, and well liked because, like lots of Pepsi commercials, it was enjoyable...a trait not many commercials can lay claim to. Pepsi commercials, from time eternal have all been productions on a massive scale and three versions of this commercial were filmed.

And of course I found it on You Tube...a video with all three versions at that!