"Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" is a 1973 song by

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

, the second single released from his album '' Call Me''. The song reached number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the

Hot Soul Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. It was

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as a gold record by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Composition and recording

Green wrote "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" with

Teenie Hodges Mabon Lewis "Teenie" Hodges (November 16, 1945 – June 22, 2014) was an American musician known for his work as a rhythm and lead guitarist and songwriter on many of Al Green's soul hits, and those of other artists such as Ann Peebles and Syl J ...

, with whom he also collaborated in writing " Take Me to the River," "

Love and Happiness "Love and Happiness" is a 1972 song by Al Green from his album '' I'm Still in Love with You''. Green co-wrote the song with Teenie Hodges. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on London Records in 1973 and in the United States on Hi ...

," "

Full of Fire ''Full of Fire'' is the 10th studio album by soul singer Al Green, released in 1976. Track listing ;Side one # "Glory, Glory" (Al Green, Willie Mitchell) - 2:51 # "That's the Way It Is" (Al Green) - 3:44 # "Always" (Al Green, Charles Hodges) - ...

," and other songs. It was produced by Willie Mitchell in the 1972 recording session for the album '' Call Me''.

Chart performance

Hi Records Hi Records is an American soul music and rockabilly label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent partn ...

released the song as a single in June 1973, with "I'm Glad You're Mine" on the B-side. It was the second single from ''Call Me'', after the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may al ...

. The record reached number 10 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

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and received a gold

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, having sold more than 500,000 copies.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

UB40 version

In 1990, British reggae-pop band

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

released "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" as the second single from their ninth studio album, ''

Labour of Love II ''Labour of Love II'' is the ninth album and second covers album by UB40, released in 1989. The album contained two top-ten Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits – "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" peaked at No. 7, "The Way You Do the Th ...

''. It reached only number 46 in the United Kingdom, but proved to be much more successful elsewhere, especially in

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

. It peaked at number three in Australia, number six in New Zealand, and number seven on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in July 1991. In Australia, it placed at number 24 on the 1991 year-end chart, while in the United States, it was ranked number 72 on the 1991 year-end chart.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other cover versions

The song has also been covered by such performers as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

, and

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

. Several

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

versions have been recorded, including by

Marcia Griffiths Marcia Llyneth Griffiths (born 23 November 1949) is a Jamaican singer. One reviewer described her by noting "she is known primarily for her strong, smooth-as-mousse love songs and captivating live performances". Biography Born in West Kingst ...

Pluto Shervington Pluto Shervington, also known as Pluto (born Leighton Shervington; 13 August 1950 in Kingston, Jamaica), is a reggae musician, singer, engineer and producer. Career Shervington began his career in the early 1970s as a member of the showband Tom ...

Owen Gray Owen Gray, also known as Owen Grey (born 5 July 1939),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, is a Jamaican musician. His work spans the R&B, ska, rocksteady, and reggae eras of Jamaican music, and he has been c ...

, and Inner Circle.

References

{{authority control 1973 singles 1973 songs 1990 singles Al Green songs Hi Records singles Virgin Records singles Song recordings produced by Willie Mitchell (musician) Songs written by Al Green Songs written by Teenie Hodges UB40 songs