1. Background

2. Carpenters version
    Personnel 

3. Chart performance
    Weekly charts  Year-end charts 

4. Other notable versions

5. In popular culture

6. References

7. External links

"(They Long to Be) Close to You" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, most notably recorded and performed 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". Dusty Springfield recorded the song in August 1964, but her version was not released commercially until it appeared on her Where Am I Going? album in 1967. Bacharach released his own version in 1971. 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.

Carpenters version

Side one

1. "We've Only Just Begun"
2. "Love Is Surrender"
3. "Maybe It's You"
4. "Reason to Believe"
5. "Help!"
6. "(They Long to Be) Close to You"

Side two

1. "Baby It's You"
2. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again"
3. "Crescent Noon"
4. "Mr. Guder"
5. "I Kept on Loving You"
6. "Another Song"

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.^[2] 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 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 "This Guy's in Love with You" from 1968. Billboard ranked it as the number 2 song for 1970.^[3]

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."^[4]

Personnel

• Karen Carpenter – lead and backing vocals
• Richard Carpenter – backing vocals, piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, harpsichord,^[5] orchestration
• Joe Osborn – bass
• Hal Blaine – drums
• Chuck Findley – trumpet
• Bob Messenger – flute{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
• uncredited – vibraphone

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other notable versions

• 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.
• Gwen Guthrie had a UK number 25 hit with a version released in 1986.
• Matt Monro covered it in 1988; this version was used in From Paris with Love, starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
• Josefine Cronholm recorded a version for the 2005 film MirrorMask and was included on the film's soundtrack.
• The Cranberries have a version of this song as a bonus track on No Need to Argue: The Complete Sessions 1994–1995.
• This song was on Isaac Hayes' 1971 album Black Moses.

In popular culture

• In the 1978 TV special Mickey's 50, on which The Carpenters made a guest appearance, Karen Carpenter sings the lyrics "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E" to the opening bars of the song.
• It was a theme song for the 2002 Hong Kong action film So Close, starring Shu Qi, Zhao Wei, and Karen Mok.
• In the 2014 miniseries Olive Kitteridge, Martha Wainwright performs a cover of the song.
• In 2015, the song was played in the South Korean drama She Was Pretty.^[12]

References

External links

• {{MetroLyrics song|the-carpenters|they-long-to-be-close-to-you}}

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