"I'll Take You There" is a song written by

Al Bell Al Bell (born Alvertis Isbell; March 15, 1940) is an American record producer, songwriter, and record executive. He is best known as having been an executive and co-owner of Stax Records with Jim Stewart based in Memphis, Tennessee, during the ...

(using his real name Alvertis Isbell), and originally performed by

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

family band

the Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American Gospel music, gospel, soul music, soul, and Rhythm and blues, R&B singing group. Pops Staples, Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group w ...

. The Staple Singers version, produced by Bell, was released on

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...

in February 1972, and spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts and reached #1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. By December 1972, it had sold 2 million units and is ranked as the 19th biggest American hit of 1972. It remains one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time. The song was also a significant chart hit in two later cover versions. A 1991 cover version by

BeBe & CeCe Winans BeBe & CeCe Winans are an American gospel/ R&B music brother and sister duo. BeBe and CeCe Winans are the seventh and eighth of the Winans family's ten children, most of whom have had gospel music careers. Together, they have received several a ...

, with Mavis Staples featured as a guest artist, made it to #1 on the R&B chart, and also reached #90 on the Hot 100. In 1994, the British band

General Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

released a cover of "I'll Take You There" which peaked at #22 on the Hot 100. Rap trio

Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa (sometimes stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa) is an American hip-hop, hip hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (rapper), Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (rapper), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). ...

sampled "I'll Take You There" in their 1991 hit "

Let's Talk About Sex "Let's Talk About Sex" is a song by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa, released in August 1991 by Next Plateau as the fourth single from their third studio album, '' Blacks' Magic'' (1990). It was written and co-produced by Hurby Azor, and ach ...

". In 1997, the song was used by automobile manufacturer Chevrolet in its commercials for the revival of their

Chevy Malibu The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from 1964 to 1983 and from 1997 to 2025. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-w ...

Original Staple Singers version

Included on the group's 1972 album '' Be Altitude: Respect Yourself'', "I'll Take You There" features lead singer

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel music, gospel singer and civil rights activism, activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers, of which she is the last surviving memb ...

inviting her listeners to seek

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

. The song is almost completely a call-and-response chorus, with the introduction and bassline being lifted—uncredited—from " The Liquidator", a 1969 reggae hit written by

Harry J Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer. Biography Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, in 1945, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass p ...

ohnson and performed by the

Harry J Allstars Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer. Biography Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, in 1945, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass p ...

. In fact, the entire song, written in the key of C, contains but two chords, C and F. A large portion of the song is set aside for Mavis' sisters Cleotha and Yvonne and their father " Pops" to seemingly perform solos on their respective instruments. In actuality, these solos (and all music in the song) were recorded by the

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section is a group of American session musicians based in the northern Alabama town of Muscle Shoals. One of the most prominent American studio house bands from the 1960s to the 1980s, these musicians, individually or a ...

. When Mavis Staples says "Daddy, now, Daddy, Daddy" (referring to "Pop's" guitar solo), it is actually

Eddie Hinton Eddie Hinton (15 June 1944 – 28 July 1995) was an American songwriter and session musician, best known for his work with soul music and R&B singers. He played lead guitar for Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section from 1969 to 1971 and after leaving t ...

who performs the solo on the record. Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section bass player

David Hood David Hood (born September 21, 1943) is an American musician, hailing from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, He is known for playing the bass guitar and trombone, and is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Early life and education Hood was b ...

performs the song's

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

Terry Manning Terry Don Manning (December 29, 1947 – March 25, 2025) was an American recording engineer, record producer, musician and photographer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he worked with Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top, the ...

added harmonica and lead electric guitar. Roger Hawkins played drums,

Barry Beckett Barry Edward Beckett (February 4, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in the ...

was on Wurlitzer electronic piano, and Jimmy Johnson and Raymond Banks contributed guitar parts. The horn and string parts were arranged by Detroit arranger Johnny Allen. The horns and strings were recorded at Artie Fields Recording Studios in Detroit Michigan. It was recorded in Sheffield, Alabama, at the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, and overdubbed and mixed at

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The studio was founded in the late 1950s by John King, Fred Smith, and John Fry. Over time, it has become a commercially successful recording studio. ...

in Memphis by Engineer

Reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' editor

David Fricke David Fricke (born ) is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 ye ...

described this song as the "epitome of the Muscle Shoals Sound". Bolstered by a "feel-good" vibe, "I'll Take You There" peaked at #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart for four weeks May 1972. In June, "I'll Take You There" reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for one week. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the #19 song for 1972. The song, ranked #276 on the ''Rolling Stone'' list of the

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring song ranking compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2 ...

and inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 1999, remains the most successful and recognizable single of the Staples' half-century-long career.

Meaning

I'm addition to the Christian themes in the song, many people interpret this song as describing an imagined world in which the civil rights movement has succeeded: "No more smilin' faces/lyin' to the races."

Personnel

Partial credits from Richard Buskin and Terry Manning. ;The Staple Singers *

– vocals *

Pops Staples Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000) was an American gospel and R&B musician. A "pivotal figure in gospel in the 1960s and 1970s", he was a songwriter, guitarist and singer. He was the patriarch and member of singing ...

– vocals * Cleotha Staples – harmony and backing vocals * Yvonne Staples – harmony and backing vocals ;

* Jimmy Johnson – guitar *

– bass *

– keyboards,

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to ...

