Close to You (Frank Ocean song)

Last updated
"Close to You"
Song by Frank Ocean
from the album Blonde
ReleasedAugust 20, 2016 (2016-08-20)
Genre
Length1:25
Label Boys Don't Cry
Producer(s)

"Close to You" is a song by American R&B singer Frank Ocean. It is the eleventh track on Ocean's second studio album, Blonde, released in 2016. The song interpolates and samples various renditions of "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and was performed at FYF Fest in 2017 with a guest appearance from American actor Brad Pitt.

Contents

Composition

Wonder in 1972, the year he performed "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "Never Can Say Goodbye" on live television Stevie wonder july 22 1972 Billboard.png
Wonder in 1972, the year he performed "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "Never Can Say Goodbye" on live television

The song interpolates the melody of "(They Long to Be) Close to You", a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, while using new lyrics written by Ocean, Joe Thornalley, and Michael Uzowuru. [1] Ocean's voice is layered with audio effects. [2] The song also incorporates a sample of Stevie Wonder's 1972 rendition of the song which was performed along with a rendition of the Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye" on The David Frost Show with a talk box and a backing band. [3] [4]

When asked how he chose and recorded cover songs, Ocean stated:

Nowadays, I have to live with the song for a bit and I have to see if it's worthwhile to interpret it first. To see what I can do with it, where I can insert my voice. In the past, I would just like a song and I wouldn't think about it as seriously as when I do 'Close to You' or 'Moon River' [from Breakfast at Tiffany's] or [Aaliyah's] 'At Your Best…' "With 'Close to You,' it was a similar thing, only without the nostalgia. I was living in a hotel, and I remember listening to it and being really nailed to the floor by Stevie Wonder's interpretation of it. That version moved into my favorite-songs-of-all-time list, right there with Prince's 'When You Were Mine.' I don't know what creates that feeling of 'I have to sing this song.' [5]

Live performance

In 2017, Ocean performed on the second day of FYF Fest, marking his first live performance in three years. [6] There, before performing the song, Ocean stated that he first found Wonder's talk box cover of "(They Long to Be) Close to You" while he was living in hotel rooms and going down a "YouTube wormhole"; he proceeded to call it his favorite song ever. [7] The subsequent performance was accompanied by an appearance from Brad Pitt who was live-recorded sitting down in the wings of the backstage while holding a cellphone up to his ear and "acting out a phone conversation while Ocean performed it." [8] Similar to Wonder's talk box cover, Ocean performed both his interpolation of "(They Long to be) Close to You" as well as the Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye" in conjunction. [9] On the giant screen behind Ocean, footage oscillated between camera views of Ocean himself and Pitt. [10] Film director Spike Jonze was also present to film the performance. [11] [12] However, the only public footage of the performance documented online was recorded and uploaded by fans. [13]

Pitt, who appeared during Ocean's FYF Fest set in 2017 Brad Pitt-69858.jpg
Pitt, who appeared during Ocean's FYF Fest set in 2017

Ocean and Pitt

In May of 2017, Brad Pitt stated that Ocean's music was helping him through his split with Angelina Jolie, saying: "I've been listening to a lot of Frank Ocean. I find this young man so special. Talk about getting to the raw truth. He's painfully honest. He's very, very special. I can't find a bad one." [14] Shortly after, Ocean was photographed wearing a shirt with Pitt's face on it which some critics saw as a reciprocal gesture of support. [15] In September of 2024, Pitt stated that "Seigfried" was his favorite Ocean song. [16]

Several publications noted the ubiquity of Pitt's cameo at Ocean's FYF Fest set in July of 2017 while also remarking on the nature of Ocean and Pitt's relationship. Los Angeles Daily News stated that the "internet went crazy". [17] Refinery29 speculated on future collaborative projects between Ocean, Pitt, and Jonze. [18] [19] Of the musical, visual performance itself, Billboard wrote that "Ocean never acknowledged him. He may as well have been on a TV in the background." Time opined that "The dreamy, almost-too-perfect-to-be-true bromance between noted emotional boys Frank Ocean and Brad Pitt has reached new heights". [11] XXL called it "a beautiful sight to see." [20] W Magazine quipped that "We're not sure what the commentary was intended to be, but Pitt couldn't seem to say goodbye to whomever he was pretending to talk to." [21] Grazia stated, "The strange part was Pitt was sitting side stage with a camera directed on him, both he and Ocean were projected out to the crowd. The actor was seemingly on the phone for the duration of the entire performance. Is this Pitt telling Jolie something? Or just riding out the pain of loving someone so hard?"

Critical reception

Dave Hanratty, writing for Drowned in Sound , stated "Writing his own book, [Ocean] opts to rework Stevie Wonder's talk show version in a distorted 85-second snapshot of melancholy that cuts close to the heart." [22] A reviewer in DJBooth compared the song's "brevity and relieved pain" to the love poems of Charles Bukowski and called it "the evolved version of channel ORANGE's 'End', showcasing the need for mercy during a breakup." The reviewer argued that the song possessed Ocean's usual means of romantic closure expressed in his previous songs by way of asking for said mercy and subsequently gaining release through writing. [23]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
US Hot R&B Songs ( Billboard ) [24] 14

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spike Jonze</span> American filmmaker (born 1969)

Adam Spiegel, known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes films, commercials, music videos, skateboard videos and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevie Wonder</span> American musician (born 1950)

Stevland Hardaway Morris, known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Wonder is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder's use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of contemporary R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder.

<i>Talking Book</i> 1972 studio album by Stevie Wonder

Talking Book is the fifteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on October 27, 1972, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. This album and Music of My Mind, released earlier the same year, are generally considered to mark the start of Wonder's "classic period". The sound of the album is sharply defined by Wonder's use of keyboards and synthesizers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superstition (song)</span> 1972 single by Stevie Wonder

"Superstition" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was released on October 24, 1972, as the lead single from his fifteenth studio album, Talking Book (1972), by Tamla. The lyrics describe popular superstitions and their negative effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talk box</span> Effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument

A talk box is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds onto the sounds of the instrument. Typically, a talk box directs sound from the instrument into the musician's mouth by means of a plastic tube adjacent to a vocal microphone. The musician controls the modification of the instrument's sound by changing the shape of the mouth, "vocalizing" the instrument's output into a microphone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Just Called to Say I Love You</span> 1984 song by Stevie Wonder

"I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a ballad written, produced, and performed by American R&B singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was a major international hit, and remains Wonder's best-selling single to date, reaching number one in 28 countries worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Are the Sunshine of My Life</span> 1973 single by Stevie Wonder

"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is a 1973 single released by Stevie Wonder. The song became Wonder's third number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his first number-one on the Easy Listening chart. It won Wonder a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. This song was the second single released from the 1972 album entitled Talking Book, which stayed at number one on the R&B albums chart for three weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Haven't Done Nothin'</span> 1974 single by Stevie Wonder

"You Haven't Done Nothin" is a 1974 funk single by Stevie Wonder, taken from his album Fulfillingness' First Finale and featuring background vocals by the Jackson 5. The politically aware song became Wonder's fourth Number-1 pop hit and his tenth Number-1 soul hit. It also reached Number 1 in Canada. In the UK the single spent five weeks on the chart, peaking at Number 30.

<i>In Square Circle</i> 1985 studio album by Stevie Wonder

In Square Circle is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released in September 1985 on Tamla Records. In Square Circle spent 12 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. The album also made the top five on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Pop Albums chart.

<i>Moneyball</i> (film) 2011 film by Bennett Miller

Moneyball is a 2011 American biographical sports drama film. It was directed by Bennett Miller with a script by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin from a story by Stan Chervin. The film is based on the 2003 nonfiction book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. The book is an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane's attempts to assemble a competitive team with half as much money as his rivals. In the film, Beane and his deputy Peter Brand scout the major leagues for undervalued talent by taking a sophisticated sabermetric approach to scouting and analyzing players, triggering skepticism and resentment within the baseball community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Ocean</span> American singer (born 1987)

Frank Ocean is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist, among other accolades; both of his studio albums have been listed on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapsody</span> American rapper from North Carolina

Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Life (Frank Ocean song)</span> 2012 single by Frank Ocean

"Sweet Life" is a song by American singer Frank Ocean, released as the third single from his debut studio album Channel Orange (2012). The song was written and produced by Ocean and Pharrell Williams, member of the production duo The Neptunes. The track was released on July 6, 2012, when Ocean posted a download of the song onto his Tumblr account, and it debuted on iTunes on July 12. The song features a vocal loop, warm horn sections and lush, tropical production. The song explores a disillusionment and wealth within Ladera Heights and lyrically explores a narrative of people wasting their life away on the beach and Ocean's desire not to involve himself with such a life. The song draws inspiration from Ocean's own early life.

"White Ferrari" is a song by American R&B singer Frank Ocean. It is the fourteenth track on his second studio album, Blonde, released in 2016.

"Nikes" is a song recorded by American singer Frank Ocean. It was released on August 20, 2016, as the lead single from his second studio album, Blonde (2016), accompanied by a music video directed by Tyrone Lebon, exclusive to Apple Music. It is Ocean's first single since "Super Rich Kids", which was released in 2013. Ocean wrote the song with James Blake, producing it alongside Malay Ho and Om'Mas Keith. Former Dirty Projectors vocalist Amber Coffman contributed additional vocals. An extended version of the song featuring Japanese rapper Kohh was included on the physical CD release of Blonde.

<i>Blonde</i> (Frank Ocean album) 2016 studio album by Frank Ocean

Blonde is the second studio album by the American singer Frank Ocean. It was released on August 20, 2016, as a timed exclusive on the iTunes Store and Apple Music, and followed the August 19 release of Ocean's video album Endless. The album features guest vocals from André 3000, Beyoncé, and Kim Burrell, among others. Production was handled by Ocean himself, alongside a variety of high-profile record producers, including Malay and Om'Mas Keith, who collaborated with Ocean on Channel Orange, as well as James Blake, Jon Brion, Buddy Ross, Pharrell Williams, and Rostam Batmanglij, among others.

