Close to Me
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| “Close to Me” | |||||
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| Single by The Cure from the album The Head on the Door |
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| Released | September 17, 1985 | ||||
| Format | 7", 12" | ||||
| Recorded | Angel Studios, London, 1985 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:24/6:35 [Extended Mix] | ||||
| Label | Fiction Records | ||||
| Producer | Robert Smith Dave Allen |
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| “Close to Me (remix)” | |||||
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| Single by The Cure from the album Mixed Up |
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| Released | October 15, 1990 | ||||
| Format | 7", 12", CD | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 4:28 | ||||
| Label | Fiction Records | ||||
| Producer | Robert Smith Chris Parry Mark Saunders |
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"Close to Me" is the name of a successful 1985 single by The Cure from their album The Head on the Door. The song was used as the theme music for the BBC sitcom The Smoking Room. On its original release, the single was most successful in Ireland, peaking at #4, also reaching #7 in Australia. It was re-released in 1990 in the UK, peaking at #13 on the UK singles chart.
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[edit] History
There are two versions of "Close to Me", one with a brass section and one without. The version without the brass section is the original album version on The Head on the Door while the version with brass instruments is a remix that was released as a single and appears on Staring at the Sea: the Singles. The instrumental brass section appearing on the single versions is actually adapted from a traditional New Orleans funeral march. The 12" extended mix contains an extended arrangement of the brass section. The versions with brass instruments also include a long creaking sound of a door closing at the beginning. This sound comes from the beginning of the music video that was shot for "Close to Me", which features the band trapped in a cupboard that is falling off of a cliff into an ocean.
French recording act -M- recorded a cover version of the song on his album Je Dis Aime in 1999. The lyrics were translated into French, with the exception of the words "close to me" which were kept in English. The song was also recorded by The Get Up Kids and is on their compilation album Eudora. Buck 65, the Canadian hip-hop artist, has been known to freestyle over this song at his live show.
[edit] Track listing
7" Single
- "Close to Me" (Robert Smith)
- "A Man Inside My Mouth"
12" Single
- "Close to Me [Extended]"
- "A Man Inside My Mouth"
- "Stop Dead"
[edit] Personnel
- Robert Smith - vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Laurence Tolhurst - keyboards
- Porl Thompson - guitars, keyboards
- Simon Gallup - basses
- Boris Williams - drums, percussion
[edit] Music video
The music video, written and directed by the band's frequent music video director Tim Pope, was featured on a compilation of the best music videos on VH1[citation needed]. It consists of the band all inside a wardrobe on the edge of a cliff. Following the musical scheme of the song, which builds up instrumentally (starting with just drums, then adding the bass, then keyboard etc etc), all the band members are inside the wardrobe, but not playing the instruments they would actually be playing, for obvious reasons. Boris Williams is simply clapping to the beat, keyboardist Lol Tolhurst is playing a very small, handheld keyboard, and Porl Thompson on the top shelf is plucking a comb to represent the short high sounds in the song. Robert Smith then comes from the back of the wardrobe and sings, also playing with finger puppets, which appear to be voodoo dolls of the band members, as when he moves them, the corresponding member moves. He then becomes more violent with the dolls, shaking them around heavily, which in turn causes the band members to hit into the sides of the wardrobe, which eventually results in the wardrobe falling off the cliff and into the sea. As they go into the sea, the wardrobe fills up slowly with water, like a capsized ship, but the band members continue to play their "instruments." The video ends with the wardrobe full of water and a band member pushing a rubber duck across the screen. Bassist Simon Gallup does not appear in the video.
The music video was rated 13th on "20 to 1 Amazing Moments in Music" aired on Australia's Nine Network 4 March 2007. Essentially the show rated the most distinctive music videos (won by Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer)).
There was also a music video for the version of the song that appeared on "Mixed Up". The video picked up where the original video ended, with the wardrobe crashing down the cliffside and sinking to the bottom of the sea. Robert exits first and is attacked by an octopus (later seen playing the horns later in the video). After his struggle, the other band members try to flee as well, and are attacked by a starfish. The video ends without any of the band members reaching the surface, though they could see a boat overhead.
[edit] Close to Me (1990 remix)
"Close to Me (remix)" is the name of a 1990 single by The Cure from the album Mixed Up. It was made available in two different versions, the "Closer Mix" included on the 12" and the limited edition CD single, and the "Closest Mix" included on the 7" and the CD single.
Chart positions: #13 (UK); #97 (USA)
[edit] Track listing
7" single
- "Close to Me" (Closest Mix)
- "Just Like Heaven" (Dizzy Mix)
12"/CD single
- "Close to Me" (Closer/Closest Mix)
- "Just Like Heaven" (Dizzy Mix)
- "Primary" (Red Mix)
UK limited edition CD single (which included a poster)
- "Close to Me" (Closer mix)
- "Just Like Heaven" (Dizzy mix)
- "Why Can't I Be You?" (Extended mix)
Cassette single
- "Close to Me (Closer Mix)"
- "Just Like Heaven (Dizzy Mix)"
- "Close to Me (Closest Mix)"
- "Primary (Red Mix)"
[edit] External links
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