Billboard Top 40 Hits 1971: #81: ‘Reach out I’ll Be there”- Diana Ross. May 1, 1971.

• Single: ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There”- Diana Ross
• Record Company- Motown
• Genre: Soul
• Written by Holland- Dozier- Holland
• Time: 4:03
• B-side: [They Long To Be] Close To You’
• Album- Surrender
• Grade: D
• Peaked at #29 7 weeks in Billboard Hot 100.

Motown had a habit of their artists covering other songs done by other Motown artists- in some cases it worked for both- Gladys Knight and The Pips and Marvin Gaye had very different versions of “I Heard It Thought The Grapevine” that both worked [although Marvin’s in superior]- One of my favorite songs ever done at Motown is The Four Tops ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There”- one of the great singles ever. This is more of a remake than a cover- but its pretty limp. I don’t think I have ever heard it before- and if I had- I forgot it- the fact that it only made it to #29 says a lot.