I’m betting that a lot of folks didn’t realize that Close To You by the Carpenter’s was a cover song that was originally a demo by Dionne Warwick with a Burt Bacharach arrangement. In fact it was first recorded by Richard Chamberlain in 1963 but never caught on. When the Carpenter’s got a hold of it however they turned it into a song that’s been immortalized since its re-release. Since that time it’s been featured in films and TV alike either as a meaningful piece or a spoof of sorts that still brings greater meaning to the work it’s been given over to.
It’s a great song if you listen to it.
5. The Simpsons
When you look at this show you really get the feeling that no matter what happens, no matter how bad Home screws up, he and Marge were always fated to be with one another somehow. Obviously you can chalk it up to the director and the writers but it’s just odd to see how such a dunce could be paired with a woman that has almost infinite patience. That’s just how love goes sometimes.
4. The Best of Times
I don’t care what people say this is one of the best movies of all time since it has Kurt Russell and Robin Williams trying to restore the honor of a town by playing a football game that went down in history as one of the worst ever. The people of Taft are attempting to regain a little bit of their long lost honor while Reno and Jack are just trying to salvage their love lives and win a game that could turn everything around for them.
3. Parenthood
How much nerve would it take to walk into a classroom full of kids and start singing this song to your woman? I think it would take a tremendous amount of courage and love in equal regards to ignore everything and everyone else to express to someone how you feel, but it would be so worth it. Let everyone stare and possibly laugh at you, the only thing that matters is that the person you care about knows how you feel.
2. Dami Im
Dami Im is a Korean-born Australian singer who has covered a wide variety of songs, one of which belongs to the Carpenters. She has a great voice and you can barely hear her accent throughout the track, and she’s kept pretty close to the original sound of the song. She became known after a successful showing on The X-Factor that managed to get her a record deal and turned her into an overnight star. She might not be as well know as the Carpenters but she’s definitely made her mark in the music industry.
1. The Carpenters
It just has to be said that nobody does it better than those that put the song on the map finally. They might not be the originators of the song but they certainly brought it out of the closet and made it work.
Just like me, they long to be, close to you.
