Move Closer to Your World
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Move Closer to Your World is a television news music package composed by jingle writer Al Ham under his Mayoham Music label. This music package was first used by WNAC-TV in Boston in 1970 (currently WHDH-TV; unrelated to the present-day WNAC-TV in Providence, Rhode Island), but it is perhaps most famous for its use on WPVI-TV in Philadelphia (then owned by Capital Cities Communications), which started using the music for its "Action News" broadcasts in 1972. WNAC's news director moved to Philadelphia in 1972 and took the theme with him. The song is arguably one of the most recognized news themes, especially in the northeastern United States.
It is best known for what some refer to as the "singing hippies" (actually a folk group known as the "Hillside Singers", famous for singing a version of the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" from a '70s Coca-Cola ad) in the closing theme and distinctive note arrangement (in letter names):
A A B B C-C-C-D
B-C-D E-E
G-G-G-G
A A B B C-C-C-D
B-C-D-E
E-A-D-G-C-F-#a #a-#a-#a-#a-A
The theme is still used to this day by WPVI, which is now owned by Disney. It has frequently remastered the theme to make it sound less dated. In the current mix, the bongo drums are downplayed and the music has more bass. WPVI has been the highest-rated station in Philadelphia for four decades, and the theme has become a large part of the Philadelphia consciousness, much like the Rocky theme.
WPVI tried to switch to a more thunderous and authoritative version performed by the London Philharmonic in 1996. That version was replaced with the original version after only five days due to viewer outrage.
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[edit] Other stations using Move Closer to Your World
Many other stations, for example WPIX-TV New York City, WTNH-TV New Haven, KTRK-TV Houston, and WKBW-TV Buffalo (which was formerly co-owned with WPVI under Capital Cities), have used the song as their news theme music. Australia's Network Ten also used the theme on its local newscasts from 1977 until 1988. It was also used by many local newscasts in Canada and Latin America from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.
WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania and WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania used the original version of the song until 1994, when it was replaced with an updated version by Cliff Schwarz. This new version is more "high-tech" and has sometimes been referred to as a "dance version."
[edit] Lyrics
Move Closer to Your World is unique for news theme songs in that it contains lyrics:
- "Move closer to your world, my friend
- Take a little bit of time
- Move closer to your world, my friend
- And you'll see...
- Just a little bit of time
- That's all it takes to bring your world together
- Take a little bit of time
- Don't turn away, my friend, tomorrows are forever
- Get close to people
- Your world needs you to care, to share it
- Take the time
- Join hands, my friend, with all the people in your world
- Move in close...
- Move on in...
- And you'll see...
- Move closer to your world, my friend
- Move closer to your world
- Move closer to your world, my friend
- And you'll see..."
(Note: Some transcriptions of the song may vary slightly.)
WPVI still plays the version of the song with the first stanza of the lyrics about once a week when it runs its credits, or if it's ending the broadcast early with time to fill.
[edit] References in popular culture
- A remade version of Move Closer to Your World called Production Music: This Just In (produced by 615 Music) is featured on the Disney Channel program Lizzie McGuire as the opening theme for the fictional NewsChannel 7.
