(They Long to Be) Close to You

"(They Long to Be) Close to You"
Dutch 7-inch single
Single by Carpenters
from the album Close to You
B-side	"I Kept on Lovin' You"
Released	May 15, 1970
Format	7" single
Recorded	1970
Genre	Pop
Length	4:33 (LP version) 3:40 (7" single)
Label	A&M 1183
Writer(s)	Burt Bacharach Hal David
Producer(s)	Jack Daugherty
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Carpenters singles chronology
"Ticket to Ride" (1969) "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (1970) "We've Only Just Begun" (1970)
Close to You track listing Side one "We've Only Just Begun" "Love Is Surrender" "Maybe It's You" "Reason to Believe" "Help!" "(They Long to Be) Close to You" Side two "Baby It's You" "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" "Crescent Noon" "Mr. Guder" "I Kept on Loving You" "Another Song"

"(They Long to Be) Close to You" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Background

The song was first recorded by Richard Chamberlain and released as a single in 1963 as "They Long to Be Close to You", without parentheses. However, only that single's flip side, "Blue Guitar", became a hit. The tune was also recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963 and re-recorded with a Burt Bacharach arrangement for her 1964 album Make Way for Dionne Warwick, and was released as the B-side of her 1965 single "Here I Am". Bacharach released his own version in 1968. But the version recorded by Carpenters with instrumental backing by L.A. studio musicians from the Wrecking Crew,^[1] which became a hit in 1970, is the best known.

The first recorded duet of this song is attributed to Dinah Washington and Lionel Hampton, which can be found on YouTube.^[2] The song can be found on Hampton's 1995 album Jazz Moods.^[3] and on the 1996 compilation double-CD Dinah Wasshington, released in the Netherlandson the Bluenite label.^[4] As Washington died in late 1963, this is believed to be one of the first recordings of this song.

Carpenters version

In 1970, it was released by Carpenters on their album Close to You, and it became their breakthrough hit. The song stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. This song was originally given to Herb Alpert as a follow up to his Number 1 hit, "This Guy's in Love with You", another Bacharach-David composition. Alpert was not thrilled with his version and shelved the recording. Looking for a follow-up to their first A&M Records/Billboard No. 54 recording Ticket to Ride, in 1969 Alpert decided to give it to the Carpenters (Alpert's version was released in 2005 on the Tijuana Brass album Lost Treasures 1963–1974). Richard had stated that when Alpert introduced the song to him back in early 1970, he was a bit apprehensive about the song.^[5] He and Alpert collaborated on the song, and the finished product was a 4-minute, 36-second long song. When A&M Records decided to release it as a 3-minute, 40-second long single in May 1970, it became A&M's biggest hit since Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" from 1968. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1970.^[6]

With "(They Long to Be) Close to You", Carpenters earned a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus in 1971. It became the first of three Grammy Awards they would win during their careers.

Richard had originally written the flugelhorn solo part for Herb Alpert, but when he was unavailable, Chuck Findley was brought in. Richard later commented: "Chuck didn't play it that way at first, but I worked with him and he nailed it. A lot of people thought it was Herb - Bacharach thought so, too. But it's the way Findley is playing it."^[7]

Personnel

• Karen Carpenter - lead and backing vocals
• Richard Carpenter - backing vocals, piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, orchestration
• Joe Osborn - bass
• Hal Blaine - drums
• Chuck Findley - trumpets
• Bob Messenger - flute
• Uncredited - vibraphone

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1970)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening	1
Record World	1
Canadian Singles Chart	1
Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart	71
Cash Box	1
UK Singles Chart	6

Other cover versions

• The Ladybirds recorded the song for The Benny Hill Show (episode 9, recorded March 4, 1971, for broadcast Mar. 24, 1971)^[8]
• Frank Sinatra recorded a version of the song for his 1971 album Sinatra & Company (album)
• Isaac Hayes recorded a version of the song for his 1971 album Black Moses.
• In 1972, the song again became a hit when recorded by Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager. It went to number 6 on the Billboard R&B chart.
• In 1976, another hit version was released by B.T. Express, peaking at number 31 on the R&B chart. A year later it was performed on The Muppet Show by Connie Stevens with Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear.
• Gwen Guthrie had a UK number 25 hit with a version released in 1986.
• The song is the lead single from Harry Connick, Jr.'s 2009 album, Your Songs, and it was released exclusively on Amazon.com, on August 25, 2009, by Sony Music. The album is a collaboration between Connick and leading music executive Clive Davis, who recommended "(They Long to Be) Close to You" for the album. Connick sings backed by his big band, a piano, and a string orchestra. The song features New Orleans trumpeter Leroy Jones.^[9] Barnes & Noble streamed the song in its entirety, from two weeks before its release, on their website for the Your Songs album.^[10] On the single's release date, a music video of the song, featuring pictures and film from the recording of the album, was put up at Amazon.com.
• The song was covered by saxophonist Gerald Albright on his 2010 album Pushing The Envelope.^[11][12]
• A cover version of the song by Ronald Isley and Lauryn Hill was leaked onto the internet on September 8, 2010. The duet will be on Isley's forthcoming album, Mr. I.^[13]
• Michael Feinstein sang the song, and partially accompanied himself, In Performance at the White House, aired May 21, 2012, on PBS, honoring Burt Bacharach and Hal David, 2012 recipients of The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize.^[14]
• Paul Weller recorded a version of the song for his 2004 studio album Studio 150.^[15]
• In 2016, Dami Im recorded a version for her album Classic Carpenters.

References

1. Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin’s Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.
2. Close To You on YouTube
3. "Jazz Moods [Charly Disc 2] - Various Artists | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
4. "Dinah Washington - Dinah Washington (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
5. "Carpenters Close To You (Album 1970) Karen Carpenter". leadsister.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
6. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970
7. Randy L. Schmidt (2012). Yesterday Once More: The Carpenters Reader. Chicago Review Press. p. 303.
8. "Benny's Place • Original Series, Episodes 1 - 11". Runstop.de. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
9. Harry Connick Jr. Announces New Album Produced by Clive Davis, vintageguitar.com, July 30, 2009. Accessed 2009-08-13. Archived 2009-08-15.
10. Harry Connick, Jr. - Your Songs, Barnes & Noble. Accessed 2009-08-13. Archived 2009-08-15.
11. "Pushing the Envelope overview". Allmusic.com.
12. "Gerald Albright - Pushing the Envelope". Smooth-jazz.de.
13. "NEW MUSIC: Lauryn Hill and Ron Isley ‘Close To You’ - Global Grind". Global Grind. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
14. "In Performance at the White House - PBS". In Performance at the White House - PBS. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
15. "Paul Weller Studio 150". Paul Weller. Retrieved 12 April 2016.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics