Released July 1972 Genre jazz Label Warner Bros. Records | Recorded Winter/Spring 1972 Length 3:03 Writer(s) Van Morrison | |
"I Will Be There" is a song featured on Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison's sixth album Saint Dominic's Preview (1972). The song is also the B-side to Morrison's single "Warm Love", released in 1973. It is one of few overtly jazz songs written by Morrison, and the first since the release of "Moondance" in 1970.
Contents
The song is led in by Tom Salisbury's piano, who also arranged the song. Van wrote the song at a piano. It was triadic. Doug Messenger jazzed up the chord progression and Tom Salisbury wrote the brilliant horn parts. Featured in the song is a saxophone solo from long serving Jack Schroer. John Collis says, "A hero (of Van), is evoked by the piano-led blues "I Will Be There" -the spirit of Ray Charles looms large in the song." The Rolling Stone review of Saint Dominic's Preview remarks: "'I Will Be There' goes the furthest of any (of the songs in Saint Dominic's Preview) into R&B-jazz roots, as Van pays expert musical tribute to Count Basie and Joe Williams."
Other releases
It was one of the live performances recorded and included on Morrison's 1996 live album, How Long Has This Been Going On. A live performance of "I Will Be There", recorded in 1989, is featured on the video album, Van Morrison The Concert, released in 1990.