"Too Close" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Next | ||||
from the album Rated Next | ||||
Released | January 27, 1998 | |||
Length | 4:20 | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kay Gee, Terry Brown, Robert Huggar, Raphael Brown | |||
Producer(s) | Kay Gee | |||
Next singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Too Close" on YouTube |
"Too Close" is a song by American R&B group Next featuring uncredited vocals from Vee of Koffee Brown. It contains a sample of "Christmas Rappin" by Kurtis Blow and was released on January 27, 1998, as the second single from their debut album, Rated Next (1997). The song reached number one on the US Hot 100 and R&B charts, topping the former for five non-consecutive weeks, and has gone platinum, making it their biggest and best-known hit.
According to Billboard , on the song "R.L, Terry and Raphael moan and groan about their female dance partner's grindin' and shakin' -- and their respective bulges as a result -- atop a Chicago-style step dance production." [1]
Ralph Tee of Record Mirror gave the song five out of five, writing, "With soulful vocals, floating keyboards and subtle funky guilars, this sounds like a record from a different time and place though it's strangely contemporary. The bassline from Kurtis Blow's "Christmas Rappin'" [from 1979] definitely provides the old school element, and the beats are non-hip-hop-derived straight fours, but the sophisticated accompaniment does not prevent this from being one of the best and crispest new street jams around." [2]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [40] | Gold | 35,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [41] | Platinum | 10,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [42] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [43] | Platinum | 2,100,000 [44] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | January 27, 1998 |
| Arista | [45] |
March 10, 1998 | Contemporary hit radio | [46] | ||
United Kingdom | May 25, 1998 |
| [47] |
"Too Close" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Blue | ||||
from the album All Rise | ||||
Released | August 27, 2001 | |||
Studio | Ruffland (London, England), Cutfather & Joe (Copenhagen, Denmark) | |||
Genre | R&B [48] | |||
Length | 3:47 | |||
Label | Virgin, Innocent | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kier Gist, Darren Lighty, Robert Huggar, Raphael Brown, Robert Ford Jr., Denzil Miller, James B. Moore, Kurtis Walker, Larry Smith | |||
Producer(s) | Ray Ruffin | |||
Blue singles chronology | ||||
|
In 2001, English boy band Blue released a cover version of the song as the second single from their debut studio album All Rise (2001). The track was released on August 27, 2001, and became their first number one UK single produced by Ray Ruffin. "Too Close" also reached number five in Australia, number 17 in Ireland, and number one in New Zealand, where the Next version had also been a number-one hit. The song has received a silver sales status certification for sales of over 200,000 copies in the UK.
The band traveled to New York City to film the music video, and whilst there, they witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center. The following month, Blue were being interviewed by British newspaper The Sun and singer Lee Ryan commented that "This New York thing is being blown out of proportion" and asked "What about whales? They are ignoring animals that are more important. Animals need saving and that's more important." The other members of the band tried to silence Ryan, but he went on. [49] After The Sun quoted Ryan as saying "Who gives a fuck about New York when elephants are being killed?", this caused a huge media backlash that resulted in Blue losing their U.S. record deal and campaigns to sack Ryan from the group. [50]
UK and Australian CD single [51]
UK cassette single and European CD single [52] [53]
Credits are taken from the All Rise album booklet. [54]
Studios
Personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [72] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [73] | Silver | 200,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | August 27, 2001 |
| [74] | |
Australia | October 22, 2001 | CD | [75] |
In 2015, the song regained attention through the popularity of the internet meme, "Why You Always Lying" by Nicholas Fraser. The parody gained fame within social media (most notably Vine and Twitter) because of the comically poor production quality and relatable theme. Replacing the line "Baby when we're grinding" with "Why the fuck you lying," and similarly for following phrases, the song initially referenced an untrustworthy girl who failed to keep her promise of hooking him up with her cute friend. Currently, the original Vine has been viewed over 76.1 million times, [76] and has been extended into a full music video for YouTube, which has gained over 34 million views as of June 2024. [77] Fraser also performed the parody along with the former Next member RL on the MTV2 show Uncommon Sense with Charlamagne . [78] [79]
In 2021, comedian Munya Chawawa posted a parody of the song with lyrics changed to reflect the panic buying of petrol and diesel fuel that occurred across the United Kingdom in September 2021 during the 2021 United Kingdom fuel supply crisis which in turn caused further panic from the British public. The lyrics to the chorus were changed to "Britain’s panic buying/Petrol pumps are dying/Said Brexit would be fine and turns out they were lying/Fuel is running real low/ Need European blokes/ To come through in their HGVs”. [80]
"Song 2" is a song by English rock band Blur. The song is the second song on their eponymous fifth studio album. Released physically on 7 April 1997, "Song 2" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, number four on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, It was also popular on radio stations in the US; consequently, it peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, number 6 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, staying on that chart for 26 weeks. "Song 2" is certified triple platinum in the UK.
