"How Do I Get Close" is a song released by the British rock group,

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

. Released on the band's critically panned LP, ''

UK Jive ''UK Jive'' is the twenty-third studio album by the English rock group, the Kinks, released in 1989. It was the first album in almost three years since the 1986 album, '' Think Visual''. At this point, it was the longest gap between album rele ...

'', the song was written by the band's main songwriter,

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voc ...

Release and reception

"How Do I Get Close" was first released on the Kinks' album ''

''. ''UK Jive'' failed to make an impression on fans and critics alike, as the album failed to chart in the UK and only reached No. 122 in America. However, despite the failure of the album and the lead UK single, "Down All the Days (Till 1992)", "How Do I Get Close" was released as the second British single from the album, backed with "Down All the Days (Till 1992)". The single failed to chart. The single was also released in America (backed with "War is Over"), where, although it did not chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it hit No. 21 on the

Mainstream Rock Tracks chart Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

, the highest on that chart since "Working At The Factory" in 1986. "How Do I Get Close" also appeared on the compilation album '' Lost & Found (1986-1989)''.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

cited "How Do I Get Close" as a highlight from both ''UK Jive'' and ''Lost & Found (1986-1989)''.

References

{{authority control The Kinks songs 1990 singles Songs written by Ray Davies Song recordings produced by Ray Davies 1989 songs MCA Records singles