Reach Out I'll Be There: History and Key Facts

"Reach Out I'll Be There" (also rendered as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)") is a song recorded by the American vocal quartet the Four Tops. Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, it is one of the most notable Motown hits of the 1960s.

Released as a single on August 18, 1966, it was the number one song on the Rhythm & Blues chart for two weeks and on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in October 1966. The track also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks beginning on October 27, 1966, becoming Motown's second UK chart-topper after the Supremes' "Baby Love" (1964). It was ranked the number five hit of 1966 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100. In July 1967, it was included on the group's fourth studio album, Reach Out.

Rolling Stone later ranked "Reach Out" number 206 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2022, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

Source and attribution

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