The Closer You Get (Alabama song)
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| “The Closer You Get” | |||||
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| Single by Alabama from the album The Closer You Get... |
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| A-side | "The Closer You Get" | ||||
| B-side | "You Turn Me On" | ||||
| Released | April 29, 1983 (U.S.) | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | 1982 | ||||
| Genre | Country | ||||
| Length | 3:35 (single edit) 4:33 (album version) |
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| Label | RCA Records 13524 | ||||
| Writer(s) | J.P. Pennington, Mark Gray | ||||
| Producer | Harold Shedd and Alabama | ||||
| Alabama singles chronology | |||||
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"The Closer You Get" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Originally released in 1983, the song was the title track and second single to Alabama's fourth album, The Closer You Get....
Contents |
[edit] About the song
"The Closer You Get" was written in 1980 by J.P. Pennington and Mark Gray, members of Exile. However, the song was not immediately recorded by Alabama. Two earlier versions were released as singles - the first by Exile (which failed to gain much attention) and singer Don King, whose version reached No. 27 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in October 1981.[1] In addition, Rita Coolidge recorded the song for her 1981 album, Heartbreak Radio, and released her version as a single. [2]
Alabama's version differed substantially from King's acoustic version. According to country music writer Tom Roland, the song featured "distorted guitars, a more elaborate arrangement and an altered vocal sound."[3]
The end result was Alabama's 10th No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. In addition, "The Closer You Get" registered enough airplay on Top 40 radio stations to peak at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A music video was filmed for the song, and has aired on CMT and Great American Country.
[edit] Single and album edits
The single version is a minute shorter than the original album version; the first verse is deleted from the single.
[edit] Sources
[edit] References
- ^ Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits" (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)), p. 349-350
- ^ All Music Guide — Heartbreak Radio by Rita Coolidge
- ^ Roland.
[edit] See also
- Morris, Edward, "Alabama," Contemporary Books Inc., Chicago, 1985 (ISBN 0809253062)
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
| Preceded by "Highway 40 Blues" by Ricky Skaggs |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number one single by Alabama July 16, 1983 |
Succeeded by "Pancho and Lefty" by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard |
