Too Close (Alex Clare song)

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"Too Close"
File:TooClosesong.jpg
Single by Alex Clare
from the album The Lateness of the Hour
Released 15 April 2011
(See release history)
Format Digital download
Recorded 2010
Genre
Length
  • 4:16 (album version)
  • 3:43 (radio edit)
Label Island
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Alex Clare singles chronology
"Up All Night"
(2010)		 "Too Close"
(2011)		 "Treading Water"
(2011)

"Too Close" is a song by British singer Alex Clare. The track was first released in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2011 as the second single from Clare's debut studio album, The Lateness of the Hour (2011).[1] The track was written by Alex Clare and Jim Duguid and produced by Diplo and Switch (the collaborative members of reggae band Major Lazer), with co-production from Ariel Rechtshaid and Mike Spencer. Musically, "Too Close" is a dubstep song with breakbeat and soul influences. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonist who is not ready for a committed relationship and he must end things with his love interest in good terms.

The song became popular after it was used in an advertising campaign for Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9. The song peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA.[2] The song was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single at the 2013 BRIT Awards.[3]

Background

Clare said "Too Close" was inspired by a particular relationship with a close friend that turned romantic. He said, "One thing led to another, but it didn't really work out and that felt too close."[4]

The song was first released in the UK on 15 April 2011 as the second single from the album. In March 2012, it was selected as the soundtrack to Microsoft's advertisement for Internet Explorer 9, released the following month.[5] The exposure propelled the song to international success. This marked a turnaround in Clare's musical career and fortunes. Prior to it entering the singles chart, he had been forced to take a job as an estate agent after being dropped by his record label due to poor sales of his album.[6] Soon after its success on the chart, Universal Republic signed Clare to a distribution deal that allowed The Lateness of the Hour to be released in the US.[7]

Chart and sales performance

In the weeks after the premiere of the Microsoft advert where the song was featured, "Too Close" sold more than 100,000 digital downloads,[7][8] and it made its debut at No. 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its third week of release.[9] It reached Top 10 in September after a boost in download due to it being featured in Fox TV's So You Think You Can Dance, with 127,000 downloads sold for the week.[10] The song peaked at No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[11] The song has sold over 3 million digital downloads in the US as of May 2013.[12]

In the UK, the song sold 70,000 copies in the after the Microsoft ad premiered.[6] The song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and at number 1 in Germany.[13] It was the 18th best-selling single of 2012 in the UK with sales of 557,000.[14]

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Too Close" was first released onto YouTube on 15 March 2011 at a total length of four minutes and eighteen seconds. The video contains Clare singing in a chair intermixed with scenes of a heavily dramaticized representation of a Kendo match between two heavily-padded athletes in black uniforms. The fight takes place in an urban setting resembling a deserted factory building. Alex Clare said that he originally wanted samurais cutting each other up in the music video, but the budget did not permit it, so he had to settle for kendo fighters.[4]

The video opened to very small numbers, but two months after the Internet Explorer 9 advert campaign, it gained much popularity and by 24 February 2013, it had more than 40 million views. It has over 62 million views as of April 2016.[15]

An alternate music video was released to YouTube on 28 August 2012.[16] There is also an official version of the music video with footage from Taken 2.[17]

Covers

In October 2012, Leona Lewis performed an acoustic cover of the song during a session with The Sun.[18] Tim Halperin and Macy Maloy also covered the song.

Track listing

Digital download[1]
No. Title Length
1. "Too Close"   4:16
2. "Too Close" (Nadastrom Remix) 4:28
3. "Too Close" (music video) 4:18
Remix single[19]
No. Title Length
1. "Too Close" (Distance Remix) 4:00

Charts and certifications

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom[1] 15 April 2011 Digital download Island
United States 5 March 2012

References

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External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "United_StatesAlex_ClareToo_ClosesingleCertRef" defined multiple times with different content
  3. ↑ "Brit Awards: Emeli Sande gets four nominations". BBC News. Retrieved 10 January 2013
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Too Close at AllMusic
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Archive Chart: 2012-05-19" UK Singles Chart.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Alex Clare - Too Close. YouTube
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20120716-0000/Issue1170.pdf
  21. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Alex Clare – Too Close" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Alex Clare – Too Close" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Alex Clare – Too Close" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  24. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Alex Clare.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201226 into search.
  27. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Alex Clare – Too Close". Tracklisten.
  28. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Alex Clare – Too Close" (in French). Les classement single.
  29. ↑ "Musicline.de – Alex Clare Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  30. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  31. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 21, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Alex Clare search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  34. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2012-05-12". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  35. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Alex Clare – Too Close". Swiss Singles Chart.
  36. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Alex Clare.
  37. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Alex Clare.
  38. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Alex Clare.
  39. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Rock Airplay for Alex Clare.
  40. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Alex Clare.
  41. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Alex Clare.
  42. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay for Alex Clare.
  43. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Alex Clare.
  44. ↑ "Alex Clare – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Alex Clare.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Alex Clare in the field Interpret. Enter Too Close in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Too Close in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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