Will You Be There, Single Sukses Michael Jackson yang Menghiasi Free Willy

"Will You Be There" dirilis sebagai single pada 28 Juni 1993 setelah muncul dalam film Free Willy. Menjadi single kedelapan yang dirilis Michael Jackson dari album Dangerous (1991). Lagu ini sukses di pasaran. Di tangga lagu Billboard Hot 100 sempat sampai di posisi 7. Sedangkan penjualannya berhak mendapatkan sertifikat platinum karena terjual lebih dari 1.000.000 kopi. Sukses pula berkelana di posisi 10 besar tangga lagu sejumlah negara di luar Amerika Serikat, seperti di Kanada, Inggris, Belanda, Belgia, Selandia Baru, Republik Irlandia, dan Swiss. 

Baca juga: Love Song, dari The Cure ke Adele

Hal tak menyenangkan muncul terkait legalitas. Jackson mendapatkan dua tuntutan hukum. Tuntutan pertama datang dari Cleveland Orchestra. Lagu ini dianggap melanggar hak cipta atas rekaman Cleveland Orchestra, dan Jackson dituntut ganti rugi sebesar 7 juta dolar dan penyertaan kredit dalam album Dangerous. 

Gugatan kedua datang dari Albano Carrisi. Penulis lagu Italia ini mengklaim, "Will You Be There" disadur dari lagu milikya tang bertajuk "I Cigni di Balaka" ("The Swans of Balaka"). Majalah Inggris, The Songwriter edisi Desember 1999, menayangkan kasus ini. Disebutkan, pengadilan memutuskan bahwa kedua lagu tersbeut berbeda. Sebelumnya, Albano sempat dimenangkan oleh pengadilan karena Jackson tak pernah hadir dalam sidang. Namun, beberapa bulan kemudian, keputusan pengadilan berpihak kepada Jackson. 

Baca juga: These Are The Days of Our Lives, Perjuangan Terakhir Freddie Mercury

Will You Be There

Hold me

Like the river Jordan

And I will then say to thee

You are my friend

Carry me

Like you are my brother

Love me like a mother

Will you be there?

Weary

Tell me will you hold me?

When wrong, will you scold me?

When lost will you find me?

But they told me

A man should be faithful

And walk when not able

And fight 'til the end

But I'm only human

Everyone's taking control of me

Seems that the world's got a role for me

I'm so confused will you show to me

You'll be there for me and care enough to bear me

(hold me)

Show me

(lay your head lowly)

Told me

(softly then boldly)

Yeah

(carry me there)

I'm only human

(lead me)

Hold me

(love me and feed me)

Yeah, yeah

(kiss me and free me)

Yeah

(I will feel blessed)

I'm only human

(carry)

Carry

(carry me boldly)

Carry, yeah

(lift me up slowly)

Yeah

(carry me there)

I'm only human

(save me)

Lead me

(heal me and bathe me)

Lift me up, lift me up

(softly you say to me)

(I will be there)

I will be there

(lift me)

Told me, yeah

(lift me up slowly)

(carry me boldly)

Yeah

(show me you care)

Show me you care

(hold me)

Woo

(lay your head lowly)

Get lonely sometimes

(softly then boldly)

I get lonely, yeah, yeah

(carry me there)

Will you be there

(lead me)

Woo

(love me and feed me)

Lift me up, hold me up

(kiss me and free me)

Lift me up sometimes, oh, sometimes

(I will feel blessed)

Yeah

In our darkest hour

In my deepest despair

Will you still care?

Will you be there?

In my trials

And my tribulations

Through our doubts

And frustrations

In my violence

In my turbulence

Through my fear

And my confessions

In my anguish and my pain

Through my joy and my sorrow

In the promise of another tomorrow

I'll never let you part

For you're always in my heart

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