Reach Out I'll Be There

"Reach Out I'll Be There"
US picture sleeve
Single by the Four Tops
from the album Reach Out
B-side"Until You Love Someone"
ReleasedAugust 18, 1966 (1966-08-18)[1]
RecordedJuly 27, 1966 (1966-07-27)[1]
StudioHitsville U.S.A., Detroit
GenreSoul
Length3:01
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland[2]
Producer(s)
The Four Tops singles chronology
"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever"
(1966)
"Reach Out I'll Be There"
(1966)
"Standing in the Shadows of Love"
(1966)
Official Audio
"Reach Out I'll Be There" on YouTube

"Reach Out I'll Be There" (also formatted as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)") is a song recorded by the American vocal quartet Four Tops from their fourth studio album, Reach Out (1967). Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland,[3] the song is one of the most widely-known Motown hits of the 1960s and is today considered the Four Tops' signature song.

It was the number one song on the Rhythm & Blues chart for two weeks[4] and on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, in October 15–22, 1966. The track also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Motown's second UK chart-topper after the Supremes' 1964 release "Baby Love".[5] It reached number one on October 27, 1966, and stayed there for three weeks.[6]

Rolling Stone later ranked "Reach Out" number 206 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Billboard ranked the record as the number four song for 1966.[7] In 2022, the single was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.[8]

  1. ^ a b Hughes, Keith (2018). "Reach Out I'll Be There". Don't Forget the Motor City. Ritchie Hardin. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 105. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  3. ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 50 – The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 6]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 212.
  5. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 170. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ^ "All The Number One Singles 1966". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Billboard was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022". Library of Congress. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.