"I'll Take You There" is a song written by Al Bell (using his real name Alvertis Isbell), and originally performed by soul/gospel family band the Staple Singers. The Staple Singers version, produced by Bell, was released on Stax Records in February 1972, and spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. By December 1972, it had sold 2 million units[5] and is ranked as the 19th biggest American hit of 1972.[6] It remains one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time.
The song was also a significant chart hit in two later cover versions. A 1991 cover version by BeBe & CeCe Winans, with Mavis Staples featured as a guest artist, made it to #1 on the R&B chart, and also reached #90 on the Hot 100.[7] In 1994, the British band General Public released a cover of "I'll Take You There" which peaked at #22 on the Hot 100.[8]Rap trio Salt-N-Pepa sampled "I'll Take You There" in their 1991 hit "Let's Talk About Sex". In 1997, the song was used by automobile manufacturer Chevrolet in its commercials for the revival of their Chevy Malibu.
Original Staple Singers version
Included on the group's 1972 album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, "I'll Take You There" features lead singer Mavis Staples inviting her listeners to seek Heaven. The song is almost completely a call-and-response chorus, with the introduction and bassline being lifted—uncredited—from "The Liquidator", a 1969 reggae hit written by Harry Johnson and performed by the Harry J Allstars. In fact, the entire song, written in the key of C, contains but two chords, C and F. A large portion of the song is set aside for Mavis' sisters Cleotha and Yvonne and their father "Pops" to seemingly perform solos on their respective instruments. In actuality, these solos (and all music in the song) were recorded by the
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. When Mavis Staples says "Daddy, now, Daddy, Daddy" (referring to "Pop's" guitar solo), it is actually Eddie Hinton who performs the solo on the record. Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section bass player David Hood performs the song's bassline. Terry Manning added harmonica and lead electric guitar. Roger Hawkins played drums, Barry Beckett was on Wurlitzer electronic piano, and Jimmy Johnson and Raymond Banks contributed guitar parts. The horn and string parts were arranged by Detroit arranger Johnny Allen. The horns and strings were recorded at Artie Fields Recording Studios in Detroit Michigan.
Quite a few Staple Singers songs reference civil rights and social conditions. Many people interpret this song as describing an imagined world in which the civil rights movement has succeeded: "No more smilin' faces/lyin' to the races."
Bolstered by a "feel-good" vibe, "I'll Take You There" peaked at #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart for four weeks May 1972. In June, "I'll Take You There" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for one week.[9]Billboard ranked it as the #19 song for 1972.[10] The song, ranked #276 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[11] and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, remains the most successful and recognizable single of the Staples' half-century-long career.
Personnel
Partial credits from Richard Buskin and Terry Manning.[12]
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Cover recordings
In 1991, the song returned to number-one on the US R&B chart when it was covered by BeBe & CeCe Winans, with Mavis Staples featured as a guest artist on the track.[23] The single also peaked at number 90 on the Hot 100[24][25] and number 11 on the Holland National Airplay chart.[26]
In 1994, the British band General Public released a cover of "I'll Take You There" featured in the film Threesome. It peaked at #22 on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart and #95 on its year-end chart.[27] It also peaked at #38 on the year-end chart of Canadian RPM Top Singles.[28] This version features an added toasted verse specific to this rendition.
^Horton, Matthew (2015). "The Staple Singers - "I'll Take You There". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 299.
