"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.
The song became popular after it was used in an advertising campaign for Microsoft'sInternet Explorer 9. "Too Close" was a number-one hit in Germany and Luxembourg. It became 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 also nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single at the 2013 Brit Awards.[3]
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 performanceedit
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 and Luxembourg.[13] It was the eighteenth best-selling single of 2012 in the UK with sales of 557,000.[14]
Music videoedit
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 on a chair, intermixed with scenes of a heavily dramaticised 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. 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 88 million views as of November 2023.[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]
Coversedit
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.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^"Alex Clare – Too Close" (in French). Ultratop 50.
^"Alex Clare Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
^Canadian Rock/Alt (5 July 2012). "Canadian Active Rock & Alt Rock Chart Archive". canadianrockalt.blogspot.ca.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201226 into search.
close, alex, clare, song, close, song, british, singer, alex, clare, track, first, released, united, kingdom, april, 2011, second, single, from, clare, debut, studio, album, lateness, hour, 2011, track, written, clare, duguid, produced, major, lazer, diplo, sw. 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 Clarefrom the album The Lateness of the HourB side Remixes Released15 April 2011Recorded2010GenreR amp BdubstepLength4 16 album version 3 43 radio edit LabelIslandSongwriter s Alex ClareJim DuguidProducer s Ariel RechtshaidMike SpencerMajor LazerAlex 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 Luxembourg It became 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 also nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single at the 2013 Brit Awards 3 Contents 1 Background 2 Chart and sales performance 3 Music video 4 Covers 5 Track listing 6 Charts and certifications 6 1 Weekly charts 6 2 Year end charts 6 3 Certifications 7 Release history 8 References 9 External linksBackground editClare 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 editIn 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 and Luxembourg 13 It was the eighteenth best selling single of 2012 in the UK with sales of 557 000 14 Music video editA 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 on a chair intermixed with scenes of a heavily dramaticised 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 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 88 million views as of November 2023 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 editIn 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 editDigital download 1 No TitleLength1 Too Close 4 162 Too Close Nadastrom Remix 4 283 Too Close music video 4 184 Too Close Distance Remix 4 00Charts and certifications editWeekly charts edit Chart 2011 2012 Peakposition Australia ARIA 19 66 Austria O3 Austria Top 40 20 5 Belgium Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders 21 15 Belgium Ultratop 50 Wallonia 22 36 Canada Canadian Hot 100 23 14 Canadian Alternative Rock America s Music Charts 24 42 Czech Republic Radio Top 100 25 19 Denmark Tracklisten 26 29 France SNEP 27 9 Germany Official German Charts 28 1 Hungary Radios Top 40 29 14 Ireland IRMA 30 47 Luxembourg Digital Songs Billboard 31 1 Netherlands Dutch Top 40 32 37 Netherlands Single Top 100 33 33 Russia Airplay TopHit 34 1 Scotland OCC 35 6 Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 36 12 UK Singles OCC 13 4 Ukraine Airplay TopHit 37 61 US Billboard Hot 100 38 7 US Adult Contemporary Billboard 39 25 US Adult Top 40 Billboard 40 4 US Dance Mix Show Airplay Billboard 41 7 US Mainstream Top 40 Billboard 42 4 US Rock Airplay Billboard 43 3 US Hot Rock amp Alternative Songs Billboard 44 2 US Rhythmic Billboard 45 34 Venezuela Record Report 46 115 Year end charts edit Chart 2012 Position Austria O3 Austria Top 40 47 18 France SNEP 48 72 Germany Media Control Charts 49 11 Russia Airplay TopHit 50 167 Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 51 31 UK Singles Official Charts Company 14 18 US Billboard Hot 100 52 30 US Adult Top 40 Billboard 53 36 US Dance Mix Show Airplay Billboard 54 46 US Hot Rock Songs Billboard 55 13 US Mainstream Top 40 Billboard 56 35 Chart 2013 Position Russia Airplay TopHit 57 15 Ukraine Airplay TopHit 58 137 US Hot Rock Songs Billboard 59 19 Certifications edit See Tfd Region Certification Certified units sales Austria IFPI Austria 60 Gold 15 000 Brazil Pro Musica Brasil 61 Gold 30 000 Germany BVMI 62 3 Gold 450 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 63 Platinum 30 000 United Kingdom BPI 65 Platinum 600 239 64 United States RIAA 2 2 Platinum 3 000 000 12 Streaming Denmark IFPI Danmark 66 Gold 900 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Streaming only figures based on certification alone Release history editRegion Date Format Label United Kingdom 1 15 April 2011 Digital download Island United States 5 March 2012References edit a b c iTunes Music Too Close Single by Alex Clare iTunes