So Close (Hall & Oates song)

"So Close" is a 1990 song by American pop duo Hall & Oates. It was written by Daryl Hall and George Green, and produced by Danny Kortchmar and Jon Bon Jovi. The song was released as the lead single from the Change of Season album and peaked at number 11 in the United States and number four in Canada. An acoustic version of the song also appears on the album and as a B-side of the single.

Release and reception
"So Close" was released as a single in September 1990, and it debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart the same month. It peaked at number 11 in December and spent 19 weeks on the chart. "So Close" was Hall & Oates' 29th and most recent single to reach the Top 40 section of the chart, although they've had songs appear outside of the Top 40 since then. The song also reached number 11 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, number 14 on the Singles Sales chart, and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart. The single peaked at number four in Canada and ranked number 36 on RPM magazine's year-end chart. It was less commercially successful in the United Kingdom, where it spent a sole week on the UK Singles Chart at number 69.

Critical response
"So Close" received generally mixed reviews from music critics. In the January 1991 issue of Spin magazine, writer Ted Friedman described the single as "overproduced" and "butchered", but added, "To hear what a gorgeous song it really is, check out the acoustic version that ends the album." The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music, edited by Colin Larkin, stated that producers Bon Jovi and Kortchmar "added a strong rock flavour to [Hall & Oates'] sound". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the song was the exception on an album that he felt was "largely undistinguished, relying more on sound than songcraft". A previously unreleased live version of "So Close", which appears on the 2009 box set Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall and John Oates, was called "impressive" by Ben Ratliff of The New York Times.

Track listing

 * 7" vinyl


 * 12" vinyl, CD

The band

 * Daryl Hall – lead vocals, backing vocals
 * John Oates – backing vocals

Additional musicians

 * Kenny Aronoff – drums and percussion
 * Waddy Wachtel – guitars
 * Danny Kortchmar – guitars
 * Randy Jackson – bass guitar
 * Benmont Tench – keyboards
 * Mel Terpos – guitar technician