Got to Be There
Studio album by
Michael Jackson
ReleasedJanuary 24, 1972
Recorded1971[1]
Genre
Length35:45
LabelMotown
Producer
Michael Jackson chronology
Got to Be There
(1972) 		Ben
(1972)
Singles from Got to Be There
  1. "Got to Be There"
    Released: October 7, 1971
  2. "Rockin' Robin"
    Released: February 17, 1972
  3. "I Wanna Be Where You Are"
    Released: May 2, 1972
  4. "Ain't No Sunshine"
    Released: July 3, 1972

Got to Be There is the debut solo studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Motown on January 24, 1972,[4] four weeks after the Jackson 5's Greatest Hits (1971). It includes the song of the same name, which was released on October 7, 1971, as Jackson's debut solo single.

On August 2, 2013, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies. The album was later remastered and reissued in 2009 as part of the 3-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.

Background

The album was arranged by The Corporation, Eddy Manson, James Anthony Carmichael, Gene Page, and Dave Blumberg. Berry Gordy served as Got to Be There's executive producer, while Jim Britt was credited for photography. The album included remakes of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine", Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" and The Supremes' "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone". The album's songs have a tempo ranging from 74 beats per minute on "Ain't No Sunshine", to 170 on "Rockin' Robin."[5]

Promotion

The title track and "Rockin' Robin," a Bobby Day cover, were released as Got to Be There's first two singles and became back-to-back hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number four and number two, respectively. Third single "I Wanna Be Where You Are" peaked at number 29 on the same chart on June 24, 1972. In the United Kingdom, Jackson's version of Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine" was issued as the album's third single. It reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]

Rolling Stone (12/7/1972, p. 68) - "...slick, artful and every bit as good as the regular Jackson 5 product...a sweetly touching voice...innocence and utter professionalism...fascinating and finally irresistible..." In a retrospective review, Rob Theakston from AllMusic rated the album two and a half out of five stars. He found that "as a cohesive album, Got to Be There is wildly erratic, and his covers of "You've Got a Friend" and "Ain't No Sunshine" show Jackson's versatility as a singer."[7] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating. She found that "highlights include a jaunty cover of "Rockin' Robin," the wistful title track, and the soaring '"I Wanna Be Where You Are"."[8]

Commercial performance

Got to Be There peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart when it was released.[9][10] On August 2, 2013, nearly forty years after its original release, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies.[11] In 2009, The album was later remastered and reissued as part of the 3-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.[12] By 2016, Got to Be There had sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.[13]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ain't No Sunshine" (recorded July–November 1971)Bill Withers4:09
2."I Wanna Be Where You Are" (recorded July–November 1971)
3:00
3."Girl Don't Take Your Love from Me" (recorded July–November 1971)Willie Hutch3:46
4."In Our Small Way" (recorded July–November 1971)
  • Beatrice Verdi
  • Christine Yarian
3:34
5."Got to Be There" (recorded June 1971)Elliot Willensky3:23
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Rockin' Robin" (recorded July–November 1971)Jimmie Thomas2:30
7."Wings of My Love" (recorded July–November 1971)The Corporation3:32
8."Maria (You Were the Only One)" (recorded June–July 1971)
  • Lawrence Brown
  • Linda Glover
  • George Gordy
  • Allen Story
3:41
9."Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" (recorded July–November 1971)Holland-Dozier-Holland2:51
10."You've Got a Friend" (recorded July–November 1971)Carole King4:45

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Got to Be There
Chart (1972–2009) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[14] 121
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 37
US Billboard 200[9] 14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 3

Certifications

Certifications for Got to Be There
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018). "Bad". Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. ISBN 9781788400572.
  2. ^ Bernadette McNulty (26 June 2009). "Michael Jackson's music: the solo albums". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2019. Motown chief Berry Gordy pushed Jackson's first solo album firmly into the mould of his label's sound: lush, harmonious, optimistic, innocent pop
  3. ^ Chery, Carl: XXL: Michael Jackson Special Collectors Edition, page 100. American Press.
  4. ^ Don't Forget the Motor City
  5. ^ The Complete Michael Jackson, International Music Publications Ltd, 1997, ISBN 1859094473
  6. ^ "Michael Jackson: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  7. ^ a b Rob Theakston. Got to Be There at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  8. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah (July 3, 2009). "Michael Jackson's Albums". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 11, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Michael Jackson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Michael Jackson Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "American album certifications – Michael Jackson – Got to Be There". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Reviews of new box sets for the music fans on your list". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. 2009-12-12. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  13. ^ Abreu, Ruy Miguel. "Michael Jackson: a estrela sem cor". Blitz (in Portuguese). Impresa. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021. "Got to Be There" was the first release integrated into this strategy, Michael's official solo debut that sold well in excess of a million and a half copies and immediately made it clear that the Top 5 was within reach of a child.
  14. ^ "Lescharts.com – Michael Jackson – Got to Be There". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

External links

Michael Jackson
Authority control databases
Categories