Monday, April 24, 2017

BEFORE THE HIT VERSION. This post: LXV-  CLOSE TO YOU.  Continues: next week
BEFORE IT WAS A HIT SONG
These songs are well known but you may not know about the earlier attempts to score a hit record with prior versions of the same song.
Close To You
CloseToYou.jpg
The hit song "(They Long To Be) Close To You" is so closely associated with the duo The Carpenters, that it is hard to believe that it was not created for the 2 siblings. 
Makewayfordionnewarwick.jpgBurt Bacharach composed the music and Hal David wrote the lyrics to the sweet love song. As was the case with many of the classic tunes the songwriting team created, the song was given to Dionne Warwick to record. She included her version as "They Long To Be Close To You" on her 1964 album 'Make Way For Dionne Warwick'. Yet even that rendition was not the original recording of the song. 
A year earlier, actor Richard Chamberlain cut the first version of the song. It appeared as the B-side for his single "Blue Guitar". The disc failed to crack the Top 40. 
When The Carpenters recorded a remake for its 'Close To You' album, the song was transformed into a pop gem. Finally released as a single on the A-side, the love song became a hit. In 1970, the duo reached #1 in America, Canada and Australia.
Dr. Kildare - Richard Chamberlain
Each new song will be added to the spotify playlist named: ‘Before It Was A Hit Song’.  You can check out the previous earlier / original versions of the hit songs you know and love.
The playlist and other Caffe` Latte` selections can be found at:
spotify:user:alanrosscaffelatte

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