Songfacts®:

• A track from Greg Lake's side of the Works, Volume 1 album, this can be seen as both a love song and a song about the quality of faith in the midst of adversity. Lake refused to discuss specific song meanings so as not to distort the listener's interpretation.
  
  Works is a double album, with each band member highlighted on one side, and all featuring equally on Side 4.
• Greg Lake wrote this song with Pete Sinfield, who he worked with in King Crimson when Greg formed the band in 1969. Sinfield and Lake continued working together when Emerson, Lake & Palmer formed, and the pair also collaborated on Lake's seasonal hit, "I Believe In Father Christmas."
  
  Lake said that "Closer To Believing" was one of his favorites, even though it was not easy to write. "It actually took us three months solid, without a break," he told us. Three months we worked on the song. Day in, day out, day in, day out, three months. And that was hard. But in the end, we felt that was worth it. We were very proud of the result." (Here's our full Greg Lake interview.)
• The orchestral arrangement was by Godfrey Salmon and Tony Harris, the orchestra and choir were conducted by Godfrey Salmon.
• A live version appears on the expanded version of 1979's In Concert album released on Rhino Records in 1993 as Works Live. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Steve - Torrance, CA, for above 2
• Greg Lake used a Zemaitis 12-string guitar on this track.