"Millennium" is a song by the English singer Robbie Williams, released as the first single from his second studio album, I've Been Expecting You, on 7 September 1998. "Millennium" interpolates "You Only Live Twice", the theme from the 1967 James Bond film.
"No Rain" is a song by American rock band Blind Melon. It was released in 1993 as the second single from the band's debut album Blind Melon. The song is well known for its accompanying music video, which features the "Bee Girl" character. The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, received heavy airplay on MTV at the time of its release. It subsequently helped propel Blind Melon to multi-platinum level.
"Together Again" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope (1997). It was written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional writing by Jackson's then-husband René Elizondo Jr. It was released as the second single from the album in December 1997 by Virgin Records. Originally written as a ballad, the track was rearranged as an uptempo dance song. Jackson was inspired to write the song by her own private discovery of losing a friend to AIDS, as well as by a piece of fan mail she received from a young boy in England who had lost his father.
"Eternal Flame" is a song by American pop rock group the Bangles for their third studio album, Everything (1988). Released on January 23, 1989, the power ballad was written by group member Susanna Hoffs with the established hit songwriting team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Upon its 1989 single release, "Eternal Flame" became a number-one hit in nine countries, including Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Since its release, it has been covered by many musical artists, including Australian boy band Human Nature, who reached the Australian top 10 with their version, and British girl group Atomic Kitten, who topped four national charts with their rendition.
"Gettin' Jiggy wit It" is a song by American rapper and actor Will Smith, released as the third single from his debut solo album, Big Willie Style (1997). The verse is based around a sample of "He's the Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge, and the chorus is sampled from "Sang and Dance" by the Bar-Kays. Released in early 1998, the song was Smith's second hit produced by Poke & Tone and L.E.S., who replaced his long-time partner Jazzy Jeff, though the record-scratching techniques of Jazzy Jeff can be heard in the song. The record scratching is from Whistle's song Just Buggin'.
"Because We Want To" is a song performed by English pop singer Billie. The song was written by Dion Rambo, Jacques Richmond, Wendy Page, and Jim Marr and produced by Marr and Page for Billie's debut album, Honey to the B (1998). It was released as her debut single on 29 June 1998 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number one in July 1998, making Billie the youngest artist to debut at number one, at age 15. It also reached the top 10 in Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The song was the official theme of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
"Up and Down" is a song by Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys. Originally released in the Netherlands in February 1998, it reached number four in the United Kingdom in November 1998. It also reached number one on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1999. The Tin Tin Out remix of the song was sampled in DMC's remix of Cher's "Believe". The "Wooo!" voice in the song is sampled from "Crash Goes Love" by Loleatta Holloway.
"Angel of Mine" is a song by British R&B girl group Eternal from their first compilation album, Greatest Hits (1997). It was written by Rhett Lawrence and Travon Potts, produced by Lawrence, and released on 29 September 1997. The song became Eternal's 12th and final top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number four. "Angel of Mine" was the ensemble's final single as a three-piece, as after its release, Kéllé Bryan left the group. In June 2019, "Angel of Mine" was ranked at number 91 on the Official Charts Company's "Top 100 Girl Band Singles of the Last 25 Years".
"Lucky Man" is a song by English rock band the Verve. It was written by singer Richard Ashcroft. The song was released as the third single from the band's third studio album, Urban Hymns. It was released on 24 November 1997, charting at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song was the band's second top-20 hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States, climbing to number 16. In Canada, "Lucky Man" peaked at number 25 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It also reached the top 40 in Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand.
