The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriters of record (Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West, Willie Hutch), no dispute found — a documented four-writer “assembly line” origin, and the group’s fourth straight #1. The Mariah Carey memorial performance is noted factually.
Quick Facts
Released1970
AlbumThird Album
GenreSoul, Pop, R&B, Motown
LabelMotown Records
ProducerHal Davis
Recorded atHitsville West, Los Angeles
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West & Willie Hutch
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Motown; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
A much-covered ballad (Mariah Carey’s 1992 #1); the fourth of the group’s four straight #1s in this batch’s cluster.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriters of record.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
The first of the four straight #1s (already in this catalogue)
Same group, same #1 run (this batch)
Same group, same #1 run (this batch)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West & Willie Hutch
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
A four-writer “assembly line”
The song passed through four writers, each with a role — Bob West wrote the first version; Hal Davis (who ran Motown’s LA office) tweaked it; Davis had Willie Hutch rework the lyrics; Davis then pitched it to Berry Gordy, who made his own changes and took a credit. No lyrics reproduced.
Songfacts · read it →
An all-night rework, and a 2009 memorial
Gordy liked the title but not the song, demanding it be finished by the next morning; Willie Hutch stayed up all night and presented it at 8 AM. Years later, Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz — who had covered it for her 1992 MTV Unplugged — performed it again at Michael Jackson’s 2009 memorial service.
Michael Jackson Wiki · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
Motown’s most successful Detroit-era single
Covers
—
First flip
Big names who used itMariah Carey
Who to Contact
IB
Gordy, Davis, West & Hutch (Motown)
The confirmed songwriters of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 21)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass