{They Long to Be} Close to You was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
The song was first released in 1963 by Richard Chamberlain as They Long to be Close to You.
In 1964, Dionne Warwick recorded a Burt Bacharach arrangement of the song.
In 1971, Bacharach recorded his own version of the song.
In 1970, The Carpenters, a brother and sister duo, recorded the song for their album Close to You.
Richard Carpenter later stated when he first heard the song he was a “bit apprehensive”. He collaborated with Herb Alpert on the song and came up with a composition they liked.
{They Long to Be} Close to You became a hit for The Carpenters and the duo won a Grammy Award in 1971 for their rendition of the song.
The Carpenter version has become the best known version of the song.
The song should not be confused with the 1943 song, Close to You, written by Jerry Livingston, Carl Lampl, and Al Hoffman and was recorded by Frank Sinatra.