"Who the Hell Are You" is a song by Australian house music band Madison Avenue, released as the second single from their only studio album, The Polyester Embassy (2000). The song was released in Australia on 5 June 2000 and was given a UK release on 9 October 2000. In the United States, the single was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio in January 2001. The song contains elements from Vernon Burch's 1979 song "Get Up".
"Sleeping Satellite" is a song by British singer-songwriter Tasmin Archer, released in September 1992 by EMI and SBK as the first single from her debut album, Great Expectations (1992). The song was written by Archer with John Beck and John Hughes, and produced by Julian Mendelsohn and Paul Wickens. It received favorable reviews from music critics and became an international hit. "Sleeping Satellite" peaked at number one in the United Kingdom, Greece, Ireland, and Israel, and reached the top 20 in 13 other countries, as well as numbers 32 and 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 in June 1993. There were two different music videos produced to promote the single.
"Santa Monica" is a song by American rock band Everclear, from their 1995 album Sparkle and Fade. The song was written by the band's lead singer, Art Alexakis. Though it was not commercially released as a single in the United States, radio stations played "Santa Monica" enough for it to reach number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and number one the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for three weeks in 1996. It became a top-40 hit in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom; it is the band's highest-charting single in Australia.
"Will You Be There (In the Morning)" is a song by American rock band Heart. The ballad was written by veteran songwriter and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who was responsible for writing Heart's US number-two single "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" in 1990, and was released as the first single from the band's 11th studio album, Desire Walks On (1993) (although "Black on Black II" was released to radio first). Unlike the majority of Heart songs, which feature Ann Wilson on lead vocals, the lead singer on the song is Nancy Wilson. The song was released in the United Kingdom in November 1993 and in the United States the following month by Capitol Records.
"My Love Is for Real" is a song by American singer and songwriter Paula Abdul with backing vocals from Israeli singer Ofra Haza. It was released on May 30, 1995 by Virgin and Captive, as the first single from Abdul's third studio album, Head over Heels (1995). Intended as Abdul's comeback single, "My Love Is for Real" reached number one in Hungary and the top 20 in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, but it stalled outside the top 20 in the United States, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, and failed to make a major impact in Europe. The song's music video was directed by Michael Haussman.
"Fly By II" is a song by English boy band Blue. It was released on 18 March 2002 as the fourth single from their debut studio album, All Rise (2001). The release includes the band's first non-album exclusive, "Love R.I.P". "Fly By II" is a remixed version of the All Rise album track "Fly By", which samples the song "Rise" by Herb Alpert, while the remix samples from the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize". The remix reached number six on the UK Singles Chart.
"She's a River" is the first single released from Scottish rock band Simple Minds' 11th studio album, Good News from the Next World. Written by band members Charlie Burchill and Jim Kerr, the song was inspired by Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha, a book about self-discovery. Released on 11 January 1995, "She's a River" reached number three in Canada and Italy, number seven in the Flanders region of Belgium, and number nine on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it peaked at number six on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.
"More Than a Woman" is a song by musical group the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb for the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. It became a regular feature of the group's live sets from 1977 until Maurice Gibb's death in 2003 and was often coupled with "Night Fever".
"That Girl" is a song by English reggae singer Maxi Priest featuring Jamaican reggae musician Shaggy. It was released on 10 June 1996 as the first single from Priest's sixth album, Man with the Fun (1996). The song samples the 1962 instrumental "Green Onions" by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. "That Girl" reached the top 20 in at least eight countries, including the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Finnish Singles Chart, No. 4 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, No. 7 on the Australian Singles Chart and No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Summertime" is a song by English alternative rock band the Sundays. Written and produced by guitarist David Gavurin and lead singer Harriet Wheeler, the song was recorded for the band's third and final studio album, Static & Silence (1997), and released on 8 September 1997 as the first single from the album. Wheeler and Gavurin were inspired to write the song after several of their friends joined a dating service, and the lyrics reflect on how the pursuit of perfect romantic relationships can become taxing.
'Too Close,' which has sold more than 193,000 units since Jan. 27
Too Close" was textbook enter-the-club R&B...
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