"Just To Be Close To You," The Commodores
Jul 30, 2005 22:09:39 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2005 22:09:39 GMT -5
This was the second of six #1 R&B hits for the Commodores. It's one of my favorites by the group. I prefer the shorter version without all the talking. In 1992, Trey Lorenz took his cover to #66 R&B. It featured backing vocals by Mariah Carey which were new additions for his version.
Here's the All Music Guide review.
Here's the All Music Guide review.
The Commodores' first hits were the funk workouts "Machine Gun," "I Feel Sanctified," and "Slippery When Wet." Bandmember Lionel Richie was ecstatic about the group's success, then veteran Motown staff producer Hal Davis came to him with a sobering thought, saying the only way to make money in the record business is year to year, not from a couple of hit records. The comment spurred Richie to began writing songs. His song "Sweet Love" from the Movin' On LP went to number two R&B for two weeks and number five pop in late 1975. It was a precursor for the ballad-oriented direction the band would take, which led to their biggest-selling and most enduring sides. Oddly, "Sweet Love"'s even more mellow follow-up, "Just to Be Close to You," initially met with strong resistance from pop radio stations. The previous Top Five R&B success of "Sweet Love" didn't alleviate the age-old record biz of an R&B record having to sell over 500,000 copies before being able to crossover to the pop chart. "Just to Be Close o You" stayed at number one R&B for two weeks, peaking at number seven pop in the fall of 1976. The Hot on the Tracks LP parked at number one R&B for six weeks, made it to number 12 pop, yielded the top nine R&B/Top 40 single "Fancy Dancer," and the mellow radio-aired favorites "Girl I Think the World About You" and "High on Sunshine."
