When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's...me being (nine days) late (but two days in a row!) again....
While I remember this week's tune from its initial release (hard not to--it was a massive hit that seemed to get played on the radio by the hour), I didn't much care for its syrupy sweetness at the age of eleven, though I do recall my sister having the album and she and my parents both liking it very much. No, my appreciation for the song came when I saw Rick Moranis' character in the 1989 movie Parenthood sing it acapella to his wife (played by Harley Jane Kozak) in the middle of her classroom. Amazing that a scene in a movie can change how one feels about a song....
I wrote about The Carpenters in Vol. CLI, and as Karen is still singing in the Great Rock and Roll Concert in the Sky, and Richard is still overseeing their work, there really isn't much to add to their legacy. I did not, however, list a link to their prolific discography and I am using this post to rectify that oversight right here.
Fun Fact: Just to show you that time is the great equalizer, The Carpenters went from being a sappy schmaltzy shitty band in the 1970s to ranking #10 on Rolling Stone's list of the twenty greatest duos of all time in 2015.
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" was the first single released from their 1970 album, the rather artfully (thankful there's so many synonyms for clever) entitled Close to You. The single would be the first of their career to reach #1 (with a bullet!), while the album would peak at #2. The album--see time/equalizer comment above--was ranked #175 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all-time.
Written by pop tunesmiths extraordinaire Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" is as gorgeous of a love song as you'll ever hear. Bacharach's melody soars throughout the song, and David's lyrics add just the right touch to the effervescent music. Jack Daugherty's production is grand, from the sweeping background vocals to the false ending in the last minute. And the "Wah-ah-ahs" that precede "close to you" again and again and again at the end of the song are to die for. Karen's vocals (which absolutely carry the song) reach right into your heart and Richard's piano tickles the senses. Just a wondrous effort from every corner of song making, and an incredible pop music masterpiece.
Lyric Sheet: "Why do stars fall down from the sky/Every time you walk by?/Just like me, they long to be/Close to you..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
