View source for (They Long to Be) Close to You

{{short description|1970 single by the Carpenters}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = (They Long to Be) Close to You
| image         = They Long to be Close to You by Carpenters Irish single.png
| alt           = 
| caption       = Side A of the Irish single
| type          = single
| artist        = [[the Carpenters]]
| album         = [[Close to You (The Carpenters album)|Close to You]]
| B-side        = I Kept on Lovin' You
| released      = May 14, 1970
| recorded      = 
| studio        = 
| genre         = 
* [[Easy listening]]<ref>{{cite news|first= Troy L. |last= Smith |title= Every No. 1 song of the 1970s ranked from worst to best |website= [[Cleveland.com]] |date= 14 December 2021 |access-date= 30 January 2023|url= https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/12/every-no-1-song-of-the-1970s-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html}}</ref><ref name="Ultra 1997">{{cite book|last= DeMain|first= Bill|chapter= Burt Bacharach|editor-last= Jones|editor-first=Dylan|date= 1997|title= Ultra Lounge: The Lexicon of Easy Listening|publisher=[[Rizzoli Libri|Universe Publishing]]|location=New York|page= 33}}</ref>
* [[soft pop]]<ref name="Lust Harcourt">{{cite book|first= Nic |last= Harcourt |year= 2005 |title= Music Lust|chapter= Brothers and Sisters|publisher= [[Sasquatch Books]] |location= Seattle |page= 29|isbn=1570614377|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qwQNNY3MX54C}}</ref>
| length        = *{{Duration|m=4|s=33}} (LP)
*3:40 (single)
| label         = [[A&M Records|A&M]]
| writer        = * [[Burt Bacharach]]
* [[Hal David]]
| producer      = [[Jack Daugherty (musician)|Jack Daugherty]]
| prev_title    = [[Ticket to Ride (song)|Ticket to Ride]]
| prev_year     = 1969
| next_title    = [[We've Only Just Begun]]
| next_year     = 1970
| misc          = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|M268Csnue9I|"(They Long To Be) Close To You"}}}} 
}}

"'''(They Long to Be) Close to You'''" is a song written by [[Burt Bacharach]] and [[Hal David]]. First recorded in 1963 by [[Richard Chamberlain]], the song had its biggest success in 1970, in a version recorded by American duo [[the Carpenters]] for their second studio album ''[[Close to You (The Carpenters album)|Close to You]]'' and produced by [[Jack Daugherty (musician)|Jack Daugherty]]. A [[soft pop]] ballad, the song expresses a woman's appreciation that her romantic partner symbolically attracts the attention of birds and falling stars.

Released on May 14, 1970, the single of the Carpenters' version topped both the [[Billboard Hot 100]] and [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]] charts and ranked no. 2 in the [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 1970]]. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', ''[[Cash Box]]'', and ''[[Record World]]'' all offered positive reviews. It was also popular internationally, reaching the top of the Canadian and Australian charts and peaked at number six on the charts of both the UK and Ireland. The record was certified [[Recording Industry Association of America certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) in August 1970. [[Johnny Mathis]] and [[Andy Williams]] also recorded their own versions of "Close to You" later that year.

In 1986, American R&B singer [[Gwen Guthrie]] recorded a cover of the song that reached no. 25 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and no. 9 on the [[Recorded Music NZ]] chart. In later years, the Carpenters' version continued to attract interest, as a plot device in the 1989 film ''[[Parenthood (1989 film)|Parenthood]]'' and 2007 film ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'' along with [[The Way We Was|a 1991 episode]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]''. ''[[The New York Times]]'' also wrote articles complimenting the song in 1995 and 2014.

