"I Wanna Be Where You Are" is a song written by Arthur "T-Boy" Ross and

Leon Ware Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy ...

for

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 ...

, who took the song to number 7 in ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' and number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop chart. It also reached number 2 on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart in 1972. His third straight top-ten pop hit during his early solo career with

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

. It was the first collaboration between Ware and Ross, the younger brother of Diana Ross. This song is one of Jackson's most covered songs, with versions by Zulema,

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Willie Hutch William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Biog ...

Jason Weaver Jason Michael Weaver (born July 18, 1979) is an American actor and singer best known for his roles as Marcus Henderson on The WB sitcom ''Smart Guy,'' Jerome Turrell on the short-lived sitcom '' Thea'' from 1993 to 1994, and the pre-teenaged ...

and later

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. Ware and Ross also penned the classic Marvin Gaye hit, " I Want You", several years afterwards. The song was remixed by

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events in ...

for the 2009 release ''

The Remix Suite ''The Remix Suite'' (digital title: ''Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite'') is a compilation of remixed hits by singer Michael Jackson. Although labeled as a Michael Jackson release, the majority of remixes are of hits during his tenure with The J ...

''.

Track listing

*A. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" - 2:58 *B. "

We've Got a Good Thing Going "We've Got a Good Thing Going" is a song written by The Corporation and originally performed by Michael Jackson. Originally appearing on the B-side of Jackson's 1972 single "I Wanna Be Where You Are", it was later included on his second album, ''B ...

" - 2:59

Covers and samples

*While Willie Hutch's version opened his 1973 album ''

Fully Exposed ''Fully Exposed'' was the third studio album by soul musician, songwriter, and record producer Willie Hutch. It was released in 1973 on Motown Records, the same year as Hutch's soundtrack to ''The Mack''. Track listing All tracks composed by W ...

'', Zulema had a dance hit with a disco version of the tune in 1974, featured on her RCA debut album '' Zulema'' (1975). *In 1976 Marvin Gaye's cover was more of an instrumental excerpt for him singing the title and dedicating the track to his then-girlfriend Janis Hunter and his children Marvin III (referred as "little Marvin" on the record), Nona and Frankie Christian. The alternate instrumental, later issued on a 2003 deluxe edition re-release of the '' I Want You'' album, was a funk-styled instrumental that featured Gaye's background vocals harmonizing throughout the track, which was also produced by Ware. In 1993 Weaver's cover followed, and then the Fugees' version was completely different save for the choruses sung by

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

. *

Juelz Santana LaRon Louis James (born February 18, 1982), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of East Coast hip hop group The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is best known for his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 si ...

sampled the song on two tracks, "Did U Miss Me pts.1 & 2", on the

DJ Green Lantern James Christopher D'Agostino (born July 7, 1975), professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for S ...

mixtape ''Alive on Arrival''. 1970s *

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

performed the song on the

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

TV show ''It's

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

, Not To Mention

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

'', which aired in July 1972. *

Gary Bartz Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz studied at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Wor ...

opened his 1972 album ''Juju Street Songs'' with an interpretation of the song. *Co-writer Leon Ware recorded a version for his 1976 Motown album '' Musical Massage''. *

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been carried by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early l ...

released a cover of the song in 1977 which failed to chart. *Jazz flutist

Dave Valentin David Peter Valentin (April 29, 1952 – March 8, 2017) was an American Latin jazz flautist of Puerto Rican descent. Life and career Valentin was born to Puerto Rican parents in The Bronx in New York City. He attended The High School of Mu ...

covered an instrumental version of the song on his debut album ''Legends'', which was also the debut release of the then-new

GRP Records GRP® Records (Grusin-Rosen Productions) is a jazz record label founded by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen in 1978. Distributed by Verve Records, GRP® was originally known for its digital recordings that focuses on its jazz genre. History With G ...

label (a subsidiary of

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

). 1980s *

Jose Feliciano Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

, on his first album for Motown Records, produced by

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...

, covered the song in English and then re-recorded it in 1982 on his next LP at Motown in Spanish (the title became "Ahora Si Quiero Amar"). Both versions were hits in Latin America and charted at nr. 63 on R&B USA Billboard *R&B artist Sybil recorded the song for her

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

second album (1989), her first for the American market. The song was released as a single in 1990 and peaked at #86 in the US R&B Charts. 1990s *

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first ...

sampled the song for her hit track "Poor Georgie" in 1991. *

covered the song on the soundtrack to the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. Weaver also portrayed a young Michael Jackson in the miniseries. *There is an interpolation of the song in

Grand Puba Maxwell Dixon (born March 4, 1964), known professionally as Grand Puba, is an American rapper and emcee, best known as one of the members of the group Brand Nubian from New Rochelle, New York. Biography He made his debut as Grand Puba Max ...

's 1995 hit "I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are)" from the album ''

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

''. *

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

covered the song with Missy Elliott on the 1998 original soundtrack for the film ''

Hav Plenty ''Hav Plenty'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film released by Miramax Films, based on an eventful weekend in the life of Lee Plenty ( Christopher Scott Cherot), written and directed by Cherot. The film is based on the true story of Chris Ch ...

''. 2000s *

Romeo Miller Percy Romeo Miller (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with No Limit Records, the ...