January 2011 a b American single certifications Alex Clare Too Close Recording Industry Association of America Brit Awards Emeli Sande gets four nominations BBC News Retrieved 10 January 2013 a b Kia Makarechi 24 July 2012 Alex Clare amp Too Close Singer Talks New Fame Working With Diplo amp Dating Amy Winehouse HuffPost New Internet Explorer Ad featuring singer Alex Clare Microsoft 5 March 2012 a b David Whitehouse 19 May 2012 How a TV ad gave estate agent Alex Clare a second shot at pop The Guardian a b Maeve McDermott 15 July 2012 Meet Alex Clare the voice behind Too Close USA Today Andrew Hampp 14 April 2012 Alex Clare Talks Microsoft Ad Amy Winehouse amp Career Re Start Billboard Retrieved 20 April 2012 Paul Grein 28 March 2012 Week Ending March 25 2012 Songs For fun And Profit Chart Watch Yahoo Paul Willams 13 September 2012 US charts Alex Clare breaks into Hot 100 Top 10 MusicWeek Too Close at AllMusic a b Paul Grein 29 May 2013 Week Ending May 26 2013 Songs Clouds Takes Off Chart Watch Yahoo Music a b Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company a b Dan Lane 2 January 2013 The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles Of 2012 revealed Official Charts Company Retrieved 5 January 2013 Alex Clare Too Close OFFICIAL VIDEO YouTube Alex Clare Too Close Official Video via YouTube Alex Clare Too Close Taken 2 version via YouTube Williott Carl 8 October 2012 Leona Lewis Covers Alex Clare s Too Close Watch The Unplugged Take Idolator Retrieved 7 September 2014 Week Commencing 30 July 2012 Issue 1170 ARIA Top 100 Singles National Library of Australia Retrieved 12 January 2021 Alex Clare Too Close in German O3 Austria Top 40 Alex Clare Too Close in Dutch Ultratip Alex Clare Too Close in French Ultratop 50 Alex Clare Chart History Canadian Hot 100 Billboard Canadian Rock Alt 5 July 2012 Canadian Active Rock amp Alt Rock Chart Archive canadianrockalt blogspot ca CNS IFPI in Czech Hitparada Radio Top 100 Oficialni IFPI Czech Republic Note Change the chart to CZ RADIO TOP 100 and insert 201226 into search Alex Clare Too Close Tracklisten Alex Clare Too Close in French Les classement single Alex Clare Too Close in German GfK Entertainment charts Archivum Slagerlistak MAHASZ in Hungarian Radios Top 40 jatszasi lista Magyar Hanglemezkiadok Szovetsege Chart Track Week 21 2012 Irish Singles Chart Luxembourg Digital Songs May 5 2012 Billboard Nederlandse Top 40 week 24 2011 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Alex Clare Too Close in Dutch Single Top 100 Russia Airplay Chart for 2012 12 31 TopHit Retrieved 18 March 2023 Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Alex Clare Too Close Swiss Singles Chart Ukraine Airplay Chart for 2013 01 14 TopHit Retrieved 18 March 2023 Alex Clare Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Alex Clare Chart History Adult Contemporary Billboard Alex Clare Chart History Adult Pop Songs Billboard Alex Clare Chart History Dance Mix Show Airplay Billboard Alex Clare Chart History Pop Songs Billboard Alex Clare Chart History Rock Airplay Billboard Alex Clare Chart History Hot Rock amp Alternative Songs Billboard Alex Clare Chart History Rhythmic Billboard Ascensos de la Semana Record Report in Spanish R R Digital C A 15 December 2012 Archived from the original on 19 December 2012 Jahreshitparade Singles 2012 austriancharts at Retrieved 4 January 2020 Top de l annee Top Singles 2012 in French SNEP Retrieved 3 December 2020 Jahrescharts 2012 VIVA Archived from the original on 6 January 2013 Retrieved 5 January 2013 Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart 2012 in Russian TopHit Archived from the original on 16 March 2023 Retrieved 18 March 2023 Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2012 hitparade ch Hung Medien Retrieved 10 May 2020 Best of 2012 Hot 100 Songs Billboard Retrieved 14 December 2012 Best of 2012 Adult Pop Songs 31 40 Billboard Retrieved 16 January 2013 Dance Mix Show Songs Year End 2012 Billboard Retrieved 15 October 2019 Best of 2012 Rock Songs 11 20 Billboard Retrieved 16 January 2013 Best of 2012 Pop Songs 31 40 Billboard Retrieved 16 January 2013 Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart 2013 in Russian TopHit Archived from the original on 28 March 2023 Retrieved 28 March 2023 Top Radio Hits Ukraine Annual Chart 2013 in Russian TopHit Archived from the original on 29 March 2023 Retrieved 31 March 2023 Best of 2013 Rock Songs 11 20 Billboard Retrieved 16 January 2013 Austrian single certifications Alex Clare Too Close in German IFPI Austria Brazilian single certifications Alex Clare Too Close in Portuguese Pro Musica Brasil Retrieved 23 December 2023 Gold Platin Datenbank Alex Clare Too Close in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Retrieved 24 April 2018 The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community Awards Too Close IFPI Switzerland Hung Medien Jones Alan 20 May 2013 Official Charts Analysis Rod Stewart breaks oldies record as he hits No 1 Music Week Retrieved 3 January 2016 British single certifications Alex Clare Too Close British Phonographic Industry Danish single certifications Alex Clare Too Close IFPI Danmark Retrieved 12 January 2021 External links edit Too Close at Discogs list of releases Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Too Close Alex Clare song amp oldid 1214169126, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
