Will You Be There

"Will You Be There" is a song by Michael Jackson which was released in 1993. The song is the eighth single from the 1991 album Dangerous. The song also appeared on the soundtrack to the film Free Willy, of which it is the main theme.
The song was one of the biggest hits from Dangerous, staying in the top 40 for over six weeks in the UK. The single achieved even greater success in the U.S., where it sold over 500,000 copies and stayed in the top 10 for six weeks, peaking at number 7 and later being certified Gold.[2] The single has sold 1,600,000 copies worldwide.[3]

Song Information


In a 2002 interview with the British television network ITV, Jackson said that he wrote "Will You Be There" while sitting in a tree at his Neverland Ranch.
The full version of the song includes a prelude featuring the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus performing a portion of Beethoven's ninth symphony. The segment is from the fourth movement and is a lesser known portion of the famous "Ode to Joy." The German lyrics were written by Friedrich Schiller.
German original[4]
English translation
Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?
Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt!
Über Sternen muss er wohnen.
Do you bow down, millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the starry canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.
This classical introduction is then followed by a chorale interlude arranged by Andrae and Sandra Crouch. The Andrae Crouch Singers are heard throughout the rest of the song as well.
The single was highly successful in Germany where it reached number one on emals hot 100 for 4 consecutive weeks.

Legal Issues


"Will You Be There" was the subject of two lawsuits. The first was for copyright infringement of the Clevelend Orchestra's recording and lack of credit to Beethoven for the use of his symphonic prelude. The suit was filed by the Cleveland Orchestra[5] for 7 million dollars and was settled out of court. Subsequent printings of Dangerous have included full credits in the album booklet. The second lawsuit was a claim of plagiarism by Italian songwriter Albano Carrisi who claimed that "Will You Be There" was copied from his song "I Cigni di Balaka" ("The Swans of Balaka"). After seven years, an Italian court ruled in favor of Jackson, stating that while the two songs were very similar, they were both inspired by a traditional Indian song. Carrisi was ordered to pay all legal fees related to the case.

Awards


"Will You Be There" won the MTV Movie Award for "Best Song in a Movie" in 1994. It was also included in the album All Time Greatest Movie Songs, released by Sony in 1999.

Music Video


A music video was made for the song. It included Jackson performing the song during his Dangerous World Tour and footage from Free Willy. An alternate video mixing footage of Jackson's performance of the song on tour and on MTV's 10th anniversary was included on the DVD releases, Dangerous - The Short Films and Michael Jackson's Vision.

Live Performances By Jackson


Michael Jackson performed "Will You Be There" live throughout the Dangerous World Tour. Outside of the tour, Jackson performed the song at the MTV 10th anniversary show and at the NAACP Image Awards in 1993. Jackson would have performed the song for the "This Is It" concerts which never took place due to his sudden death. It was not featured in the film This Is It (although it appears briefly on the DVD/Blu Ray bonus features), but was confirmed to have been part of the concert, along with "Bad," "Dirty Diana," "Dangerous," "Rock with You," "You Are Not Alone," "You Rock My World", "We Are the World", "Heal the World", "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough", and "Stranger in Moscow", which were also not seen in the film.

Other Performances


Jennifer Hudson performed the song at Michael Jackson's memorial service on July 7, 2009.
The song was also covered by the band Boyce Avenue on their 2010 album Influential Sessions. Sales of this song on iTunes are currently being used to raise money for relief of the 2010 Haiti earthquake through the American Red Cross. Band member Alejandro Manzano said "...though we knew that any cover of [Michael Jackson's] music would pale in comparison to the original, we were still compelled to give a shout out to the late great in this time of need, by doing our rendition of one of our favorite songs of his, 'Will You Be There.'"[6]
Michael Lynche performed the song on the ninth season of American Idol on May 11, 2010 prior to being eliminated from the Final 4.

Track Listing


CD Single and 12":
Will You Be There (Radio Edit) - 3:40
Man In The Mirror - 5:20
Girlfriend - 3:04
Will You Be There (Album Version) - 7:40
CD Promo:
Will You Be There (Radio Edit) - 3:40
7" and Cassette:
Will You Be There (Radio Edit) - 3:40
Will You Be There (Instrumental) - 3:40
3 Inch:
Will You Be There (Radio Edit) - 3:40
Girlfriend - 3:04

Charts


Peak Positions


Chart (1993) Peak Position

Australian Singles Chart 58
Austrian Singles Chart 10
Canadian Singles Chart 3
Dutch Singles Chart 3
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 3
French Singles Chart 29
German Singles Chart 12
Irish Singles Chart 3
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 2
Swiss Singles Chart 11[7]
UK Singles Chart 8
US Billboard Hot 100 7
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 53
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 5
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 42[8]
Austrian Singles Chart 21
Danish Singles Chart 14
German Singles Chart 26
New Zealand Singles Chart 29[9]
Swedish Singles Chart 22[10]
Swiss Singles Chart 3[7]
UK Singles Chart 51[11]
U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs 10[12]


End of Year Charts


End of year chart (1993) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] 47

Personnel


Written, composed, produced, solo and background vocals by Michael Jackson
Co-Produced by Bruce Swedien
Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Matt Forger
Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson and Greg Phillinganes
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Johnny Mandel
Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
Choir arrangement by Andrae and Sandra Crouch, featuring the Andrae Crouch Singers.
Greg Phillinganes and Brad Buxer: Keyboards
Michael Boddicker: Synthesizers
Rhett Lawrence: Synthesizers and synthesizer programming
Brad Buxer, Bruce Swedien: Drums and percussion
Paulinho Da Costa: Percussion
Prelude - Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Opus 125: Presto
Performed by the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Directed by Robert Shaw
Performed by the Cleveland Orchestra
Conducted by George Szell