Say You'll Be There is a mid-tempo dance-pop song, with influences of funk and R&B. It is written in the key of D♭major, with a time signature set on common time, and moves at a moderate tempo of 108 beats per minute. The song is constructed in a verse-chorus form. It uses the sequence B♭m–E♭–G♭m–D♭as its chord progression during the verses and the chorus. The third verse includes an instrumental solo, that closes with a coda, which consists in the group singing the chorus repeatedly until the song gradually fades out, while Melanie Chisholm adds the high harmony. Absolute played the instruments, except the harmonica, which was played by Judd Lander, who also played it on Culture Club's Karma Chameleon.