Reach Out I'll Be There

"Reach Out I'll Be There" (also formatted as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)") is a song recorded by the Four Tops from their fourth studio album Reach Out (1967). Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland,[2] the song is one of the most widely-known Motown hits of the 1960s and is today considered the Four Tops' signature song.

"Reach Out I'll Be There"
Artwork for US single
Single by the Four Tops
from the album Reach Out
B-side"Until You Love Someone"
Released1966
StudioHitsville U.S.A. (Studio A)
GenreSoul
Length3:01
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland[1]
Producer(s)Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier[1]
The Four Tops singles chronology
"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever"
(1966)		 "Reach Out I'll Be There"
(1966)		 "Standing in the Shadows of Love"
(1966)
Official Audio
"Reach Out I'll Be There" on YouTube

It was the number one song on the Rhythm & Blues chart for two weeks[3] and on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, in October 15–22, 1966. The track also reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, becoming Motown's second UK chart-topper after The Supremes' 1964 release "Baby Love".[4] It reached number one on October 27, 1966, and stayed there for three weeks.[5]

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.[6] In 2022, the single was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.[7]

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."[8]

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.[8]

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,[2] 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."[9] Critic Martin Charles Strong calls the song "a soul symphony of epic proportions that remains [the Four Tops'] signature tune."[10]

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.[11]

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."[12]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[34] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Legacy

The version by the Four Tops was used by Joe Biden during his campaign in the 2020 United States presidential election.[35] Many artists covered the song,[36] including the Jaded Hearts Club cover as recently as 2020.[37]

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"
Released1971
StudioHitsville U.S.A. (Studio A)
Length
  • 5:34 (album version)
  • 4:03 (single version)
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson
Diana Ross singles chronology
"Remember Me"
(1970)		 "Reach Out I'll Be There"
(1971)		 "Surrender"
(1971)

Diana Ross covered "Reach Out, I'll Be There" in 1971.[38] Her version was released from her LP Surrender.[39] This version reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 35 in Canada. Her rendition was produced by Ashford & Simpson.

Weekly charts
Chart (1971) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[40] 35
US Billboard Hot 100[41] 29
US Best Selling Soul Singles[42] 17
US Cash Box[43] 19
US Easy Listening[44] 16

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'"
Released1975
Recorded1974
GenreDisco
Length3:07
LabelMGM
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)Tony Bongiovi, Meco Monardo, Jay Ellis
Gloria Gaynor singles chronology
"Never Can Say Goodbye"
(1974)		 "Reach Out, I'll Be There"
(1975)		 "Walk on By"
(1975)

"Reach Out, I'll Be There" was covered by Gloria Gaynor in 1975. It was the third of three singles released from her LP Never Can Say Goodbye.

Gaynor's version of "Reach Out, I'll Be There" became an international hit. It reached number 60 in the U.S. and number 16 in Canada. In Europe, it reached number 14 in the UK and number five in Germany.

Charts

See also

References
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  2. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 50 – The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 6]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 212.
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 170. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. "All The Number One Singles 1966". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  6. "Top 100 Hits for 1966". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  7. "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022". Library of Congress. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  8. Myers, Marc (2016). Anatomy of a Song. Grove Press. pp. 67–71. ISBN 978-1-61185-525-8.
  9. "Reach Out (I'll Be There) – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  10. Strong, Martin Charles (2004). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate. p. 556. ISBN 978-1-8419-5615-2.
  11. Simpson, Dave (April 7, 2014). "The Four Tops: how we made Reach Out (I'll Be There)". The Guardian. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
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