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’ve seen many mentions of ‘I’ll Be There’ since Michael Jackson’s death and every time I read the title I thought of an entirely different song (see tomorrow’s Song of the Day for that one). I didn’t remember Michael and the rest of the 5 singing that track, but I assumed they must have.
And then I YouTubed “Jackson 5 I’ll Be There” the other day, found this clip, and suddenly it all came back to me. Such a sweet and touching love song, even when performed by a pre-pubescent kid. Maybe especially when performed by a pre-pubescent kid. This one, anyway.
Meet Me In Montauk 