Got to Be There
1972 studio album by Michael Jackson
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Got to Be There is the debut solo studio album by the 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.
| Got to Be There | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 24, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | June–December 1971[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:45 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Got to Be There | ||||
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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 16 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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[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, over 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. In 2009, The album was later remastered and reissued as part of the 3-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.[11] Got to Be There sold over 750,000 copies within the first 3 weeks of release, and 1 million copies in the US by the end of 1972.[12][13] Got to Be There has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.[14]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | November 1971 | 4:09 |
| 2. | "I Wanna Be Where You Are" | November 1971 | 3:00 | |
| 3. | "Girl Don't Take Your Love from Me" | Willie Hutch | November 1971 | 3:46 |
| 4. | "In Our Small Way" |
| December 1971 | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Got to Be There" | Elliot Willensky | June – July 1971 | 3:23 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rockin' Robin" | Jimmie Thomas | October 1971 | 2:30 |
| 2. | "Wings of My Love" | The Corporation | November 1971 | 3:32 |
| 3. | "Maria (You Were the Only One)" |
| July – September 1971 | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" | Holland-Dozier-Holland | December 1971 | 2:51 |
| 5. | "You've Got a Friend" | Carole King | November 1971 | 4:45 |
Charts
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[15] | 121 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 37 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 14 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] | 3 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Gold | 750,000[12] |