Move Closer
| "Move Closer" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Phyllis Nelson | ||||
| Released | 9 February 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length |
5:54 (album version) 4:35 (single re-recording) 4:01 (radio version) | |||
| Label | Carrere Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Phyllis Nelson | |||
| Phyllis Nelson singles chronology | ||||
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"Move Closer" is a song by Phyllis Nelson, which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart during May 1985.[1]
History
Phyllis Nelson wrote the ballad in 1984. It was a complete departure from the type of music she had been recording; she had been recording dance and disco records, and decided to write her own record because, in her words, "not much music lets you dance close".[2] The lyrics of "Move Closer" were based on a long-term love affair she had with a much younger man in Philadelphia, who was struggling to start his own computer business
UK
"Move Closer" reached the Number One spot in United Kingdom, making her the first black woman to top the UK Singles Chart with her own composition.[3] The song was originally released in April 1984 but failed to chart, and was re-released in February 1985 after BBC Radio London started to play it. The song began to climb the charts, taking 12 weeks to reach the top spot.[4] "Move Closer" remained on the chart for just over five months during 1985, ended up as the seventh biggest song of the year[5] and the 82nd highest selling single of the decade.[6] In 1994 it was reissued and returned to the UK Singles Chart, this time reaching No. 34, on the back of it being featured in an anti-persperant commercial.[7]
The song was also featured in the British film The Supergrass.
B-side
In the UK, the B-side was "Somewhere in the City".
Chart positions
The song failed to make any impact on the American charts, but did chart in Europe, Australia and New Zealand during 1984 and 1985.
| Chart (1984)/(1985) | Peak position | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Singles Chart | End of year | End of decade | |
| Australian Kent Music Report | 15 | ||
| Austrian Singles Chart | |||
| France Singles Chart | |||
| German Singles Chart | |||
| Irish Singles Chart | |||
| Italian Singles Chart | |||
| Dutch Top 40 | 47[8] | ||
| Belgium | 34[8] | ||
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 23[8] | ||
| Norwegian Singles Chart | |||
| Swedish Singles Chart | |||
| Swiss Singles Chart | |||
| UK Singles Chart | 1[1] | 7 | 82 |
Covers
- Marilyn Martin, on her eponymous debut album.
- The Bluetones, as a B-side to the single "Fast Boy/Liquid Lips". It was also included on the band's 2006 compilation album, A Rough Outline: The Singles & B-Sides 95 - 03.
- Sir Tom Jones (1989, No. 49 on the UK Singles Chart).[9]
- Sammi Cheng, Cantonese version (named "纏綿"), released in 1997.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 448. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ "One-Hit Wonders at the BBC". 17 April 2015. BBC4. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Move Closer by Phyllis Nelson Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ "ChartArchive - The Chart Archive". Chartstats.com. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ "1980s Singles Chart Archive". everyHit.com. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ "Official Biggest Selling Singles Of The '80s". Buzzjack.com. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ "ChartArchive - Phyllis Nelson". Archive.is. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Steffen Hung. "Phyllis Nelson - Move Closer". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ↑ "ChartArchive - The Chart Archive". Chartstats.com. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
| Preceded by "We Are the World" by USA for Africa |
UK number one single 28 April 1985 – 4 May 1985 |
Succeeded by "19" by Paul Hardcastle |
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