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"(They Long to Be) Close to You" is a hit song on Carpenters sophomore album Close to You. It was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
It was first recorded by Richard Chamberlain and released as a single in 1963 as "They Long to Be Close to You," without parentheses. However, it was the single's flip side, "Blue Guitar," that became a hit. Although Richard Chamberlain recorded the first version, 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." Bacharach released his own version in 1968.
In 1970, it was released by Carpenter sibilings, and it became their breakthrough hit. The song stayed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, being their first #1 on the cart. Richard had stated that when Herb Alpert introduced the song to him back in early 1970, he was a bit apprehensive about the song, and didn't have confidence in it. 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 release it in May 1970, it became A&M's biggest hit since Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" from 1968.
With "(They Long to Be) Close to You," the Carpenters earned a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus in 1971, and they also won Best New Artist.
The album version features an extended ending where the song fades out and appears to end, but then Karen and Richard's overdubbed "wahhhs" continue.
"I think "Close To You" is one of the best pop records ever made.", Richard stated in an interview for Huffpost in 2011. In the duo official site, he also said it was one of his most enjoyed recording session with Karen, "…with the vocals stacking up and on the "tag" at the end. ("wah, Close To You"…) The experience of creating something that catchy, well-arranged and so perfectly in tune coming at you over 15" Tannoy monitors cranked up to "excitement level" as our engineer Ray Gerhardt called it, cannot be put into words-at least by me."
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