I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By

Method Man raps three verses, while Mary J. Blige sings the intro, the chorus, and backing vocals. The song is often cited as the first hybrid of what's now known as "Thug-Love" duets.{{Cite news|last=Sanneh|first=Kelefa|date=2006-06-01|title=The Season of Thug-Love Duets Has Begun (Published 2006)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/01/arts/music/01sann.html|access-date=2020-12-22|issn=0362-4331}}

In a July 2012 interview with Complex magazine, Jean Claude "Poke" Olivier—one-half of the production team the Trackmasters —claimed they were the actual producers behind the "Puff Daddy" remix, but were never properly credited for it. The Trackmasters claim that they were only credited as session musicians for programming the drums while Combs was credited as the producer.{{cite web|last=Ahmed|first=Insanul|title=Trackmasters Tell All: The Stories Behind Their Classic Records (Part 1)|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2012/07/trackmasters-tells-all-the-stories-behind-their-classic-records-part-1/method-man-mary-j-blige-ill-be-there-for-you-youre|work=Complex Music|publisher=complex.com|access-date=August 9, 2012}}

Simon Price from Melody Maker named it Single of the Week, adding, "Here, sweet Mary J coos the chorus to Diana Ross' "You're All I Need to Get By", while scary Method says he wants him'n'her to live together in a "a fat ass crib with thousands of kids". Heartwarming yet chilling, half "Beauty and the Beast", half "Nightstalker"."{{cite magazine|first=Simon|last=Price|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53486975156/|title=Singles|magazine=Melody Maker|date=June 24, 1995|page=34|access-date=January 26, 2024|author-link=Simon Price}} Dele Fadele from NME wrote, "The hip-hop fraternity will probably approach this pairing with a large shovel and a bale of hay, but they'll be the ones missing out. [...] The mix by Sean 'Puffy' Combs is slick as hell, but still booming, with a buried sample of a man at the end of his tether hoping he and she live together, cry together and die together."{{cite magazine|first=Dele|last=Fadele|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53503943822/|title=Singles|magazine=NME|date=July 15, 1995|page=45|access-date=February 10, 2024|author-link=Dele Fadele}} Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it four out of five, saying, "A love song in a rap style that doesn't refer to women as female dogs or gardening tools! See it can be done. [...] Highly enjoyable."{{cite magazine|first=Leesa|last=Daniels|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/smashhits90s/34884065894/in/album-72157683731439410|title=Singles|work=Smash Hits|date=July 5, 1995|page=54|access-date=February 9, 2025}}

The song (all versions) peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 3, 1995.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1gsEAAAAMBAJ |title=Billboard - Google Boeken |date= 3 June 1995|access-date=2012-02-23}} The song reached number one on the R&B singles chart in the May 20, 1995 issue of Billboard Magazine, a position it held for three weeks.{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=396}}

In 2009, Method Man and Mary J. Blige performed the song together at VH1's sixth annual Hip Hop Honors ceremony. In 2019, Mary J. Blige performed "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By" with Method Man during her BET Awards Lifetime Achievement Award performance which included a medley of songs and featured artists.{{Cite magazine|title=Mary J. Blige Demonstrates Exactly Why She's a Living Legend With 2019 BET Awards Medley|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8517158/mary-j-blige-bet-awards-medley|access-date=2020-12-21|magazine=Billboard|language=en}}{{Cite magazine|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=2019-06-24|title=See Mary J. Blige Perform Career-Spanning Medley at BET Awards|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mary-j-blige-medley-lifetime-achievement-award-bet-awards-851599/|access-date=2020-12-21|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Bloom|first=Madison|title=BET Awards 2019: Watch Rihanna Honor Mary J. Blige With Lifetime Achievement Award|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/bet-awards-2019-watch-rihanna-honor-mary-j-blige-with-lifetime-achievement-award/|access-date=2020-12-21|website=Pitchfork|date=24 June 2019 |language=en-us}} CNN noted that the performance of the song "thrilled the crowd", who rapped along with Method Man's verses.{{Cite web|author=Lisa Respers France|date=2019-06-24|title=Mary J. Blige did her own damn tribute|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/23/entertainment/mary-j-blige-bet-awards/index.html|access-date=2020-12-21|website=CNN Digital|language=en}}

The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1996.

In 2008, the song was ranked number 44 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop" list.{{cite web|url=http://stereogum.com/24391/vh1s_100_greatest_hiphop_songs-2/list/ |title=VH1′s 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs |publisher=Stereogum |date=2008-09-29 |access-date=2012-02-23}}

In 2012, Complex ranked the song number one on its list of "The 25 Best Hip-Hop Love Songs."[http://www.complex.com/music/2010/02/the-25-best-hip-hop-love-songs/all-i-need-ill-be-there-for-you 1. Method Man f/ Mary J. Blige "All I Need/I'll Be There For You" (1995) — The 25 Best Hip-Hop Love Songs | Complex]

"I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" appears on Radio 1 Established 1967, a compilation album celebrating the 40th anniversary of BBC Radio 1. On the compilation the song was covered by American rapper Wale and British singer Tawiah, with production from English producer Mark Ronson.

All original tracks produced by RZA

• ;US, CD Maxi-Single

1. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (Puff Daddy Mix) — 5:08 ^a
2. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (Puff Daddy Instrumental) — 5:04
3. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (Razor Sharp Mix) — 3:53 ^b
4. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (Razor Sharp Instrumental) — 5:04
5. "What The Blood Clot" (LP Version) — 3:25

• ;UK, CD Maxi-Single

1. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (Razor Sharp Mix) — 3:25 ^b
2. "Bring The Pain" (Chemical Vocal) — 5:58 ^c
3. "Release Yo' Delf" (Prodigy Mix) — 5:55 ^d
4. "Bring The Pain" (Chemical Instrumental) — 5:21 ^c

• ;Germany, CD Maxi-Single

1. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (Puff Daddy Mix) — 5:08 ^a
2. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (Razor Sharp Mix) — 3:53 ^b
3. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (LP Version) — 3:16 ^a
4. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (Puff Daddy Instrumental) — 5:04
5. "What The Blood Clot" (LP Version) — 3:25

^a Remix production by Sean "Puffy" Combs
^b Remix production by Prince Rakeem "RZA"
^c Remix production by Chemical Brothers
^d Remix production by the Prodigy
^e Remix production Trackmasters

• Method Man – Rap vocals
• Mary J. Blige – Lead vocals, background vocals
• RZA – Producer, remix producer
• Puff Daddy – Remix producer
• Trackmasters - Remix producer
• Jeff Trotter – A&R
• Drew Dixon – A&R

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Method Man|title=I'll Be There For You|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1995|certyear=1995|salesamount=800,000|salesref={{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3g4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56 |title=Best-Selling Records of 1995 |magazine=Billboard|date=January 20, 1996 |access-date=May 5, 2015 |page=56 |issn=0006-2510|volume=108|number=3}}}}

{{Table end}}

• R&B number-one hits of 1995 (USA)

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite journal |last= Talty |first=Stephan |date=August 13, 1995 |title=The No. 1 Summer Song of Love |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/13/magazine/the-no-1-summer-song-of-love.html |journal=The New York Times Magazine |location= New York|publisher= The New York Times Company}}

• "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" music video for the {{YouTube|XW1HNWqdVbk|RZA mix}}, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090901042937/http://www.mtv.com/videos/method-man/9332/ill-be-there-for-you-youre-all-i-need-to-get-by-puff-daddy-mix.jhtml#id=1536070 Puff Daddy mix (MTV.com)]

{{Method Man}}

{{Mary J. Blige singles}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:I'll Be There For You You're All I Need To Get By}}

Category:1995 songs

Category:Mary J. Blige songs

Category:Method Man songs

Category:Music videos directed by Diane Martel

Category:Male–female vocal duets

Category:Songs written by Nickolas Ashford

Category:Songs written by Valerie Simpson

Category:Song recordings produced by RZA

Category:Song recordings produced by Trackmasters

Category:Def Jam Recordings singles

Category:Songs written by Method Man

Category:Songs written by RZA