Written by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was first recorded by the actor Richard Chamberlain in 1963 with an orchestral arrangement; he released it as the B-side of his single "Blue Guitar." Next to record it was Dionne Warwick, whose 1964 version wasn't released as a single. A few others took a crack at it as well, but it wasn't a hit until the Carpenters got to it in 1970. Their version, with an understated vocal by Karen Carpenter and a trumpet solo in the middle, was a #1 hit for four weeks.
You'll be hard-pressed to find a song that praises someone as effusively as this one. Witness:
On the day that you were born the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
That's a lot to live up to!
Burt Bacharach and Hal David hadn't written many hits when Richard Chamberlain recorded the first version of this song in 1963, but over the next few years they went on a roll with songs like "
What the World Needs Now Is Love" (Jackie DeShannon) and "
I Say a Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick). They also wrote Herb Alpert's 1968 #1 hit "
This Guy's In Love With You," and a year later, Bacharach asked him to try his hand on "(They Long to Be) Close to You." Alpert didn't feel comfortable with the lyrical content - "Moondust in your hair" - and instead produced a new arrangement for the Carpenters, who were signed to his label, A&M Records. Bacharach clearly believed in the song and was determined to find the right artist for it.
Richard Carpenter said of recording this song: "He (Herb Alpert) just gave me a lead sheet, and he said, 'I have a recording of this, but I don't want you to hear it. I don't want anything to influence what I may come up with. Just keep, at the end of the first bridge, two piano quintuplets.' That record, that song, the arrangement, all of it, is misleading to the uninitiated, because it sounds simple. And it's anything but simple."
In their first sessions for this song, Karen Carpenter played the drums, which Herb Alpert didn't like. Said Alpert: "I thought it was a little light. And so I asked them to go back in the studio again, because Karen was playing drums. And they recorded it the second time and I still felt they were missing a little something on the groove, so I suggested very carefully to Karen that maybe Hal Blaine should come in and play drums on it."
Blaine replaced Karen on drums and they got the take they liked with Richard on piano, Joe Osborn on bass, and Karen singing.
The trumpet part in the middle of the song didn't come easy: Richard had a very specific sound in mind, and had multiple trumpets trying to play it, which wasn't working because each trumpet was playing slightly different. Chuck Findley solved the problem by playing all the parts himself, then layering them together to create the elusive sound Richard wanted.
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" was just the second single for the Carpenters, following their cover of The Beatles' "
Ticket To Ride," which peaked at #54. It was the start of a string of hits for the duo that includes "
We've Only Just Begun," "
Superstar" and "
Rainy Days And Mondays." They dominated Easy Listening radio in the early '70s.
This is the only hit song we know of that starts by asking a question and then answering it:
Q: Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?
A: Just like me, they long to be close to you?
There are other hits that start by asking a question, but they usually go unanswered. A sample:
"Why should I care?" (The Who, "
5:15)
"Why don't we do it in the road?" (
The Beatles"Why are there so many songs about rainbows?" (The Muppets, "
Rainbow Connection")
"Close to You" was featured in the 1989 movie Parenthood, starring Steve Martin. It's used in a scene where Rick Moranis' character sings to apologize to his wife in the middle of teaching her class. It's also been in these movies:
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
The Bubble (2022)
The Angry Birds Movie (2016)
Buddy (2013)
TV shows to use the song include Jane The Virgin, Derry Girls, The Morning Show and Diva.
The Cranberries sang this at Woodstock '94, and included it as the B-side to their 1995 single "I Can't Be With You."
Dusty Springfield recorded an early version of this song in 1964 that was scheduled for release as a single and potential follow-up to her hit "I Just Don't Know What To Do with Myself," but her version wasn't released until 1967 when it appeared on her album Where Am I Going?
Connie Stevens sang this to Kermit The Frog on The Muppet Show in 1977.
On The Simpsons, "Close To You" is Marge and Homer's love theme. It was used in The Simpsons Movie (2007), and in five different episodes:
"The Way We Was" - 1991
"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" - 1997
"Gump Roast" - 2002
"Treehouse of Horror XXIII - 2012
"Moho House" - 2017
