Peak: #9 on the Hot 100
Streams: 1.8 million
The Escape Club is a British band that never had a hit in Britain. In the United States, however, they got all the way to #1 with “Wild Wild West,” which you might remember as the song whose chorus declares we’re “heading for the 90s, living in the wild wild West.”
But that wasn’t all! In 1991 they released “I’ll Be There,” a ballad I have always loved. And no, it’s not a remake of The Jackson 5 song. That’s the “I’ll Be There” that Mariah Carey released in 1992. The Escape Club’s “I’ll Be There” is the one about a ghost.
Even if you don’t pay attention to the lyrics, the song communicates its wistfulness. That flute solo at the end, for instance, lets you know something contemplative is happening, as does the gentle tempo. Trevor Steel, the band’s singer, also has a mournful tone, which is quite different from the sharp, bratty way he sings “Wild Wild West.”
The combined effect of all these sounds has always gotten me. Sad as it is, I always find this song pleasant. It’s a warm sonic bath. It’s got a melody that’s pleasing to sing along with in the car.
“I’ll Be There” gathers more force when you note the lyrics in the chorus.
Don’t be afraid, oh my love
I’ll be watching you from above
And I’d give all the world tonight
To be with you
I’m on your side, and I still care
I may have died, but I’ve gone nowhere
Just think of me, and I’ll be there
So this is a song about someone who has recently died, offering comfort to a loved one. The lyrics communicate sadness and pain, but also the balm that I think we all want when we lose someone. Or at least I want it. I want to think that some part of the person I’ve lost is still with me.
I appreciate Steel’s writing for touching so lightly on this theme. It would be very easy to write something maudlin or treacly here, but the words are as restrained as the production. That restraint allows us the space to feel a few things, instead of being pummeled with the emotion the song expects from us. Compare “I’ll Be There” to the histrionic “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, and you’ll hear the difference.
I should note, of course, that “I’ll Be There” isn’t breaking any musical ground. Despite all its good qualities, you could argue it’s standard-issue, lite-FM pop. Steel has acknowledged that the song was written because his record label wanted a ballad to send to radio. He wrote it as a tribute to a friend whose wife had recently died, but he was still completing an assignment from his boss. But as I’ve written many times here on The Lost Songs Project, the pop machine can still churn out good work.
If you’ll humor me, I’d like to end with another recommendation. Musical theater composer William Finn also wrote a song about a recently dead person speaking to a loved one. It’s called “Anytime,” and it absolutely nails how it feels to share a private life with someone you care about. It’s a song about in-jokes and road trips and all the other things you can’t explain to anyone who wasn’t there. It’s a song that promises the person you’ve lost will still with you when you remember something you shared. I hope you enjoy it.
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Holy cow, I haven’t thought of this song in 30something years. Thanks for the reminder!
Omigod, I’d completely forgotten about this song! Not breaking any musical ground, sure, but I enjoyed it back in the day. I certainly didn’t know it was Escape Club of “Wild Wild West” fame though. That’s a shocker!