"Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" is a 1973 song by Al Green. It was the second single from his album Call Me. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 2 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It received a gold record certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. In 1990, the British reggae and pop band UB40 released a cover of the song, which reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Composition and recording

Green wrote the song "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" with Teenie Hodges. They also worked together on other songs, including "Take Me to the River," "Love and Happiness," and "Full of Fire." The song was produced by Willie Mitchell during a recording session in 1972 for the album called Call Me.

Chart performance

Hi Records released the song as a single in June 1973. The B-side was "I'm Glad You're Mine." It was the second single from the album Call Me, following the title track. The record reached number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It received a gold certification for selling more than 500,000 copies.

UB40 version

In 1990, the British reggae-pop band UB40 released a cover of the song "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" as the second single from their ninth studio album, Labour of Love II, which came out in January 1990. The song reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart but was more successful in other countries. It reached number three in Australia, number six in New Zealand, and number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Australia, the song was ranked number 24 on the 1991 year-end chart, and in the United States, it was ranked number 72 on the same chart.

Other cover versions

The song has also been performed by artists such as Michael Jackson, Etta James, and Seal. Many reggae versions of the song have been made, including those by Marcia Griffiths, Pluto Shervington, Owen Gray, and Inner Circle.