"I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)"' is a song co-written and originally released as a single by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

artist Ray Price. After becoming a major country hit in 1954, the song has been covered by numerous artists such as

Cowboy Copas Lloyd Estel Copas (July 15, 1913 – March 5, 1963), known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, was an American country music singer. He was popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline an ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity ...

, Johnny Bush,

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

and

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Lynn, Wynette helped bring a ...

Ronnie Milsap Ronnie Lee Milsap (born Ronald Lee Millsaps; January 16, 1943) is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly completely blind from birth, h ...

Heather Myles Heather Myles (born July 31, 1962) is an American country music singer, with a honky-tonk Bakersfield sound. Early life Myles was born in Riverside, California, United States, where her parents bred and trained horses for horse racing, racing. ...

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocated to Nashville, T ...

, Sam Palladio, Don White &

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave,Gail Davies Gail Davies (born Patricia Gail Dickerson; June 5, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and the first female record producer in country music. She is the daughter of country singer Tex Dickerson and the sister of songwriter Ron Davies. Gai ...

and

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Neil Young, Mark Knopf ...

Ray Price version

Ray Price co-wrote "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" with songwriter Rusty Gabbard. The song was professionally recorded on December 28, 1953, at the Castle Studio in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. Also included on the recording session were cover versions of " Release Me" (the eventual B-side to this single) and "The Last Letter". The session was produced by Don Law. Released in January 1954 as a single via

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" reached number two on the ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

'' Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes list. Additionally, the song's B-side ("Release Me") reached the top-ten on the same chart. Originally, the song was not issued onto an album. "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" was part of a series of songs recorded early in Ray Price's career. It exemplified a musical persona built upon the ideology and musicality of friend/mentor

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

. Price regularly performed the song with Williams' band the

Drifting Cowboys The Drifting Cowboys were the backing group for American country legend and singer-songwriter Hank Williams. The band went through several lineups during Williams' career. The original lineup was formed in 1937, changing musicians from show to sh ...

in concert. However, despite the song's success (among other hit recordings during that period), Price was dissatisfied that his sound closely resembled Williams. Following 1954, Price spent time re-working his musical image until returning to success in 1956 with "

Crazy Arms "Crazy Arms" is an American country song which was a career-making hit for Ray Price. The song, released in May 1956, went on to become a number 1 country hit that year, establishing Price's sound, and redefining honky-tonk music. It was Price's ...

Chart performance

Gail Davies version

Among other numerous cover versions, American

artist

Gail Davies Gail Davies (born Patricia Gail Dickerson; June 5, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and the first female record producer in country music. She is the daughter of country singer Tex Dickerson and the sister of songwriter Ron Davies. Gai ...

released her version of "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" as a single in 1980. The song was recorded at the "Producer's Workshop" in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in April 1980. The session was produced entirely by Davies herself. Other songs included on the session included cover versions of "It's a Lovely, Lovely World" and "Honky Tonk Waltz". "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" was released as a single via

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

in October 1980. It became a major hit, reaching number four on the ''

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 advertis ...

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart in early 1981, becoming Davies' highest-charting single on any Billboard chart. "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" also reached number eight on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Country Tracks chart in 1981, becoming her highest-charting single on that list also. The song was included on her third studio album entitled, ''I'll Be There'' (1981). Davies said she particularly enjoyed singing this song because of the line, "There ain't no man big enough to stop me." The line is in the original lyrics and has been sung by all male performers of the song, but she felt it acquired a feminist twist when sung by a woman.

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1954 songs 1954 singles 1980 singles Ray Price (musician) songs Gail Davies songs Elvis Presley songs Connie Smith songs Ronnie Milsap songs Nick Lowe songs Song recordings produced by Gail Davies Columbia Records singles Warner Records singles Song recordings produced by Don Law