Michael Jackson, “Will You Be There” | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

On the 6^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2022), we recollect and reflect on “Will You Be There” by Michael Jackson.   

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he vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome – we don’t discriminate ‘round here! On the 6^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2022), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Will You Be There”, performed by 🎙 Michael Jackson.

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Theme & Lyrics ✍

“Hold me like the River Jordan / And I will then say to thee, you are my friend.” 🎵 “Will You Be There” ranks among the elite, later hits by 🎙 Michael Jackson.  Long before asking us to “Carry me like you are my brother / Love me like a mother, will you be there,” the 🏆 Grammy winner had already cemented his legacy.  “Will You Be There” appears on Jackson’s 1991 New Jack Swing infused album, 💿 Dangerous.  That said, the version of the gem I prefer is a shortened single version that serves as the theme from 📽 Free Willy. As a 90s kid, Free Willy was a big deal, as was the inspirational theme.  Notably, “Will You Be There” was performed by 🎙 Jennifer Hudson at Jackson’s memorial service in 2009.

Michael Jackson sings incredibly here – period.  Sure, he always sounds awesome but on “Will You Be There,” he takes that beloved tenor (and beyond) to another level.  Serving as the lead, backed by a superb gospel choir, it’s hard to listen to this record and NOT feel something.  No, “Will You Be There” never mentions God or a deity, and isn’t a contemporary gospel record, but it feels like a spiritual experience.  Jackson seems to be seeking someone who can and will be there for him in a world filled with adversity and lofty expectations.  “When weary, tell me will you hold me? When wrong, will you scold me? When lost will you find me?” he asks.  Among the most memorable sections of “Will You Be There” arrives on the powerful bridge, which precedes a modulating breakdown section.  Jackson proclaims:

“Everyone’s taking control of me

Seems that the world’s got a role for me

I’m so confused, will you show to me

You’ll be there for me and care enough to bear me?”

The ad-libs that follow in the breakdown section are some of Jackson’s finest of his illustrious career.  Who doesn’t love to hear him welp (“Hoo”)!

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Final Thoughts 💭 

Yes, the likes of 🎵 “Billie Jean”, 🎵 “Beat It”, and 🎵 “Man in the Mirror” are tops among the Michael Jackson catalog. Still, don’t forget about 🎵 “Will You Be There”! It’s a fantastic pop song with wide-ranging appeal.  This is a must-hear throwback gem that never grows old, even three decades after first arriving.

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🎙 Michael Jackson • 💿 Dangerous • 🏷 MJJ Productions • 🗓 1991
Michael Jackson, “Will You Be There”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 6 [📷: Brent Faulkner, cotton bro,  MJJ Productions, The Musical Hype]

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