About The Song
“The Closer You Get” is a song written by J.P. Pennington and Mark Gray and recorded by American band Exile in 1981. The song was most notably covered by American country music band Alabama and released in April 1983 as the title track and second single from the album The Closer You Get….
“The Closer You Get” is such a distinctively Alabama song that it’s hard to believe that theirs was the fourth version released in three years.
Exile had recorded the song first, but it failed to make an impact, which was the same fate as the Rita Coolidge version. Country artist Don King sent an acoustic-flavored version of the song to country radio, and it went top thirty in 1981.
Alabama revamped the song to fit their aggressive southern pop rock sound. The electric guitars do a lot of the heavy lifting here, with the rest of the work being done by their signature harmonies. It follows the blueprint of their early eighties sound closely, though this time around, it’s not anchored in the southern euphemisms and references that kept even their least sonically country records grounded in the genre.
It’s catchy as all get out, and their confidence on record remains unabated. Even Alabama filler from this era is still pretty darn good.
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