* Roger Hawkins – drums ;Additional musicians * Staple Sisters – harmony and backing vocals *

– lead guitar, guitars, fuzz guitar,

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer ( ) is a modular synthesizer invented by the American engineer Robert Moog in 1964. Moog's company, R. A. Moog Co., produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014. It was the first commercial synthesizer ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

– lead guitar * Raymond Banks – guitar * The Memphis Horns (including Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love – horns (saxophones, trumpets, baritone saxophone, trombone) * Ben Cauley – horns ;Production and technical staff *

– arranger, producer * Johnny Allen – arranger * Terry Manning –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, additional production (uncredited), additional arrangements (uncredited) * Jerry Masters – engineer * Ralph Rhodes – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover recordings

General Public version

In 1994, British band

released a cover of "I'll Take You There" featured in the film '' Threesome'', starring

Lara Flynn Boyle Lara Flynn Boyle (born March 24, 1970) is an American actress. She is known for playing Donna Hayward in the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991). After appearing in Penelope Spheeris's comedy ''Wayne's World (film), Wayne's World'' (1 ...

Stephen Baldwin Stephen Andrew Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor. He has appeared in the films ''Born on the Fourth of July (film), Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), ''Posse (1993 film), Posse'' (1993), ''8 Seconds'' (1994), ''Threesome (1994 ...

and

Josh Charles Joshua Aaron Charles (born September 15, 1971) is an American film, television, and theater actor. He is best known for the roles of Dan Rydell on '' Sports Night, '' Will Gardner on '' The Good Wife'', which earned him two Primetime Emmy Awar ...

. The single features an added toasted verse specific to this rendition and was produced by the band with

Ralph Sall Ralph Sall is an American record producer, music supervisor, composer, songwriter and screenwriter. He is the president of Bulletproof Entertainment, a company involved in several facets of the entertainment industry, including film, televisio ...

and Tony Phillips. Released by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

, it peaked at number 22 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 advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

and number 95 on its year-end chart. It also peaked at number 73 on the UK Singles Chart and number seven 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 ...

'' Top Singles chart, ending up as number 38 on its year-end chart. Singer and guitarist Dave Wakeling told in an 1994-interview, "We figured the song would be used in the film for 30 seconds in the background while they were having a pillow fight or something, so we were pleased and a bit shocked and frightened when the label heard it and went, 'Whoa, that's it, we've got a single, we're making the video next week.' It's a lovely way to reintroduce our-selves and a terrific start with Epic."

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' magazine wrote, "

Alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

duo that is best remembered for mid-'80s hits like ' Tenderness' shimmies back into the pop spotlight with a festive,

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

-juiced rendition of

evergreen. Butt-shaggin' rhythms are matched by a playful but sturdy marriage of toasting and singing. Oh-so-engaging single has the potential to knock down more than a few doors at

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

, while

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

remixes should tell quite a story on the street." Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' gave it a score of three out of five, saying, "A decade after their self-titled single General Public" in 1984was a minor success, General Public are ready for their first fully fledged hit, with this invigorating take on the Staple Singers hit." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' noted in their review, that here "

has been moved to the background, while a trendy

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

beat is upfront."

Track listing

* 12-inc single, UK & Europe (1994) :A1. "I'll Take You There" (Sunshine Club Mix) — 8:20 :A2. "I'll Take You There" ( Satoshie Tomiie Experience) — 9:39 :A3. "I'll Take You There" (Baby Says Huh ? Dub) — 5:14 :B1. "I'll Take You There" (Sunday School Dub) — 5:24 :B2. "I'll Take You There" (Private Version) — 10:00 * 12-inch single, US (1994) :A1. "I'll Take You There" (Extended 7" Mix) — 5:06 :A2. "I'll Take You There" (Sunshine Club Mix) — 8:20 :B1. "I'll Take You There" (Hoya Tribe Trip) — 9:55 :B2. "I'll Take You There" (Baby Says Huh? Dub) — 5:14 * 12-inch maxi-single, Europe (1994) :A1. "I'll Take You There" (Extended 7" Mix) — 5:06 :A2. "I'll Take You There" (Sunshine Club Mix) — 8:20 :B1. "I'll Take You There" (Hoya Tribe Trip) — 9:55 :B2. "I'll Take You There" (Baby Says Huh? Dub) — 5:14 * CD maxi-single, Europe (1994) #"I'll Take You There" (7" Version) — 4:08 #"I'll Take You There" (Sunshine Radio Mix) — 4:30 #"I'll Take You There" (Hoya Tribe Trip) — 9:55 #"Save It For Later" (Live) — 5:05 * CD maxi-single, South Africa (1994) #"I'll Take You There" (7" Version) — 4:08 #"I'll Take You There" (Sunshine Radio Mix) — 4:30 #"I'll Take You There" (Hoya Tribe Trip) — 9:55 #"I'll Take You There" (Baby Says Huh? Dub) — 5:14 #"I'll Take You There" (Extended 7" Mix) — 5:06 #"Save It For Later" (Live) — 5:05 * Cassette single, US (1994) :A. "I'll Take You There" :B. "Save It For Later" (Live)

Charts

=Weekly charts

=Year-end charts

Other versions

In 1991, the song returned to number-one on the US R&B chart when it was covered by

, with Mavis Staples featured as a guest artist on the track. The single also peaked at number 90 on the Hot 100 and number 11 on the Holland National Airplay chart. In 2005,

Sammy Hagar Sam Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a ...

and The Waboritas released a cover titled "Let Me Take You There" as the first single from their 2006 album '' Livin' It Up!''

References

{{authority control 1972 songs 1972 singles 1994 singles 2005 singles The Staple Singers songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients General Public songs American funk songs Stax Records singles Songs written by Al Bell Epic Records singles

Original Staple Singers version

Reception

Meaning

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover recordings

General Public version

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

=Weekly charts

=Year-end charts

Other versions

See also

References