Got to Be There

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. It includes the song of the same name, which was released on October 7, 1971, as Jackson's debut solo single. The album was later remastered and reissued in 2009 as part of the 3-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.

For the song of the same name, see Got to Be There (song).
Got to Be There
Studio album by
Michael Jackson
ReleasedJanuary 24, 1972
Recorded1971–72[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

Album information

The title track and "Rockin' Robin" were released as singles and were commercially successful. Those two hits were back-to-back on the Hot 100 at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, on April 8, 1972. Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are" reached No. 27 on the U.S. chart on June 24, 1972. 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". In the U.K, Jackson's version of "Ain't No Sunshine" was the album's third single; it reached number 8 on that country's charts.[5] The album's songs have a tempo ranging from 74 beats per minute on "Ain't No Sunshine", to 170 on "Rockin' Robin".[6]

The album was arranged by The Corporation, Eddy Manson, James Anthony Carmichael, Gene Page, and Dave Blumberg. Berry Gordy was the executive producer and Jim Britt was credited for photography.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]

Rolling Stone (12/7/72, 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.."

Commercial performance

Got to Be There peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart and No. 3 on the Billboard R&B Albums when it was released. 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.[8]

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
Chart (1972) Peak
position
French Albums Chart[9] 121
UK Albums Chart[10] 37
US Billboard 200[11] 14
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 3

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12] 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 Collecters Edition, page 100. American Press.
  4. Don't Forget the Motor City
  5. "Michael Jackson: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  6. The Complete Michael Jackson, International Music Publications Ltd, 1997, ISBN 1859094473
  7. Rob Theakston. Got to Be There at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  8. "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.
  9. "French Albums Charts - Got to Be There".
  10. "UK Albums Chart - June 25, 1972". The Official UK Charts Company.
  11. "Billboard 200- June 25, 1972".
  12. "American album certifications – Michael Jackson – Got to Be There". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 7 September 2017. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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