"(They Long to Be) Close to You" is a popular song 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. But the version recorded by The Carpenters
is the most well known, which became a big hit in 1970.
In 1970, it was released by Karen and Richard Carpenter on
their album
Close to You, and it became their breakthrough hit. The
song stayed at number one on the Hot 100 for four weeks.
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
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. It became the first of three Grammy
Awards they would win during their careers.