Analysis of Close To You

[lazylai1628]

Hey, i've been browsing this site and must say that its been extremely helpful to my university coursework in which i must make an music analysis of the instruments and karen's voice in 'Close to you'. I'm half way through it and I'd be grateful if anyone can give me any information on the uses of the instruments and why it has been produced the way it is- even if it is just your own opinion and not fact. What does the song make you feel? Thank you!!!

Lai (Brit fan)

[Rick Henry]

Hi lazylai, welcome to The Carpenters Online. "Close to You" was one of the 70's most cherished songs. There was a time when the song was heard everywhere you went, you just couldn't miss it. It was so well known that even people who didn't keep up with the current music scene of the day knew the song. It was inescapable. Radio played it on a regular basis up until around 1978.

One of my favorite parts of the song is the trumpet played by Chuck Findley, when I first heard it I thought it was Herb Alpert playing.

This forum has a section named The Albums: Song By Song. In that board there is a post for the album "Close To You", between Cam and myself I believe we've covered a lot of ground about the song "(They Long To Be) Close To You" and all the other songs on the album.
carponline.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=albums

[Sammy]

Close To You is the perfect song to play on a lazy sunny afternoon. ;D

[smoothie2]

???hello again lazylai..the Close to You album was I think the first record album of any type that I received along w/ my 1st record player (suitcase type) about '70 or '71. Of course I was youn 10 or 11...I'm sure that I was an avid fan of R. and K. and probably begged my folks for a record player of my own.
Anyway, from what I recall of my thoughts at the time about hearing the C's in general, and then listening to the album, I felt that indeed they were unlike other groups I would hear on the radio at the time. I think their music made me feel more grown up. Before I knew about R. and k....my whole family would listen to records on a big old Hi fi RCA...we enjoyed a wide variety of music...gospel, some country, some Elvis, some smooth instrumental and vocals Herb alpert, Bobby Vinton, Everly Bro. etc....
Close to You at the time..was a romantic song...and every love song if I could imagine it..I would be in love with some guy...of course, they might have looked my way at the time and I was in pre-pubescent love...wow...yes, (a name) Does have "moon dust in his hair and golden starlight in his eyes"...and yes, every girl wants to be next to him....
Close to You as a whole, is just about my all time favorite album. To me, Karen had that adult voice and I loved to sing those songs with my best friend.
I love the album cover...I never lived by the ocean and so "We've only Just Begun" and "Maybe it's You" just as now, make me think of the ocean waves. I had sandals at that time just like those Karen is wearing on the front of the album...so that was neat.
I was more serious minded as a kid too in ways because basically by mid-'72 until '79..I was raised as an only child since my siblings had moved out. Karen and Richard's music was very very popular and though I liked the "bubble gum" music still today such as Partridge Family, Monkees, Bobby Sherman...
I kept hanging on to the Carps.

[Boat2Sail]

I see Close to You as being a part of our world culture. It seems almost everybody knows this song or atleast the chorus. Even if you don't know who the Carpenters are, you still know close To you.

[Ming]

Boat2Sail said:

I see Close to You as being a part of our world culture. It seems almost everybody knows this song or atleast the chorus. Even if you don't know who the Carpenters are, you still know close To you.

I agree.

[davidroberson]

I remember first hearing the song in a soap commercial, "Dove" maybe?