Got to Be There Songwriting Credits by Michael Jackson

Got to Be There is the debut solo studio album by Michael Jackson, released in January 1972 on Motown Records while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5, representing the label's strategy of developing parallel solo careers for lead singers of their group acts while maintaining the group itself. Michael wrote no original material on the album; the 10 tracks are entirely covers and songs provided by outside professional writers, including Hal Davis, Berry Gordy's songwriting staff, and others in the Motown stable. The title track, a gentle ballad written by Elliot Willensky, became Jackson's first solo top-five hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and established his ability to carry a commercially viable single without the group context. The album's most enduring track is a cover of Bobby Day's 'Rockin' Robin,' which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the defining recordings of Jackson's early career. Got to Be There was recorded when Jackson was 13 years old and reflects the Motown production formula of the period, orchestrated arrangements, Detroit-school session musicians, and an emphasis on melodic accessibility, rather than any particular artistic vision of Jackson's own, making it primarily a commercial vehicle rather than a creative statement.