"From a Distance" is a song written in 1985 by American singer-songwriter

Julie Gold Julie Gold (born February 3, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her musical composition " From a Distance," which became a hit for Bette Midler and won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1991. "From a Distance" h ...

. Gold was working as a secretary at the time for HBO and writing songs in her free time. Gold's friend,

Christine Lavin Christine Lavin (born January 2, 1952) is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded with other female folk artists under the name Four Bitchin ...

, introduced the song to

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award f ...

, who first recorded it for her 1987 album, ''

Lone Star State of Mind ''Lone Star State of Mind'' was the fifth studio album released by Nanci Griffith, and her first album for MCA Records. Griffith's music took a turn from her original folk music base into more commercially viable country music. For this album, sh ...

''. The song was covered a number of times, with the most successful being a version by

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;'' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden ...

which became a major hit in 1990.

Interpretation

Julie Gold has stated that she believes in an

immanent The doctrine or theory of immanence holds that the divine encompasses or is manifested in the material world. It is held by some philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence. Immanence is usually applied in monotheistic, panthe ...

and beneficent God, and also thinks that people have a right to interpret the song any way they want, as with all art."Julie Gold and Her Songs"
, '' Here on Earth - Radio Without Borders'',

Wisconsin Public Radio Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is a network of 34 public radio stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct analog services, the ''Ideas Network'' and the ''NPR News & Music Network,'' as well as the ''All Classic ...

, February 19, 2005
audio
) She has stated that the song is about the difference between how things appear to be and how they really are.

Original Nanci Griffith version

recorded it first in her 1987 album ''

''. Nanci Griffith stated that a songwriter Julie Gold sent her the song in 1986, asking Griffith what was wrong with it, as Gold had sent it to many artists and record companies but none wanted to record it. Griffith answered that she loved it so much the moment she heard it and that she wanted to hear it performed personally by Gold. This established a relationship between the two with Griffith being the first to record "From a Distance" in her ''

'' album. Griffith performed it live many times and a version of her live performance on August 19–20, 1988 at the Anderson Fair, a Houston, Texas club long known for featuring folk artists in an intimate setting, appeared in her live album ''

One Fair Summer Evening ''One Fair Summer Evening'' was Nanci Griffith's seventh album, and her first one recorded in a live setting. It was recorded on August 19 and August 20, 1988 at Anderson Fair, a Houston, Texas club long known for featuring folk artists in an in ...

''. The Griffith version charted only in Ireland, where her version became a sleeper hit, spending 17 non-consecutive weeks in the Irish Top 30 during 1988, peaking at number nine in April.

Track listing

Ireland 7" (MCA 1169) # "From a Distance" # "Sing One For Sister"

Charts

Bette Midler version

"From a Distance" became an international commercial success after it was recorded in 1990 by American singer

for her seventh studio album, ''

Some People's Lives ''Some People's Lives'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Atlantic Records on September 4, 1990 in the United States. It contains one of her biggest hits, "From a Distance," which won songwriter Julie G ...

'' (1990). World events at this time gave the song a resonance as an

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...

during the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. It reached number one on the

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 ...

chart and peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song went on to win a

Grammy 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 pres ...

for Song of the Year in 1991. It also won a "3 Million Airs Award" from

Broadcast Music Incorporated Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 mill ...

. The single peaked at number 45 on the UK Top 40 in October 1990 - in part due to the Cliff Richard version of the song having been released on the same date and entering the chart much higher. As a result, the single was reissued in June 1991 whereby it reached a much improved peak of number 6. Midler re-recorded a Christmas edition for her 2006 Christmas album, ''

Cool Yule ''Cool Yule'' is a holiday album by Bette Midler released on October 10, 2006, through Columbia Records. Midler's first seasonal release, the album features many standard Christmas tunes as well as a reworking edition of her Grammy-winning hit " ...

'', with additional lyrics by Los Angeles native Jay Landers. Additional recordings of the original have been performed by Gold, Griffith,

Simon Nicol Simon John Breckenridge Nicol (born 13 October 1950) is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the ...

(of

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...

) and many others.

Critical reception

Matthew Hocter from Albumism stated that the song "showcases her magnificent vocality, coupled with lyrics entrenched in hope and peace." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' described it as a "soothing hymn that invokes inspirational images similar to "

Wind Beneath My Wings "Wind Beneath My Wings" (sometimes titled "The Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Hero") is a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. The song was first recorded by Kamahl in 1982 for a country and western album he was recording. Kamahl tal ...

