(They Long to Be) Close to You

"(They Long to Be) Close to You"
A-side label of U.S. 7-inch single
Single by The 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)
The 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, most notably sung by the Carpenters.

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 Netherlands on 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

Karen (left) and Richard Carpenter

In 1970, it was released by the 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 one 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 number 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 number 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 Australia Go-Set Chart 1 Canadian Singles Chart 1 Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart 71 UK Singles Chart 6 U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1 U.S. Cash Box Top 100[8] 1 U.S. Record World 1

Year-end charts Chart (1970) Rank Australia[9] 2 Canada[10] 9 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 2 U.S. Cash Box[12] 16

Other cover versions

• Dusty Springfield recorded the song for her 1967 album The Look of Love.
• Andy Williams recorded a version of the song for his 1970 album The Andy Williams Show.
• The Ladybirds recorded the song for The Benny Hill Show (episode 9, recorded March 4, 1971, for broadcast March 24, 1971).^[13]
• Frank Sinatra recorded a version of the song for his 1971 album Sinatra and Company.
• 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 Entertainment. 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.^[14] Barnes & Noble streamed the song in its entirety, from two weeks before its release, on their website for the Your Songs album.^[15] 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.
• In 2016, Frank Ocean interpolated the lyrics and melody of the song on his album Blonde.
• Dami Im recorded a version of the song for her album Classic Carpenters which debuted on April 22, 2016 at number one on the Australian Albums Chart, and peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Charts.^[16]

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. "Cash Box Top 100 8/08/70". Tropicalglen.com. 1970-08-08. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
9. "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
10. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
11. "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
12. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1970". Tropicalglen.com. 1970-12-26. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
13. "Benny's Place • Original Series, Episodes 1 - 11". Runstop.de. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
14. Harry Connick Jr. Announces New Album Produced by Clive Davis, Vintageguitar.com, July 30, 2009. Accessed 2009-08-13. Archived 2009-08-15.
15. Harry Connick, Jr. - Your Songs, Barnes & Noble. Accessed 2009-08-13. Archived 2009-08-15.
16. "DAMI IM - CLASSIC CARPENTERS (ALBUM)".

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics