Got to Be There is the Gold-certified solo debut album by Michael Jackson, released by Motown Records on January 24, 1972.[1] It includes the song of the same name, which was released in the October 7, 1971 as Jackson's debut solo single. It would go on to sell nearly 900,000 copies in the United States and over 3.2 million copies worldwide.[2] The album was later remastered and reissued in 2009 as part of the 3-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.
Contents[]
Album information[edit][]
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 #5 and #6, respectively, on April 8, 1971. Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are" reached number 27 on the American chart on June 24, 1972. The album included covers 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".[3]
Reception[edit][]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [4] |
The album peaked at number 14 on the US pop albums chart and number three on the US R&B album chart when it was released. It was certified Gold by the RIAA and eventually sold close to 900,000 copies in the United States alone.
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.."
Track listing[edit][]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't No Sunshine" (recorded November 1971) | Bill Withers | 4:09 | |
| 2. | "I Wanna Be Where You Are" (recorded November 1971) | Arthur "T-Boy" Ross, Leon Ware | 3:01 | |
| 3. | "Girl Don't Take Your Love from Me" (recorded November 1971) | Willie Hutch | 3:46 | |
| 4. | "In Our Small Way" (recorded December 1971) | Beatrice Verdi, Christine Yarian | 3:38 | |
| 5. | "Got to Be There" (recorded June–July 1971) | Elliot Willensky | 3:23 | |
| 6. | "Rockin' Robin" (recorded October 1971) | Leon Rene (under the pseudonym "Jimmie Thomas") | 2:31 | |
| 7. | "Wings of My Love" (recorded November 1971) | Alphonso Mizell, Berry Gordy Jr., Deke Richards & Freddie Perren | 3:25 | |
| 8. | "Maria (You Were the Only One)" (recorded July–September 1971) | Lawrence Brown, Linda Glover, George Gordy, Allen Story | 3:41 | |
| 9. | "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" (recorded December 1971) | Holland-Dozier-Holland | 2:51 | |
| 10. | "You've Got a Friend" (recorded November 1971) | Carole King | 4:53 |