==Composition==
With lyrics by [[Hal David]] and music by [[Burt Bacharach]], "(They Long to Be) Close to You" is in the key of [[C major]], with a {{music|time|4|4}} [[time signature]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0129536|title=(They Long to Be) Close to You|date=3 February 2014 |publisher=MusicNotes|access-date=August 4, 2025}}</ref> The lyrics are written from the perspective of a woman asking why birds, stars from the sky, and other women "long to be close to" her romantic partner.<ref name="MetroLyrics">{{cite web|title=Close to You Lyrics|url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/close-to-you-lyrics-the-carpenters.html|publisher=MetroLyrics|access-date=August 4, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110183313/http://www.metrolyrics.com/close-to-you-lyrics-the-carpenters.html|archive-date=January 10, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Carpenters version==
[[File:Carpenters - Nixon - Office.png|thumb|right|upright|Karen and Richard Carpenter recorded the most successful version of the song.]]
In 1970, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was released by the Carpenters on their album ''[[Close to You (Carpenters album)|Close to You]]'' (1970) and became their breakthrough hit. Believing the original title to be too long, Richard Carpenter added parentheses around "They Long to Be".<ref name=Bronson>{{cite book|last=Bronson|first=Fred|title=The Billboard Book of Number One Hits|date=2003 |url=https://archive.org/details/billboardbookofn0000bron_f8a3|place=New York|publisher=Billboard Books|page=[https://archive.org/details/billboardbookofn0000bron_f8a3/page/278/mode/2up?q=%22close+to+you%22 278]|isbn=9780823076772|via=Internet Archive|url-access=registration}}</ref> Los Angeles station [[KHJ (AM)|KHJ]] was the first U.S. radio station to play "Close to You", reported ''[[Record World]]'' on June 6, 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/70/RW-1970-06-06.pdf|title=Money Music|last=Rudman|first=Kal|magazine=Record World|page=30|volume=25|issue=1199|date=June 6, 1970|access-date=August 4, 2025|via=World Radio History}}</ref> The song charted on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for 17 weeks, including four at number one, becoming Carpenters' first top 10.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/carpenters/|title=Carpenters|publisher=Billboard|access-date=October 31, 2024}}</ref> It was also no. 2 in the [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Top Records of 1970  |page=TA-30 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=December 26, 1970 |volume=82 |issue=52 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1970/Billboard-1970-12-26.pdf |access-date=August 4, 2025|via=World Radio History}}</ref> In 2018, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' ranked "Close to You" the top single of the summer of 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/513524/summer-songs-1985-present-top-10-tunes-each-summer-listen|title=Summer Songs 1958-2018: The Top 10 Tunes of Each Summer|author=Billboard Staff|date=June 6, 2018|magazine=Billboard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207223907/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/513524/summer-songs-1985-present-top-10-tunes-each-summer-listen|archive-date=December 7, 2019|access-date=October 31, 2024|url-status=dead}}</ref> Additionally, the success of "Close to You" helped [[A&M Records]] set a new record for singles sales in 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1970/CB-1970-06-13.pdf|title=A&M: Top Spurt In Singles Yet|magazine=Cash Box|page=7|date=June 13, 1970|access-date=August 4, 2025|via=World Radio History|volume=31|issue=45}}</ref>

Bacharach and David gave [[Herb Alpert]] the song after he scored a number one hit in 1968 with "[[This Guy's in Love with You]]", which the duo had also written. Alpert recorded the song, but he was displeased with the recording and did not release it. After the Carpenters achieved their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "[[Ticket to Ride (song)|Ticket to Ride]]" in 1969, Alpert approached them to record their version of the song, believing it was well-suited for them.<ref>{{cite web|title=Carpenters Close To You (Album 1970) Karen Carpenter|url=http://leadsister.com/?page_id=1297|website=leadsister.com|accessdate=May 1, 2016|archive-date=March 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314183331/http://leadsister.com/?page_id=1297|url-status=dead}}</ref>

"(They Long to Be) Close to You" earned the Carpenters a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/carpenters/8349 |title=GRAMMY Award Results for Carpenters |publisher=[[The Recording Academy]] |access-date=May 20, 2019 }}</ref> The song was certified [[Recording Industry Association of America certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) on August 12, 1970.<ref name="RIAA-Certification-Gold"/> Reaching number six on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in 1970, in a UK television special on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in 2016 it was voted fourth in "[[The Nation's Favourite|The Nation's Favourite Carpenters Song]]".<ref>{{cite news |title=The Nation's Favourite Carpenters Song |url=https://www.itv.com/hub/the-nations-favourite-carpenters-song/2a4042 |accessdate=25 May 2020 |agency=ITV |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604211116/https://www.itv.com/hub/the-nations-favourite-carpenters-song/2a4042 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Arrangement===
Instrumental backing was provided by L.A. studio musicians from the [[The Wrecking Crew (music)|Wrecking Crew]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Kent |last=Hartman |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312619749/page/261 261–263] |year=2012 |title=The Wrecking Crew |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312619749 |url-access=registration |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press|St. Martin's Griffin]] |isbn=978-1-250-03046-7}}</ref>  Richard had originally written the [[flugelhorn]] solo part for [[Herb Alpert]] but when he was unavailable at the time of recording, [[Chuck Findley]] was hired in his stead. 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."<ref>{{cite book |first=Randy L. |last=Schmidt |title=Yesterday Once More: The Carpenters Reader |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |year=2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4oBhCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA303 |page=303|isbn=9781613744147 }}</ref>

