I was prepared to call today’s Song of the Day another unnecessary rehash of a classic tune, but then I listened to it.

Don’t get me wrong. The 1970 Jackson 5 recording of ‘I’ll Be There’ is a stone-cold classic and the only version of the song the world needs. But I have no complaint with Mariah Carey’s treatment of the song 22 years later as part of her 1992 MTV Unplugged performance.

‘I’ll Be There’ was the Jackson 5’s fourth consecutive #1 single and the top-performing song of their career. It was also the best-selling Motown song in the United States until it lost that title to Lionel Richie and Diana Ross’ ‘Endless Love’ in 1981.

The song was a high-water mark for the band, the last time they would ever top the Hot 100. Michael Jackson as a solo artist — now, that’s a different story.

Mariah Carey’s recording was a last-minute addition to her MTV Unplugged set, when she learned that most artists performed at least one cover on the show. She reimagined the song as a duet with R&B singer Trey Lorenz, avoiding her usual vocal acrobatics and lending the tune a yearning romanticism.

The appearance was released as an EP to capitalize on the success of her sophomore album, Emotions, and became a big hit in its own right. ‘I’ll Be There’ was released as a single and became the singer’s sixth #1 hit, on her way to a record 19, the most ever for a solo artist.