The Staple Singers' 1972 number one hit 'I'll Take You There' emerged from a period when the gospel group was working to refine its sound into something more soulful and message-driven, guided by engineer Terry Manning and inspired by the preaching style of Martin Luther King Jr. The song marked a turning point for the group commercially, following two earlier albums that had underperformed, and became the defining statement of their new direction under producer Al Bell at Stax Records.

The track was written by Al Bell after attending his brother's funeral, with the lyrics coming to him while reflecting in his father's garden. It was recorded at Muscle Shoals Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, a building that had previously been a coffin showroom and stood opposite a cemetery, and Mavis Staples initially struggled to connect with the song before eventually embracing it. Despite its unlikely, funeral-tinged origins, the studio, funded by producer Jerry Wexler, went on to become a major hub for soul and R&B-influenced rock.