About The Song
As pop act Exile re-branded itself into a country band with a southern rock flavor, and began recording its first country product for Epic Records in 1983, a couple of the group’s original tracks found a home with Alabama. “The Closer You Get” was created by the same writers (Mark Gray and J. P. Pennington) as “Take Me Down,” and both songs appeared on Exile’s fifth rock album for Warner Bros., “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” released in May, 1980.
“The Closer You Get” was sent to producer Harold Shedd soon after Alabama recorded “Take Me Down.” The song had charted a couple of times already – in 1981 Rita Coolidge just missed the Billboard “Hot 100” pop chart with it (reaching #3 on the “Bubbling Under” chart) and Don King had a pretty good country showing at #27, also in ’81.
Shedd and Alabama had heard the Don King version of “The Closer You Get,” but, of course, they all wanted to make their new rendition stand out. It wasn’t that difficult to do because King’s reading was more acoustic. Harold had some tricks up his sleeve (after all, that was his job as producer) and he came through as usual. By the time Alabama’s record came out, it was a shoo-in for Billboard’s top spot, which it reached on July 16, 1983, marking the group’s tenth of their record-setting 21 consecutive number one hits. They finished with 33 Billboard chart-toppers, the fifth-most in history, plus ten other singles that made number one on charts other than Billboard, for a grand total of 43.
On Alabama’s version of “The Closer You Get,” Shedd beefed up the production with distorted guitars, a more elaborate arrangement and an altered vocal sound, using differently-constructed echo techniques. Each Alabama session was always filled with a certain amount of unique experimentation and most times it worked fabulously.
As with several other Alabama hits, including “Old Flame” and “Touch Me When We’re Dancing,” “The Closer You Get” was the last song to go on the new album the boys were working on (which ended up as the title track). On February 28, 1984, the single brought Alabama their second Grammy for “Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group” (the first had come for “Mountain Music”).
At the same time that “The Close You Get” began its rise to number one, co-writer Mark Gray (who had left Exile by then) made his chart debut as a solo artist on Epic’s parent label, Columbia. Mark notched five top ten singles during 1984-85, including “Left Side of the Bed” and “Please Be Love,” as well as a duet with Tammy Wynette on “Sometimes When We Touch,” Tammy’s final Billboard Top Ten appearance. Gray also wrote Janie Fricke’s number one hit, “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy” and Gary Morris’ “Second Hand Heart.”
Video
Lyrics
The closer you get, the further I fall
I’ll be over the edge now in no time at all
I’m fallin’ faster and faster and faster with no time to stall
The closer you get, the further I fall
Could I be dreamin’
Is this really real
‘Cause there’s something magic
The way that I feel in your arms here tonight
The closer you get, the further I fall
I’ll be over the edge now in no time at all
I’m fallin’ faster and faster and faster with no time to stall
The closer you get, the further I fall
Keep fallin’, oh, yeah, yeah, keep fallin’, mm, fallin’, oh, yeah, yeah, I’m fallin’
Yes, I’m fallin’ (Yes, I’m fallin’ Yes, I’m fallin’)
Yes, I’m fallin’ (Yes, I’m fallin’ Yes, I’m fallin’)
Yes, we’re fallin’ (Yes, we’re fallin’ Yes, we’re fallin’)
The closer you get, oh baby the further I fall
I’ll be over the edge now in no time at all
I’m fallin’ faster and faster and faster with no time to stall
The closer you get, the further I fall