"(They Long to Be) Close to You," is the song that launched the Carpenters into stardom back in the summer of 1970. Although it is not one of their original songs, their version and Richard Carpenter's arrangement became a huge hit, making it to #1 in just four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts! It was their very first #1 song!
"Close to You" is a Burt Bacharach-Hal David song originally covered by Richard Chamberlin and Dionne Warwick in 1963, though neither saw the same success as the Carpenters. The song truly showcased the trademark multi-layered/multi-harmony Carpenters sound and Karen's voice shined as the lead throughout!
This timeless and classic nearly 60-year-old love song is lyrically beautiful, but I believe its meaning goes beyond the typical interpretation. It’s all about the magic of good vibes. When we are feeling those good vibes, we radiate, and it’s glorious! "Birds suddenly appear," and "clouds fall down from the sky" as we shine our joy. We become a magnet and attract others with good vibes too.
In the same way, we are drawn to other people who radiate good vibes. We "long to be" close to that energy because it matches how we feel and also inspires us to keep on shining. We all have this magic within us and the choice is ours to ignite it or hide it. I do feel that over the past few years, we've rediscovered it even more, and we've even reassessed what we are willing to tolerate. I've realized that I'd rather have fewer connections in this life than hang around people I don't vibe with. How about you?
Poetically, I especially love these lyrics:
On the day that you were born the angels got together And decided to create a dream come true So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue
-Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, 1963
Yes it's a lyrical mouthful to sing (so I've learned), but it celebrates that we are all magical miracles and provides a glimpse of what it looks like when we feel blessed with those good vibes. And good vibes spread fast ("just like me, they long to be close to you"). Many of us long to reconnect to that magic that will lift us up and fill our lives with more joy.
When I recorded my cover of this song, I was very mindful of capturing some "vocal magic" just as Karen did originally. I wanted it to feel like a vocal "warm hug." Though I'm nowhere near her level of talent, her good vibes in this song have inspired me over the years and I felt wrapped in magic while recording it. As I visualized the type of stock footage I was looking for, I still wanted to honor this romantic song, but then sunflowers came to mind.
Did you know that sunflowers, the flower of the sun, seem to almost face or follow the sun? They also look like the sun, with yellow petals emulating the look of the sun's rays. Symbolically, they have several meanings, including loyalty, optimism, and happiness. Sounds like they follow the good vibes of the sun with the same loyalty that the singer of this song closely follows the good vibes of her guy.
These days, I try my best to keep my own vibes high and to steer away from vibes that could easily drag me down. That doesn't mean that I don't have empathy for what people are going through and why they may not be "high-vibing" all the time. I also know that I fall short myself. I've learned though that life is too short and I still have to be vigilant about protecting my own soul.
Friends, I hope you are finding ways to elevate those good vibes in this crazy world. Keep on shining!
Go check out my full Carpenters playlist up on YouTube featuring my covers of my favorite Carpenters songs!