The arrangement was completely different from the version Bacharach cut with Richard Chamberlain, with one exception.  When Richard Carpenter asked Bacharach for permission (as a courtesy) to redo the song, Bacharach requested that he keep the two "quin[[tuplet]]s" (five note groupings) (piano ornaments) at the end of the first bridge.  Bacharach recalled his initial reaction on hearing the finished product: "Man, this is just great! I completely blew it with Richard Chamberlain but now someone else has come along and made a record so much better than mine."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bacharach |first=Burt |title=Anyone Who Had a Heart |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-06-220606-0}}</ref>

===Reception===
''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' highlighted "Close to You" in its "Spotlight Singles" section on May 30, 1970, commenting: "Performance is exceptional."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1970/Billboard%201970-05-30.pdf|title=Spotlight Singles|magazine=Billboard|page=76|volume=82|issue=22|date=May 30, 1970|access-date=October 30, 2024|via=World Radio History}}</ref> The same day's edition of ''Record World'' also praised the song, rating it four out of four stars.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/70/RW-1970-05-30.pdf|title=Single Reviews|magazine=Record World|date=May 30, 1970|page=6|volume=25|issue=1190|access-date=August 4, 2025|via=World Radio History}}</ref> ''[[Cash Box]]'' followed up naming "Close to You" among its "Picks of the Week" for June 13, 1970, calling the song "delightful" and asking: "Are Bacharach/David songs female vehicles, or do they just sound better in a feline framework?"<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1970/CB-1970-06-13.pdf|title=Picks of the Week|magazine=Cash Box|page=26|date=June 13, 1970|access-date=August 4, 2025|via=World Radio History|volume=31|issue=45}}</ref>

In a 1995 ''[[New York Times Magazine]]'' story about love songs released in summers, [[Stephan Talty]] described "Close to You" as a "hushed love song" that "[set] the tone for a generation's soft ballads" in 1970.<ref>{{cite news|last=Talty|first=Stephen|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1995/08/13/issue.html?pageNumber=272|url-access=subscription|title=The No. 1 Summer Song of Love|magazine=The New York Times Magazine|date=August 13, 1995|page=37|access-date=October 30, 2024}}</ref>

In 2014, Rob Hoerburger of ''The New York Times'' observed that the song "highlights both Karen's aching alto and Richard's deft piano playing and elegant [[Erik Satie|Satie]]-like arrangement."<ref>{{cite web|last=Hoerburger|first=Rob|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/karen-carpenter-voice-of-a-lifetime/|title=Karen Carpenter: Voice of a Lifetime|work=The New York Times|date=January 7, 2014|access-date=October 30, 2024}}</ref>

===Use in other media===
The song plays a key part throughout the animated television show ''[[The Simpsons]]'', being used prominently during emotional moments between [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] and [[Marge Simpson]] over the course of the series. It is first used in the second season episode "[[The Way We Was]]", a flashback episode detailing how the couple met; Homer is first shown listening to the song in the car, and it later plays when he sees Marge for the first time in [[School discipline#Detention|high school detention]], and throughout the rest of the episode. It is also the tune of the doorbell that won't stop in the episode "[[Maximum Homerdrive]]". It later features in ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'' (2007), as Homer tearfully watches a videotape left behind by Marge in [[Alaska]] containing the couple's [[first dance#Wedding|first dance]] to the song, and subsequently collapses onto a broken heart-shaped iceberg in anguish.<ref name=com>{{cite video | people=Brooks, James L.; Groening, Matt; Jean, Al; Scully, Mike; Silverman, David; Castellaneta, Dan; Smith, Yeardley|year=2007|title=Audio commentary| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/the-simpsons-homer-marge-the-carpenters/|title=The Simpsons: How Homer and Marge Connect a Carpenters Song|last=Petrillo|first=Noah|work=Comic Book Resources|date=June 20, 2023|access-date=August 4, 2025}}</ref>

The song is also featured in the 1989 film ''[[Parenthood (1989 film)|Parenthood]]'' sung by Nathan Huffner ([[Rick Moranis]]) in a scene at his wife's classroom.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/02/movies/review-film-problems-in-toto-of-being-parents.html|title=Problems (In Toto) Of Being Parents|last=Holden|first=Stephen|work=The New York Times|date=August 2, 1989|access-date=August 4, 2025|page=C15|url-access=limited}}</ref>

