Reach Out I'll Be There
1966 song by the Four Tops
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"Reach Out I'll Be There" (also formatted as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)") is a song recorded by the American vocal quartet Four Tops from their fourth studio album, Reach Out (1967). Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland,[3] the song is one of the most notable Motown hits of the 1960s.
| "Reach Out I'll Be There" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
US picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by the Four Tops | ||||
| from the album Reach Out | ||||
| B-side | "Until You Love Someone" | |||
| Released | August 18, 1966[1] | |||
| Recorded | July 27, 1966[1] | |||
| Studio | Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriter | Holland–Dozier–Holland[2] | |||
| Producers | ||||
| The Four Tops singles chronology | ||||
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| Official Audio | ||||
| "Reach Out I'll Be There" on YouTube | ||||
It was the number one song on the Rhythm & Blues chart for two weeks[4] and on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, in October 15–22, 1966. The track also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Motown's second UK chart-topper after the Supremes' 1964 release "Baby Love".[5] It reached number one on October 27, 1966, and stayed there for three weeks.[6]
Rolling Stone later ranked "Reach Out" number 206 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Billboard ranked the record as the number four song for 1966.[7] In 2022, the single was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.[8]
Writing and recording
In 1966, Holland, Dozier and Holland were writing new songs for the Four Tops to record for an album. Lamont Dozier said that he wanted to write "a journey of emotions with sustained tension, like a bolero. To get this across, I alternated the keys, from a minor, Russian feel in the verse to a major, gospel feel in the chorus." He developed the lyrics with Eddie Holland, aiming for them to sound "as though they were being thrown down vocally." Dozier said that they were strongly influenced by Bob Dylan at the time, commenting: "We wanted Levi [Stubbs] to shout-sing the lyrics... as a shout-out to Dylan."[9]
For the recording, the writers and producers intentionally put Levi Stubbs at the top of his vocal range, according to Abdul Fakir of the Four Tops, "to make sure he'd have that cry and hunger and wailing in his voice." Arranger Paul Riser overdubbed instruments including a piccolo and flute in the intro, and a drum pattern made by using timpani mallets on a tambourine head. After the recording was completed and on hearing the final version, the group begged Berry Gordy not to release it; according to Fakir, "for us, the song felt a little odd." However, Gordy insisted that it be issued as a single.[9]
Style
Lead singer Levi Stubbs delivers many of the lines in the song in a tone that some suggest straddles the line between singing and shouting,[3] as he did in the 1965 hit, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)". AllMusic critic Ed Hogan praises Stubbs' vocal as well as the song's "rock-solid groove" and "dramatic, semi-operatic tension and release."[10] Critic Martin Charles Strong calls the song "a soul symphony of epic proportions that remains [the Four Tops'] signature tune."[11]
In 2014, interviewed by The Guardian, Four Tops singer Duke Fakir said:
Eddie realized that when Levi hit the top of his vocal range, it sounded like someone hurting, so he made him sing right up there. Levi complained, but we knew he loved it. Every time they thought he was at the top, he would reach a little further until you could hear the tears in his voice. The line "Just look over your shoulder" was something he threw in spontaneously. Levi was creative like that; he could always add something from the heart.[12]
Reception
Cash Box said that it is "a hard-driving, pulsating pop-r&b romancer about a very-much-in-love guy who claims that he'll always be at his gal's beck-and-call."[13]
In 1988, in Melody Maker, Jon Wilde called it "the third best number 1 single ever. The bit that sounds like a horse galloping at the beginning is fairly unbeatable but, when Levi starts up, I swear it's one of the finest sights in the solar system."[14]
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Legacy
The version by the Four Tops was used by Joe Biden during his campaign in the 2020 United States presidential election.[42] Many artists covered the song,[43] including the Jaded Hearts Club cover as recently as 2020.[44]
In 1998, the 1966 recording by the Four Tops on Motown Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[45]
The Four Tops version was used in the main trailer for the second season of the Apple TV+ series Severance.[46]
Diana Ross version
| "Reach Out I'll Be There" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Diana Ross | ||||
| from the album Surrender | ||||
| B-side | "(They Long to Be) Close to You" | |||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A) | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriter | Holland–Dozier–Holland | |||
| Producer | Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson | |||
| Diana Ross singles chronology | ||||
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American singer Diana Ross covered "Reach Out, I'll Be There" in 1971.[47] Her version was released by Motown from her third album, Surrender (1971).[48] It was produced by Ashford & Simpson, and reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 35 in Canada.
Charts
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[49] | 35 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[50] | 29 |
| US Best Selling Soul Singles (Billboard)[51] | 17 |
| US Easy Listening (Billboard)[52] | 16 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[53] | 19 |
Gloria Gaynor version
| "Reach Out, I'll Be There" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork for German single, also used for Portugal and Yugoslavian releases | ||||
| Single by Gloria Gaynor | ||||
| from the album Never Can Say Goodbye | ||||
| B-side | "Searchin'" | |||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Genre | Disco | |||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Songwriter | Holland–Dozier–Holland | |||
| Producers |
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| Gloria Gaynor singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Reach Out, I'll Be There" on YouTube | ||||
"Reach Out, I'll Be There" was covered by American singer Gloria Gaynor in 1975. It was the third of three singles released by MGM from her debut album, Never Can Say Goodbye (1975). Gaynor's version became an international hit. It peaked at number 60 in the US and number 16 in Canada. In Europe, it reached number 14 in the UK and number five in West Germany.
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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