's " Too Long" sampled the song on his 2002 album ''

Game Time ''Game Time'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil' Romeo. It was released on December 17, 2002 on The New No Limit and Universal Records. The album peaked at number 33 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and had first week sales of 93,000 c ...

''. *VH1's 2003 reality series ''Born To Diva’s'' winner

Tarralyn Ramsey Tarralyn LaJuan Ramsey (born July 8, 1979) is an American gospel musician, songwriter and artist. She began her music career in 2000, with the release of the religious ''Tarralyn Ramsey'' album on Verity Records. This would be her ''Billboard' ...

sampled the song on her second album ''Tarralyn'' in 2004. * B5's "Back In Your Arms" sampled the song on their 2005 eponymous debut album with youngest brother, Bryan, singing lead. *

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

's "

Yo (Excuse Me Miss) "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" is a song recorded by American singer Chris Brown. It served as the second single from Brown's debut album ''Chris Brown'' (2005) and was released in November 2005 in the US and February 2006 worldwide. "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" ...

" sampled the song on his 2005 eponymous debut album. *

Carleen Anderson Carleen Cassandra Anderson (born May 10, 1957) is an American singer and musician. She is known for her work with the Young Disciples and numerous collaborations. Her distinguished solo career began in 1992. She is the acclaimed composer, writer ...

performed the song as a duet with

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

on her 2005 album ''Soul Providence''. *Hutch's version was sampled by singer

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

for her song "You Can't Hide from Luv" from her ''

The Breakthrough ''The Breakthrough'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on December 20, 2005, by Geffen Records. Blige recorded the album with a host of songwriters and record producers, including 9th Wonder, Rodney Jerkins, ...

'' album. *

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

sampled the song in her song "Gotta Be There", included in her 2007 album '' Brave''. *

Murs Murs may refer to: People * Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (1804-1878), French ornithologist * Olly Murs (born 1984), English singer-songwriter * Murs (rapper) (born 1978), American rapper Places * Murs, Indre, France * Murs, Vaucluse, ...

sampled the song for "Can It Be (Half A Million Dollars And 18 Months Later)" on his 2008 album '' Murs For President''. *In July 2009, rapper 50 Cent freestyled over the instrumental and left Jackson's vocals. The song titled "Michael Jackson Freestyle" released on his mixtape ''

Forever King ''Forever King'' is a twelve-track mixtape by 50 Cent with 90s R&B samples provided by Mister Cee. The collection is dedicated to the death of Michael Jackson. Background The collection was initially called ''Sincerely Southside Part 2'', bu ...

''. *Q "The Kid" sampled the Michael Jackson version of the song in his song "Been Away", which features Jermaine Dupri, and appears on the ''Drumline'' soundtrack. 2010s *

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

keyboardist Bob Baldwin released a cover from the album ''Brazil Chill'' and 2010 for his tribute album ''Never Can Say Goodbye''. *

Cali Swag District Cali Swag District was an American hip hop group from Inglewood, California, founded by former Death Row Records artist Big Wy and Dairold Potts. They are best known for their 2010 commercial debut single "Teach Me How to Dougie", which peaked ...

sampled the song for their second single "Where You Are" on their debut album, '' The Kickback''.

Beyoncé Knowles version

American R&B recording artist

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

covered the song during her 2009 revue show I Am... Yours, which was held four consecutive nights in July and August. It was later included on her live CD/DVD '' I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas'', which contained the performances from the show of the revue. Later, she covered the song for her 2011 revue show 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé held during four non-consecutive nights in August 2011. After delving into her musical history during the show, Knowles states: "I just want to have a good time with y'all," before she begins the revue's set list with her rendition of "I Wanna Be Where You Are", further recalling that she loved singing the song. It was included on the live DVD '' Live at Roseland: Elements of 4'' released on November 21, 2011. On October 8, 2011 a pre-taped performance of Knowles performing "I Wanna Be Where You Are" was shown at the Michael Forever tribute concert at the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Wales. During the performance, she was backed by her all-female band and wore an

Afro The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...

wig as she performed a funk version of the song. Before beginning the performance of the song, she stated: "I remember seeing Michael Jackson for the first time. Lord knows I fell in love... Watching him I realized exactly what I wanted to be. He inspired me so much. As a matter of fact, the first song I performed with Destiny's Child was a

Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

song. It's called 'Where You Are.' It's the song we auditioned to get our record deal. It was the beginning of our future. I love you forever, Michael Jackson." A writer of ''Rap-Up'' noted that she "gave audience members goosebumps as she channeled MJ with her moves". Mark Iraheta of ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' magazine wrote that she "lit up the stage and showed off some funky dance moves".

Song credits

Michael Jackson version

*Produced by Hal Davis *Lead vocals by Michael Jackson *Background vocals by Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson and Marlon Jackson *Arrangement by James Anthony Carmichael *Hollers by Leon Ware and Arthur Ross *Instrumentation by assorted

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

musicians

Marvin Gaye version

*All vocals by Marvin Gaye *Produced by Leon Ware and Marvin Gaye

Charts

References

{{authority control 1971 songs 1972 singles Michael Jackson songs Marvin Gaye songs Sybil (singer) songs Songs written by Leon Ware Songs written by Arthur "T-Boy" Ross Song recordings produced by Marvin Gaye Song recordings produced by Hal Davis Motown singles