===Personnel===
*[[Karen Carpenter]] – lead and backing vocals
*[[Richard Carpenter (musician)|Richard Carpenter]] – backing vocals, piano, [[Wurlitzer electronic piano]], [[harpsichord]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyI4_Phue4IC&pg=PA1978|title=Yesterday Once More: The Carpenters Reader|first=Randy L.|last=Schmidt|date=13 August 2017|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=9781613744178|accessdate=13 August 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref> [[orchestration]]
*[[Joe Osborn]] – bass
*[[Hal Blaine]] – drums
*[[Chuck Findley]] – trumpet
*Bob Messenger – flute{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
* uncredited – [[vibraphone]]

===Chart performance===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

====Weekly charts====
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1970)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia Go-Set Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|Canada ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Top Singles<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5205&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5205.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5205 |title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1970-08-15 |accessdate=2018-03-25}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|{{single chart|Ireland2|6|song=(They Long to Be) Close to You|accessdate=July 11, 2017}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|33|artist=Carpenters}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|30|artist=Carpenters|song=(They Long To Be) Close To You}}
|-
|New Zealand ([[New Zealand Listener|Listener]]) <ref>https://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=803#n_view_location search Listener</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
|Quebec ([[ADISQ]])<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129063315/http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/palmares/2010-Anglo-Allophone/Anglo-Compilation_succes_ordre_alpha_interpretes.pdf|url=http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/palmares/2010-Anglo-Allophone/Anglo-Compilation_succes_ordre_alpha_interpretes.pdf|title=Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec|publisher=[[Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec|BAnQ]]|date=18 July 1970|access-date=22 June 2025|archive-date=29 November 2015|language=fr|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|6|artist=Carpenters|song=(They Long To Be) Close To You|accessdate=September 21, 2017}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=Carpenters|accessdate=September 21, 2017}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|1|artist=Carpenters|accessdate=September 21, 2017}}
|-
|US ''Cash Box'' Top 100<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19700808.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 8/08/70 |website=Tropicalglen.com |date=1970-08-08 |accessdate=2016-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608162315/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19700808.html |archive-date=2015-06-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|US ''Cashbox'' Radio Active Airplay Singles
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|US ''Record World''
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|}
{{col-2}}

====Year-end charts====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1970)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|Australia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.austchartbook.com.au/ |title=Australian Chart Book |website=Austchartbook.com.au |accessdate=2016-10-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305064644/http://www.austchartbook.com.au/ |archive-date=2016-03-05 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
|Canada<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3740&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3740.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3740|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada|work=collectionscanada.gc.ca|date=17 July 2013}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1970.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970 |website=Musicoutfitters.com |accessdate=2016-10-03}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
|U.S. ''Cash Box''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1970YESP.html |title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1970 |website=Tropicalglen.com |date=1970-12-26 |accessdate=2016-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722145703/https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1970YESP.html |archive-date=2019-07-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|16
|}

====All-time charts====
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1958–2018)
! Position
|-
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=May 9, 2019}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|255
|}
{{col-end}}

===Certifications===
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Close to you|artist=Carpenters|type=single|relyear=1970|region=Australia|award=Gold|certref=<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/70s/1972/Cash-Box-1972-06-10.pdf|title=Aussie Success|magazine=Cash Box|page=33|volume=33|issue=51|date=June 10, 1972|via=American Radio History|accessdate=January 29, 2020}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=(They Long to Be) Close to You|artist=Carpenters|type=single|relyear=2004|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|certyear=2024|id=16249-662-1|accessdate=October 6, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Close to you|artist=Carpenters|type=single|relyear=1971|region=United States|award=Gold|certyear=1970|accessdate=January 29, 2020|refname=RIAA-Certification-Gold}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

==Gwen Guthrie version==
{{Infobox song
| name          = (They Long to Be) Close to You
| cover         = 
| alt           = 
| type          = single
| artist        = [[Gwen Guthrie]]
| album         = [[Good to Go Lover]]
| released      = September 13, 1986
| recorded      = 
| studio        = 
| venue         = 
| genre         = [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]
| length        = 5:33
| label         = [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
| writer        = Burt Bacharach, Hal David
| producer      = Gwen Guthrie, David Conley, Jerome Gasper
| prev_title    = Good to Go Lover
| prev_year     = 1986
| next_title    = Friends & Lovers
| next_year     = 1987
}}

In 1986, [[Gwen Guthrie]] released her version of the song, which could only partially build on the success of her hit "[[Ain't Nothin' Goin' On but the Rent]]". Compared to the original, this version is very synthesizer-heavy and is adapted to the time.