", adding that it "proves that the Divine Miss M still has what it takes to tackle top 40 territory." Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The p ...

'' noted that Midler's

for "Wind Beneath My Wings" "reaffirmed her innate ability to extract every single ounce of emotion out of a song. Teaming once again with producer

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for o ...

, she seems right at home with a tune that has much of the same quality as her giant hit of last year. Bette's certain to go the distance again." Gene Sandbloom from ''The Network Forty'' said that "the lyrics manage to take in the globe (with a minimum of sugar) and deliver a song worth listening to a hundred times. The music, produced by sound specialist Arif Mardin, is a slow crescendo made to support Midler's voice without overwhelming." He added that she "again uses her "no frills" vocal approach which makes this song so genuine." Conversely, Midler's recording of the song ranked at number 37 on VH1's list of the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever." and ranked at number 14 on ''

Blender Magazine ''Blender'' was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities. It compiled lists of albums, artists, and songs, including both "best of" an ...

's'' list of "The 50 Worst Songs Ever". Criticisms focus on the song's lyrical content and the production of Midler's version.

Track listings

* UK 7-inch (Atlantic A7820) :US cassette (Atlantic 7567-84888-4) :Japanese 3-inch CD (Atlantic AMDY-5032) # "From a Distance" # "One More Round" * UK CD maxi (Atlantic A7820CD) :UK 12-inch (Atlantic A7820T) # "From a Distance" # "One More Round" # "Wind Beneath My Wings" # " The Rose" * US CD maxi (2006) (Columbia 88697-00957-2) # "From a Distance" (Christmas version)

Charts

Weekly charts

Original version Christmas version

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cliff Richard version

The song was simultaneously released by

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million ...

in October 1990 (around the same time of the release of Midler's version) from a similarly titled album '' From a Distance: The Event'' reaching number 11 in the UK Singles Charts and number 16 in Ireland. In 1999, on his " 40th Anniversary Tour" as a recording artist, Richard opened his concert in

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

with the song.

Track listings

UK 7"/UK Picture Disc (EMI EM 155/EMI EMPD 155) # "From a Distance" # "Lindsay Jane II" UK CD single/UK 12" (EMI CDEM 155/EMI 12EM 155) # "From a Distance" # "Lindsay Jane II" # "

Wired for Sound ''Wired for Sound'' is the 24th studio album by Cliff Richard, released in September 1981. The album peaked at number 4 in the UK album charts upon release, and spent a total of 25 weeks on the chart in 1981–82. The album was certified Pl ...

" (live)

Charts

Magdalene Survivors Together charity version

"From a Distance" became a 2011 charity single in support of Magdalene Survivors Together, a charity set in July 2009 by Gerard Boland focusing on the human rights aspect of the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland. The 2011 single had vocal participation from several artists:

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, '' The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want Wha ...

, Tommy Fleming, Brian Kennedy,

Daniel O'Donnell Daniel Francis Noel O'Donnell, MBE (born 12 December 1961) is an Irish singer, television presenter and philanthropist. After rising to public attention in 1983, he has since become a household name in Ireland and Britain; he has also had co ...

, Ann Scott,

Moya Brennan Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

Charlie Landsborough Charles Alexander Landsborough (born 26 October 1941) is a British country and folk musician and singer-songwriter. He started singing professionally in the 1970s, although his major success did not come until 1994 with his song "What Colour i ...

, Patrick Sheehy, Lumiere and the Scottish Glasgow Gospel Choir. The track was produced by John Reynolds and Tim Oliver and mastered at Soundmastwers, London. Tesco Ireland, Beaumex Ireland and Believe Digital distributed the single online and it was made available in Tesco stores through Ireland. The proceeds would go to build an Irish national monument for the Magdalene women.

References

External links

*
"From a Distance"
at Songfacts

{{DEFAULTSORT:From A Distance 1985 songs 1980s ballads 1990 singles Bette Midler songs Cliff Richard songs Kathy Mattea songs Nanci Griffith songs Grammy Award for Song of the Year Anti-war songs Songs against racism and xenophobia Songs written by Julie Gold Pop ballads Rock ballads Country ballads Atlantic Records singles EMI Records singles MCA Records singles

Interpretation

Original Nanci Griffith version

Track listing

Charts

Bette Midler version

Critical reception

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cliff Richard version

Track listings

Charts

Magdalene Survivors Together charity version

See also

References

External links