Just As Long As Were Together

Understanding the Song Just As Long As Were Together

The Jackson 5 version of Just As Long As Were Together came out in 1970 on their album "Maybe Tomorrow" and became one of their earlier chart entries before "I Want You Back" blew up. The track was written by Sandy Walker and Harry Woods, and it sits somewhere between soul, pop, and R&B — which was basically the Jackson 5's default lane at Motown. The song itself is straightforward: a romantic declaration where the narrator says money, status, and material things don't matter as long as he's with the person he loves. It's simple on purpose, and that simplicity is why it still shows up in covers, samples, and wedding playlists decades later. I remember the first time I tried to find a clean, high-quality version of this track to use in a personal project. Most sources online either had compressed MP3s from YouTube rips or were asking you to sign up for some sketchy streaming service that loaded ads every six seconds. What actually worked for me was going straight to Discogs, finding the original Motown pressing of "Maybe Tomorrow," and then using a lossless FLAC rip from a reputable archive. The sound quality difference was noticeable — you can actually hear the arrangement details instead of just the vocal melody fighting through static.

How to Get Just As Long As Were Together Legally

If you want a legitimate copy, your options are pretty limited compared to newer releases, mostly because this predates the digital download era. Here's what actually works: Streaming platforms — Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music all carry the Jackson 5 version. If you need the audio for something personal like a slideshow or home video, a standard subscription is fine. If you're doing anything commercial, you'll need a separate license, which is a whole other conversation. Purchase downloads — Bandcamp doesn't have this track directly, but Amazon Digital Music and iTunes do. You can buy individual tracks or the full album. The AAC files from iTunes are 256 kbps, which is decent for most uses. Not audiophile grade, but better than the 128 kbps YouTube rips floating around everywhere.

Physical media — Used vinyl or CD copies of "Maybe Tomorrow" show up on eBay, Discogs, and local record stores. A decent pressed copy in VG+ condition will give you the best possible source if you're doing a transfer. I've seen people pay anywhere from $5 for a beat-up CD to over $50 for a first-pressing Motown vinyl that's actually in good shape. Know what you're looking at before you bid. The one edge case that catches people off guard: the Jackson 5 version and the cover versions sound more different than you'd think. The Jackson 6 Version has that early Motown production sheen — tight horns, a driving bassline, Jackie Jackson's lead vocal on this one. But artists like Frank Sinatra or Michael Bublé have done their own takes, and while they're beautiful, they're arrangements you could easily confuse with the original if you're not paying attention. If someone asks you to "pull up Just As Long As Were Together" and you send them the Sinatra version by mistake, it'll look like you didn't know what you were talking about. Always double-check the artist.

Why This Song Still Comes Up

The reason Just As Long As Were Together keeps resurfacing isn't just nostalgia. The chord progression is basically I-VI-ii-V-I, which is one of the most common progressions in Western popular music. That means it's recognizable without sounding derivative, and it's easy to reharmonize or sample. I've seen it used in everything from lo-fi hip-hop beats to wedding processional playlists, and the melody translates cleanly across genres because it's built on strong, simple intervals. What most people miss when they encounter this song for the first time is that the Jackson 5 recording was made during a transitional period for the group. "I Want You Back" had just changed everything, and Michael was stepping into the lead vocal role on several tracks. But "Just As Long As Were Together" still features Jackie on lead, which gives it a slightly different emotional texture — less of the breathy intensity Michael brought to the bigger hits, more of a steady, earnest delivery. It's a smaller moment in their catalog, but that's exactly why it feels less manufactured. If you're looking to use this track for a project, the licensing side is the part nobody warns you about. Motown's publishing is administered through Universal Music Publishing Group, and clearing a sync license for this song can run anywhere from a few hundred dollars for an indie project to several thousand for a commercial or broadcast use. There's no shortcut around that. If you're just using it privately, you're fine. If there's any public distribution involved, talk to a music lawyer or licensing broker before you finish your project and then realize you can't release it.