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

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

. The best-known version is that recorded by American duo

the Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct, soft, musical style, combining Karen's contr ...

for their second studio album '' Close to You'' (1970) and produced by Jack Daugherty. Released on May 14, 1970, the single topped both the US '' Billboard'' Hot 100 and

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

charts. It also reached the top of the Canadian and Australian charts and peaked at number six on the charts of both the UK and Ireland. The record was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 1970.

Early versions

The song was first recorded by

Richard Chamberlain George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shō ...

and released as a single in 1963 as "They Long to Be Close to You". However, while the single's other

side Side or Sides may refer to: Geometry * Edge (geometry) of a polygon (two-dimensional shape) * Face (geometry) of a polyhedron (three-dimensional shape) Places * Side (Ainis), a town of Ainis, ancient Thessaly, Greece * Side (Caria), a town of an ...

, "

Blue Guitar "Blue Guitar" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. In 1963, Richard Chamberlain released it as the lead single from his album ''Twilight of Honor''. It was a No. 12 hit on the Easy Listening chart and reached No. 42 on the ''Bil ...

", became a hit, "They Long to Be Close to You" did not. The tune was also recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, was re-recorded with a Burt Bacharach arrangement for her album '' Make Way for Dionne Warwick'' (1964), and was released as the B-side of her 1965 single "Here I Am".

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

recorded the song in August 1964, but her version was not released commercially until it appeared on her album '' Where Am I Going?'' (1967). Bacharach released his own version in 1971. But the version recorded by

Carpenters Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...

with instrumental backing by L.A. studio musicians from the Wrecking Crew, which became a hit in 1970, was the most successful.

Carpenters version

In 1970, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was released by the Carpenters on their album '' Close to You'' (1970) and became their breakthrough hit. The song stayed at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks. "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was named '' Billboards Song of the Summer for 1970. Bacharach and David gave

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

the song after he scored a number one hit in 1968 with "

This Guy's in Love with You "This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, ar ...

", which the duo had also written. Alpert recorded the song, but he was displeased with the recording and did not release it. After the Carpenters achieved their first chart success with " Ticket to Ride" in 1969, Alpert convinced them to record their version of the song, believing it was well-suited for them. Carpenter and Alpert collaborated on the song, and the finished product was a 4-minute, 36-second long song. When A&M Records decided to remove the extended coda and release it as a 3-minute, 40-second long single in May 1970, it became A&M's biggest hit since Alpert's "

" from 1968. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the number two song for 1970. "(They Long to Be) Close to You" earned the Carpenters a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

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. The song was certified

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 12, 1970. Reaching number six on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1970, in a UK television special on ITV in 2016 it was voted fourth in " The Nation's Favourite Carpenters Song".

Composition

Richard had originally written the flugelhorn solo part for

, 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." The arrangement was completely different from the version Bacharach cut with Richard Chamberlain, with one exception. When Richard asked Bacharach for permission (as a courtesy) to redo the song, Bacharach requested that he keep the two "five note groupings" (piano ornaments) at the end of the first bridge. Bacharach recalled his initial reaction on hearing the finished product: "Man, this is just great! I completely blew it with Richard Chamberlain but now someone else has come along and made a record so much better than mine."

Personnel

Karen Carpenter Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer, who formed half of the sibling duo the Carpenters alongside her older brother Richard. With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was prais ...

– lead and backing vocals * Richard Carpenter – backing vocals, piano,

Wurlitzer electronic piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptua ...

, harpsichord, orchestration * Joe Osborn – bass *

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

– drums * Chuck Findley – trumpet *Bob Messenger – flute * uncredited –

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist ...

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Gwen Guthrie version

In 1986, Gwen Guthrie released her version of the song, which could only partially build on the success of her hit Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent. Compared to the original, this version is very synthesizer-heavy and is adapted to the time.

Music video

In the music video, Gwen Guthrie sings the song on a stage while the crowd dances and papparazi crowd the stage.
Music video at youtube.com

Track listing

12" Maxi # (They Long To Be) Close To You 7:14 # You Touched My Life 5:07 # Save Your Love For Me 4:50

Charts

References

External links

* * iarchive:Carpenters_Close_To_You, The Carpenters - Close to You (Music Video VHS, A&M) on Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:They Long To Be Close To You 1970s ballads 1970 singles 1986 singles A&M Records singles The Carpenters songs Dionne Warwick songs Isaac Hayes songs Richard Chamberlain songs Andy Williams songs The Cranberries songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs with lyrics by Hal David Songs with music by Burt Bacharach Diana Ross songs Dami Im songs 1963 songs Pop ballads Rock ballads