Reach Out I’ll Be There | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Ebsus4 Ebm | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb | Bb :||
Verse 1
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db | Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db |
Now if you feel that you can’t go on, because all of your hope is gone.
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db Db6 | Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db |
And your life is filled with much confusion, until happiness is just an illusion.
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db Db6 Db |
And your world around is crumbling down, darling.
Bridge 1
| Gb/Bb | Gb |
(Reach out) come on girl, reach on out for me.
| Bb/D | Bbaddb9/F Bb/F | N.C (F Gb A) |
(Reach out) reach out for me. Ha!
Chorus 1
| Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb |
I’ll be there, with a love that will shelter you.
| Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb | Bb |
I’ll be there, with a love that will see you through.
Verse 2
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db | Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db |
When you feel lost and about to give up, ’cause your best just ain’t good enough.
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db | Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db |
And you feel the world has grown cold, and you’re drifting out all on your own.
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db Db6 Db |
And you need a hand to hold. Darling.
Bridge 2
| Gb/Bb | Gb |
(Reach out) come on girl, reach out for me.
| Bb/D | Bbaddb9/F Bb/F | N.C (F Gb A) |
(Reach out) reach out for me. Ha!
Chorus 2
| Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb |
I’ll be there, to love and comfort you.
| Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb | Bb |
And I’ll be there, to cherish and care for you.
| Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb |
(I’ll be there, to always see you through.)
| Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb |
(I’ll be there to love and comfort you.)
Verse 3
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db | Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db |
I can tell the way you hang your head, you’re without love and now you’re afraid.
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db | Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db |
And through your tears you look around, but there’s no peace of mind to be found. I know what you’re thinkin’.
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db |
You’re alone now, no love of your own. But darling.
Bridge 3
| Gb/Bb | Gb |
(Reach out) come on girl, reach out for me.
| Bb/D | Bbaddb9/F Bb/F | N.C (F Gb A) |
(Reach out) Just look over your shoulder.
Chorus 3
| Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb |
I’ll be there, to give you all the love you need.
| Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb | to fade
And I’ll be there, you can always count on me.
Reach Out I’ll Be There chords and progressions
There are key changes and variations such as IVm in Reach Out I’ll Be There which are difficult to hear at first.
Perhaps this is partly down to the recording being slightly sharp and therefore difficult to work out on the guitar.
Use my online guitar tuner, set it to 444Hz, rather than 440 and you’ll have a better chance of getting it right when playing along.
The opening chord, Ebsus4, and Ebm are actually the previously mentioned IVm in the key of Bb. This is the only tune I know of that opens with this chord, usually, it appears after a IV chord, like in Blackbird for example.
For the verse, we are in the key of Gb, playing a II – V with a quick I chord with its 3rd in the bass in between, like this:
||: Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db :||
The bridge chords are usually not played correctly by bands, I always see slightly confused faces when this section is played. Here are the right chords:
| Gb/Bb | Gb |
| Bb/D | Bbaddb9/F Bb/F | N.C (F Gb A) |
The final bass line (in brackets) takes us to the chorus chords which are:
||: Bb | Eb/Bb | Ebsus4 Ebm Ebsus2 | Bb :|| Bb |
Notice how that Ebm (chord IV) we played in the intro is back briefly here.
Members get a full chord analysis with TAB for a part you can play with a band. Here’s a link to the complete lesson (members only): Reach Out I’ll Be There chord analysis and TAB.
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all step-by-step guitar courses, TAB for the songbook, the Self-Eliminating Practice Routine, and the eBook Spytunes Method.
Reach Out I’ll Be There is Four Tops signature song!
Reach Out I’ll Be There by the Four Tops was an enormous success for the vocal group in 1966 hitting #1 in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Written and produced by Holland Dozier Holland, this was one of the bigger hits for Motown, reaching the top spot and selling half a million copies in the U.S.
Apparently, the Four Tops didn’t like the recording and begged Berry Gordy to not release it. Luckily he was determined and Reach Out I’ll Be There ended up becoming the Four Tops’ signature song.
Following the release of the original, Diana Ross covered it in 1971 and so did Gloria Gaynor in 1975, not to mention every Motown band out there working every Saturday night!
In 2021, a musical about the band took the title from the second half of the title; I’ll Be There.
Reach Out I’ll Be There chords | Related pages
Intermediate Electric
The intermediate electric tunes will help you with learning the CAGED system all over the fretboard, both for chords and pentatonic scales.
Learn these Motown/Soul classics, and you’ll not just improve dramatically but also gain yourself a repertoire.
Five similar tunes with chords and lyrics
- (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher
- Can I Get A Witness
- Get Ready
- I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
- It Takes Two
Four Tops
Joining Motown as one of the first vocal groups, Four Tops stuck together, without changing any members, for 44 years.
Best tunes include I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), Reach Out I’ll Be There, Bernadette, and Ain’t No Woman.
Four Tops on the web
Gloria Gaynor
Starting out on the club circuit, Gloria Gaynor got signed in 1971 and started to release disco versions of famous songs in 1975.
Her best tunes include Never Can Say Goodbye, I Will Survive, You’re All I Need To Get By, and Stop in the Name of Love.
Gloria Gaynor on the web
Diana Ross
After her success with The Supremes in the 60s, Diana Ross launched a solo career that kept her in the public consciousness for the next two decades.
Her best-known tunes include I’m Coming Out, Upside Down, Endless Love, and Chain Reaction.
Diana on the web
Motown & Soul
You can learn how to play these Motown & Soul tunes, and in doing so, gain yourself a repertoire so you can jam with, or even join a working band.
Study these tunes in-depth and you will map out the fretboard, master the CAGED system, and learn how to design a rhythm guitar part that works in a band.
