I'll Be There (Mariah Carey recording)

"I'll Be There" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It is a cover of the original song, recorded by the Jackson 5. Carey included the song as a last-minute addition to her MTV Unplugged setlist, taped on March 16, 1992. It was released on May 26, 1992, as the lead single from Carey's liveextended playMTV Unplugged. The recording is re-imagined as a romantic duet with Carey singing Michael Jackson's lines and her backing singer Trey Lorenz singing Jermaine Jackson's lines. The "I'll Be There" music video, directed by Larry Jordan, was compiled from footage of Carey's MTV Unplugged appearance.

Co-produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, "I'll Be There" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Carey's sixth chart-topper. The song also became her most successful single internationally at the time, peaking at number one in Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, as well as reaching the top five in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the top ten in Australia, and the top twenty in most markets across Europe. "I'll Be There" received nominations for the Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song. Regularly, the song has been featured on Carey's catalog albums included on #1's (1998), Greatest Hits (2001), The Ballads (2008), The Essential Mariah Carey (2011), and #1 to Infinity (2015).

Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men performed the song with Carey in 1995 in the concert home video, Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden. During Michael Jackson's memorial service on July 7, 2009, Carey and Lorenz sang their rendition of the song in tribute to Jackson 17 years after their first performance together.