=== Music video ===
In the music video, Gwen Guthrie sings the song on a stage while the crowd dances and papparazi crowd the stage.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRMYxp86mOU], Music video at youtube.com</ref>

=== Track listing ===
'''12" maxi'''
# "(They Long to Be) Close to You" - 7:14	
# "You Touched My Life" - 5:07	
# "Save Your Love for Me" - 4:50

=== Charts ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Chart (1986–87)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>[https://www.chartsurfer.de/artist/gwen-guthrie/they-long-to-be-close-to-you-song_hvvnv.html Chartsurfer.de]</ref>
|align="center"|25
|-
|New Zealand ([[Recorded Music NZ]])<ref>[https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Gwen+Guthrie&titel=%28They+Long+To+Be%29+Close+To+You&cat=s charts.nz]</ref>
|align="center"|9
|-
|Ireland ([[Irish Singles Chart|IRMA]])
|align="center"|19
|-
|US [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/gwen-guthrie/|title=Gwen Guthrie Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>
|align="center"|69
|-
|}

==Other versions==
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).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Richard+Chamberlain&titel=They+Long+To+Be+Close+To+You&cat=s |title=Richard Chamberlain – They Long To Be Close To You (Song) |year=1963 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Record charts#Recommended charts|Hung Medien]] |accessdate=April 27, 2019 }}
</ref> However, while the single's other [[A-side and B-side|side]], "[[Blue Guitar]]", became a hit, "They Long to Be Close to You" did not.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/richard-chamberlain/chart-history/hsi/ |title=Hot 100 - Billboard |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |year=1963 |accessdate=April 27, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/richard-chamberlain/chart-history/asi/ |title=Adult Contemporary Chart - Billboard |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |year=1963 |accessdate=April 27, 2019 }}</ref> The tune was also recorded as a demo by [[Dionne Warwick]] in 1963, was re-recorded with a [[Burt Bacharach]] arrangement for her album ''[[Make Way for Dionne Warwick]]'' (1964), 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 album ''[[Where Am I Going?]]'' (1967). 

In 1970, [[Johnny Mathis]] recorded a version for his album ''[[Close to You (Johnny Mathis album)|Close to You]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Album reviews|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/70/RW-1970-09-19-A.pdf|magazine=Record World|date=September 19, 1970|access-date=August 4, 2025|via=World Radio History|page=10|volume=25|issue=1214}}</ref> Also that year, [[Andy Williams]] recorded the song for his album ''[[The Andy Williams Show (album)|The Andy Williams Show]]'', not related to [[The Andy Williams Show|his television variety show of the same name]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-andy-williams-show-mw0000860357|title=The Andy Williams Show|publisher=allmusic|access-date=August 4, 2025}}</ref> Bacharach released his own version in 1971.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} Bobby Womack also covered this song in 1971. Monologue/(They Long To Be) Close To You was released in 1971 on his Communication album. The monologue on the intro of this song is Bobby's expression of frustration with the music industry.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

In 2024, [[Lady Gaga]] included her rendition of the song on ''[[Harlequin (Lady Gaga album)|Harlequin]]'', a companion album to the film ''[[Joker: Folie à Deux]]'', released on September 27, 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Thomas H. |title=Album: Lady Gaga - Harlequin |url=https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/album-lady-gaga-harlequin |work=[[The Arts Desk]] |access-date=December 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251217035947/https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/album-lady-gaga-harlequin |archive-date=December 17, 2025 |date=September 28, 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{YouTube|M268Csnue9I|"(They Long to Be) Close to You"}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150110183313/http://www.metrolyrics.com/close-to-you-lyrics-the-carpenters.html "(They Long to Be) Close to You" lyrics] at [[MetroLyrics]]

{{Carpenters singles}}
{{Burt Bacharach}}
{{Dionne Warwick}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:They Long To Be Close To You}}
[[Category:1963 songs]]
[[Category:1960s ballads]]
[[Category:1970 singles]]
[[Category:1986 singles]]
[[Category:A&M Records singles]]
[[Category:Polydor Records singles]]
[[Category:The Carpenters songs]]
[[Category:Dionne Warwick songs]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]]
[[Category:Cashbox number-one singles]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Australia]]
[[Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles]]
[[Category:Songs with lyrics by Hal David]]
[[Category:Songs with music by Burt Bacharach]]
[[Category:Pop ballads]]
[[Category:Rock ballads]]