I Shall Be There

"I Shall Be There"
Single by B*Witched featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo
from the album Awake and Breathe
B-side	"Don't Say Never" "Does Your Mother Know"
Released	6 December 1999
Format	CD single, cassette
Recorded	1999
Genre	Pop
Length	4:12
Label	Epic, Glowworm
Writer(s)	Martin Brannigan, Ray "Madman" Hedges
Producer(s)	Ray "Madman" Hedges
B*Witched featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo singles chronology
"Jesse Hold On" (1999) "I Shall Be There" (1999) "Jump Down" (2000)
Alternative cover UK CD2 cover

"I Shall Be There" is a song by Irish girl group B*Witched, featuring vocals from South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It was released on 6 December 1999 as the second single from their second studio album, Awake and Breathe (1999).

Overview

The recording of the song was a collaboration with African choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo. B*Witched member Edele Lynch along with MSNBC explained the pairing:

"We met them backstage at the BRIT Awards in 1999, and me and Keavy had been listening to a lot of their stuff, so we asked if they wanted to work with us, and when we came together in the studio it just all kind of fell into place and made for a really interesting experience."

Music video

Keavy Lynch in the music video for "I Shall Be There"

The music video was directed by Katie Bell. It has a very 'African' feel to it and featured two different scenes, a jungle scene with the group sporting appropriate clothing, and a savanna theme which was darker and had the girls dressed in more conservative and earthy-toned coloured outfits. Both scenes feature CGI animals.

Chart performance

"I Shall Be There" was released on 6 December 1999 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number 13, becoming B*Witched's first single to miss the UK top 10. It spent a total of nine weeks on the chart, five of which were in the top 40. The single was not released in Australia or New Zealand.

Releases

• UK CD 1 [668333 2]

1. "I Shall Be There" 4:12
2. "Don't Say Never" 3:54
3. "Does Your Mother Know" 3:11
4. "I Shall Be There" (video)

• UK CD 2 [xxxxxx x]

1. "I Shall Be There"
2. "I Shall Be There" (The Bold & The Beautiful Christmas Tree Fairy Mix)
3. "I Shall Be There" (The Tomski Mix)

• UK Cassette [668333 4]

1. "I Shall Be There" 4:12
2. "Don't Say Never" 3:54

• UK vinyl 1 [XPR 3369]

1. "I Shall Be There" (The Tomski Mix) 6:53
2. "I Shall Be There" (The Bold & The Beautiful Christmas Tree Fairy Mix) 8:42

• UK vinyl 2 [XPR 3361]

1. "I Shall Be There" (The Bold & The Beautiful Christmas Tree Fairy Mix) 8:42
2. "I Shall Be There" (The Bold & The Beautiful Christmas Tree Fairy Instrumental Mix) 8:38

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	13
Irish Singles Chart	29

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics