Got to Be There

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."The Complete Michael Jackson, International Music Publications Ltd, 1997, {{ISBN|1859094473}}

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.{{cite web |title=Michael Jackson: Artist Chart History |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16519/michael-jackson/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=24 April 2020}}

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{allMusic|album|mw0000202994|author=Rob Theakston|access-date=14 November 2019}}|rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

|rev2Score = B+{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2009/07/03/michael-jacksons-albums/ |title=Michael Jackson's Albums |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |last= Greenblatt |first= Leah |access-date=April 6, 2010 |date=July 3, 2009|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911215303/https://ew.com/ew/article/0,,20289162,00.html|archive-date=September 11, 2010}}

}}

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." 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"."

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. 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.{{cite web |url= https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/reviews-of-new-box-sets-for-the-music-fans-on-your-list/|title= Reviews of new box sets for the music fans on your list |author= |date= 2009-12-12|website= The Seattle Times|publisher= The Associated Press|access-date= 2020-02-14}} Got to Be There sold over 750,000 copies within the first 3 weeks of release.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LLJlAAAAIBAJ&dq=got+to+be+there+750%2C000+jackson&pg=PA19&article_id=4023,1231840 |title=Jackson 5 Lead Singer is "Best in 1971" - Natchez News Leader |date=27 Feb 1972 |publisher=Natchez News Leader |language=en}} Got to Be There sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.{{cite web| url=https://blitz.pt/principal/update/2016-02-21-Michael-Jackson-a-estrela-sem-cor|title=Michael Jackson: a estrela sem cor|work=Blitz|publisher=Impresa|access-date=October 13, 2021|first=Ruy Miguel|last=Abreu|language=Portuguese|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014003432/https://blitz.pt/principal/update/2016-02-21-Michael-Jackson-a-estrela-sem-cor|archive-date=October 14, 2021|url-status=live|quote="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.}}

{{track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Ain't No Sunshine

| writer1 = Bill Withers

| length1 = 4:09

| title2 = I Wanna Be Where You Are

| writer2 = {{hlist|Arthur "T-Boy" Ross|Leon Ware}}

| length2 = 3:00

| title3 = Girl Don't Take Your Love from Me

| writer3 = Willie Hutch

| length3 = 3:46

| title4 = In Our Small Way

| writer4 = {{hlist|Beatrice Verdi|Christine Yarian}}

| length4 = 3:34

| title5 = Got to Be There

| writer5 = Elliot Willensky

| length5 = 3:23

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = Rockin' Robin

| writer6 = Jimmie Thomas

| length6 = 2:30

| title7 = Wings of My Love

| writer7 = The Corporation

| length7 = 3:32

| title8 = Maria (You Were the Only One)

| writer8 = {{hlist|Lawrence Brown|Linda Glover|George Gordy|Allen Story}}

| length8 = 3:41

| title9 = Love Is Here and Now You're Gone

| writer9 = Holland-Dozier-Holland

| length9 = 2:51

| title10 = You've Got a Friend

| writer10 = Carole King

| length10 = 4:45

}}

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 7, 10 recorded November 1971. Tracks 4, 9 recorded December 1971. Track 5 recorded June – July 1971. Track 6 recorded October 1971. Track 8 recorded July – September 1971.

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Got to Be There}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Got to Be There|artist=Michael Jackson|award=Gold|relyear=1972|access-date=7 September 2017|refname="RIAA"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|121917|name=Got to Be There}}

{{Michael Jackson}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1972 debut albums

Category:Michael Jackson albums

Category:Motown albums

Category:Albums arranged by Gene Page

Category:Albums produced by Hal Davis

Category:Albums produced by the Corporation (record production team)