Too Close (Alex Clare song)

"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 Clare, Jim Duguid and produced by Major Lazer (Diplo and Switch), with co-production from Ariel Rechtshaid and Mike Spencer. 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.

"Too Close"
Single by Alex Clare
from the album The Lateness of the Hour
B-side"Remixes"
Released15 April 2011
Recorded2010
Genre
Length
  • 4:16 (album version)
  • 3:43 (radio edit)
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Alex Clare singles chronology
"Up All Night"
(2010)		 "Too Close"
(2011)		 "Treading Water"
(2011)

The song became popular after it was used in an advertising campaign for Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9. "Too Close" was a number-one hit in Germany and a top-ten hit in multiple countries, including the UK, where it peaked at number 4, and the U.S., where it peaked at number 7. The song has also 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 UK 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 Records signed Clare to a distribution deal that allowed The Lateness of the Hour to be released in the US.[7] The song's success in the US also led to it being featured as one of the 16 main tracks on NOW That's What I Call Music! 43.

Chart and sales performance

In the weeks after the premiere of the Microsoft advertising campaign where the song was featured, "Too Close" sold more than 100,000 digital downloads,[7][8] and it made its debut at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its third week of release.[9] It reached the top-ten 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 number 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 weeks after the Microsoft advertising campaign premiered.[6] The song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and at number-one in Germany.[13] It was the eighteenth 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.TitleLength
1."Too Close"4:16
2."Too Close" (Nadastrom Remix)4:28
3."Too Close" (music video)4:18
4."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
  1. "iTunes - Music - Too Close - Single by Alex Clare". iTunes.
  2. "American single certifications – Alex Clare – Too Close". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  3. "Brit Awards: Emeli Sande gets four nominations". BBC News. Retrieved 10 January 2013
  4. Kia Makarechi (24 July 2012). "Alex Clare & 'Too Close': Singer Talks New Fame, Working With Diplo & Dating Amy Winehouse". Huffington Post.
  5. "New Internet Explorer Ad featuring singer Alex Clare". Microsoft. 5 March 2012.
  6. David Whitehouse (19 May 2012). "How a TV ad gave estate agent Alex Clare a second shot at pop". The Guardian.
  7. Maeve McDermott (15 July 2012). "Meet Alex Clare, the voice behind 'Too Close'". USA Today.
  8. Andrew Hampp (14 April 2012). "Alex Clare Talks Microsoft Ad, Amy Winehouse & Career Re-Start". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  9. Paul Grein (28 March 2012). "Week Ending March 25, 2012. Songs: For fun. And Profit". Chart Watch. Yahoo.
  10. Paul Willams (13 September 2012). "US charts: Alex Clare breaks into Hot 100 Top 10". MusicWeek.
  11. Too Close at AllMusic
  12. Paul Grein (29 May 2013). "Week Ending May 26, 2013. Songs: "Clouds" Takes Off". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music.
  13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  14. Dan Lane (2 January 2013). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles Of 2012 revealed!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  15. "Alex Clare - Too Close (OFFICIAL VIDEO)".
  16. "Alex Clare - Too Close (Official Video)". YouTube.
  17. "Alex Clare - Too Close (Taken 2 version)". YouTube.
  18. Williott, Carl (8 October 2012). "Leona Lewis Covers Alex Clare's "Too Close": Watch The Unplugged Take". Idolator. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  19. "Week Commencing ~30 July 2012~ Issue #1170" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
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  31. "Luxembourg Digital Songs - May 5, 2012". Billboard.
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  38. "Alex Clare Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  39. "Alex Clare Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard.
  40. "Alex Clare Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  41. "Alex Clare Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard.
  42. "Alex Clare Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  43. "Alex Clare Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  44. "Ascensos de la Semana". Record Report (in Spanish). R.R. Digital C.A. 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012.
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  58. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alex Clare; 'Too Close')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
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  61. Jones, Alan (20 May 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Rod Stewart breaks oldies record as he hits No.1". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
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