"Ivy" is a song by American R&B singer Frank Ocean, released as a part of his 2016 studio album Blonde. The minimalistic guitar-driven song embodies indie rock, avant-R&B and guitar pop, with its nostalgic lyrics exploring memories of a lost love. Ocean wrote the song with frequent collaborator Malay Ho, and produced it with Om'Mas Keith and former Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, the latter of whom also arranged the track. Guitars on the track are performed by a musician credited as Fish. The track appeared on multiple year-end lists, with some critics describing it as amongst Ocean's best work, and charted at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, despite not being released as a single.

<i>The Suns Tirade</i> 2016 studio album by Isaiah Rashad

The Sun's Tirade is the debut studio album by American rapper Isaiah Rashad. It was released on September 2, 2016, and is his second release with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), following 2014's acclaimed mixtape Cilvia Demo.

Steve Monite is a Nigerian singer and songwriter best known for the 1984 Afro-boogie song "Only You" which was the hit track and the album title.

Josiah Sherman, known professionally as Buddy Ross, is an American record producer, keyboardist, songwriter, and audio engineer from Washington. He is best known for his work with Frank Ocean, having produced on his albums Blonde (2016) and Endless (2016), as well as his singles "Provider" and "Moon River." Ross has also written or produced material for artists including Bon Iver, Hozier, Vampire Weekend, Miley Cyrus, HAIM, Arlo Parks, Fred Again, Wet, Banks, and Troye Sivan, among others.

References

  1. ↑ "Everything You Need To Know About Frank Ocean's 'Blonde' Collaborators". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kim, Michelle (December 11, 2016). "View The Full Credits For Frank Ocean's Blonde Album". The Fader . Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  3. ↑ "Stevie Wonder's live talkbox cover of 'Close to You' is mesmerising". Smooth. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  4. ↑ "Stevie Wonder mesmerizes 1972 audience with the first talkbox performance". Upworthy. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  5. ↑ Aswad, Jem (2019-01-10). "Frank Ocean Talks Music, Politics, Skin Care in Rare Interview". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  6. ↑ "Frank Ocean Brings 'Blonde' and Brad Pitt to FYF Fest". Rap-Up. July 23, 2017. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  7. ↑ Maloney, Devon (2017-07-24). "Frank Ocean Finally Played a U.S. Show. Was It Worth the Wait?". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  8. ↑ Barlow, Eve (2017-07-23). "Frank Ocean Brings Out Brad Pitt, Covers Stevie Wonder at FYF Fest 2017 in L.A." Billboard. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  9. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (2017-07-23). "Watch Frank Ocean Serenade Brad Pitt at FYF Fest". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  10. ↑ "Watch Brad Pitt Talk on His Phone During Frank Ocean's FYF Fest Set". SPIN. 2017-07-23. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  11. 1 2 Lang, Cady (2017-07-24). "Watch Frank Ocean Romantically Serenade Brad Pitt On Stage". TIME. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  12. ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (2017-07-24). "Brad Pitt acts out scene for live Frank Ocean performance". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  13. ↑ Haile, Heven (2023-02-16). "Everything Frank Ocean Has Done Since 2016's Blonde". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  14. ↑ Paterniti, Michael (2017-05-03). "Brad Pitt Talks Divorce, Quitting Drinking, and Becoming a Better Man". GQ. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  15. ↑ Tesema, Martha (2017-06-12). "Let the Frank Ocean and Brad Pitt bromance officially begin". Mashable. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  16. ↑ "Brad Pitt Proves He's A True Frank Ocean Fan As He Reveals His Favorite Song". HipHopDX. 2024-09-03. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  17. ↑ "Frank Ocean brought Brad Pitt onstage at FYF Fest and the Internet went crazy". Daily News. 2017-07-23. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  18. ↑ Maria, Meghan De. "Is The Brad Pitt/Frank Ocean Bromance For A Secret Project?". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  19. ↑ Sharf, Zack (2017-07-24). "Spike Jonze is Filming A Secret Project With Frank Ocean and Brad Pitt — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  20. ↑ C. M., Emmanuel (2017-07-24). "Frank Ocean Covers Nigerian Disco Song 'Only You' at 2017 FYF Fest - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  21. ↑ "Brad Pitt's Bromance with Frank Ocean Goes to the Next Level". W Magazine. 2017-07-24. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  22. ↑ Hanratty, Dave (2016-08-20). "Album Review: Frank Ocean - Blonde/Endless". DrownedInSound. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  23. ↑ "Frank Ocean's "Close to You" & the Mercy of a Breakup". DJBooth. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  24. ↑ "Frank Ocean Chat History: Hot R&B Songs". Billboard . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.