Too Close (Next song)

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"Too Close"
Next - Too Close.jpg
Artwork for US single release; non-US releases use same artwork but with different titling layout
Single by Next
from the album Rated Next
ReleasedSeptember 30, 1997
Recorded1997
GenreR&B
Length4:20
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Kay Gee, Terry Brown, Robert Huggar, Raphael Brown
Producer(s)Kay Gee
Next singles chronology
"Butta Love"
(1997) 		"Too Close"
(1997) 		"I Still Love You"
(1998)
Music video
"Too Close" on YouTube

"Too Close" is a song by American R&B group Next, featuring uncredited vocals from Vee of Koffee Brown. It was released in September 1997 as the second single from their debut album Rated Next (1997).

The song reached number one on the US Hot 100 and R&B charts and has gone Platinum making it their biggest and best known hit. It contains a sample of "Christmas Rappin" by Kurtis Blow. "Too Close" received wide airplay on Urban Contemporary radio stations.

Composition[]

According to Billboard, on the song "R.L, Terry and Raphael moan and groan about their female dance partner's grindin' and shakin' -- and their respective bulges as a result -- atop a Chicago-style step dance production."[1]

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[27] Platinum 10,000*
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 2,100,000[28]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Blue version[]

"Too Close"
Blue close.jpg
Single by Blue
from the album All Rise
ReleasedAugust 27, 2001 (2001-08-27)
GenreR&B
Length3:47
LabelVirgin, Innocent
Songwriter(s)Kier Gist, Darren Lighty, Robert Huggar, Raphael Brown, Robert Ford Jr., Denzil Miller, James B. Moore, Kurtis Walker, Larry Smith
Producer(s)Ray Ruffin, Cutfather & Joe[a]
Blue singles chronology
"All Rise"
(2001) 		"Too Close"
(2001) 		"If You Come Back"
(2001)

In 2001, English boy band Blue released a cover version of the song as the second single from their debut studio album All Rise (2001). The track was released on August 27, 2001, and became their first number one UK single produced by multi-platinum producer Ray Ruffin. It also reached number five in Australia and number 17 in Ireland, and number one in New Zealand, where the Next version had also been a number-one hit. The song has received a silver sales status certification for sales of over 200,000 copies in the UK.

Music video[]

The band traveled to New York City to film the music video, and whilst there, they witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center. The following month, Blue were being interviewed by British newspaper The Sun and Ryan commented that "This New York thing is being blown out of proportion" and asked "What about whales? They are ignoring animals that are more important. Animals need saving and that's more important." The other members of the band tried to silence Ryan, but he went on.[30] After The Sun quoted Ryan as saying "Who gives a fuck about New York when elephants are being killed?", this caused a huge media backlash that resulted in Blue losing their U.S. record deal and campaigns to sack Ryan from the group.[31]

Track listings[]

UK and European enhanced maxi-single[32]

  1. "Too Close" (radio edit) – 3:45
  2. "Too Close" (Blacksmith R&B club rub) – 5:41
  3. "Too Close" (instrumental) – 3:45
  4. "Too Close" (video) – 3:45

UK cassette single and European CD single[33][34]

  1. "Too Close" (radio edit) – 3:45
  2. "Too Close" (Blacksmith R&B club rub) – 5:41

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom August 27, 2001 (2001-08-27)
  • CD
  • cassette
[52]
Australia October 22, 2001 (2001-10-22) CD [53]

Parody[]

In 2015, the song regained attention through the popularity of the internet meme, "Why You Always Lying" by Nicholas Fraser. The parody gained fame within social media (most notably Vine and Twitter) because of the comically poor production quality and relatable theme. Replacing the line "Baby when we're grinding" with "Why the fuck you lying," and similarly for following phrases, the song initially referenced an untrustworthy girl who failed to keep her promise of hooking him up with her cute friend. Currently, the original Vine has been viewed over 76.1 million times,[54] and has been extended into a full music video for YouTube, which has gained over 29 million views as of November 2020.[55] Fraser also performed the parody along with the former Next member RL on the MTV2 show Uncommon Sense with Charlamagne.[56][57]

References[]

  1. ^ M. Tye Comer; Mariel Concepcion; Monica Herrera; Jessica Letkemann; Evie Nagy & David J. Prince (February 11, 2010). "The 50 Sexiest Songs Of All Time". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  2. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Next – Too Close". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  3. ^ "Ultratop.be – Next – Too Close" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  4. ^ "Ultratop.be – Next – Too Close" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3585." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  6. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3655." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  7. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Next – Too Close" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  8. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Next" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Next – Too Close" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  10. ^ "Charts.nz – Next – Too Close". Top 40 Singles.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Next – Too Close". Singles Top 100.
  13. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Next – Too Close". Swiss Singles Chart.
  14. ^ "Next: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  15. ^ "Next Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Next Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "Next Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  18. ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 1998". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1998". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "End of Year Charts 1998". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  22. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1998". Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  23. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  24. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). "1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  25. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  26. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  27. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Next – Too Close". Recorded Music NZ.
  28. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1998". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 111 (5): 75. January 30, 1999. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  29. ^ "American single certifications – Next – Too Close". Recording Industry Association of America.
  30. ^ Vanroxx, Robert (October 26, 2001). "Who give a f*** about New York when whales and elephants are dying?". The Sun. News UK. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  31. ^ bbspy. "Lee explains his 9/11 terrorist attack controversy". bbspy. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  32. ^ Too Close (UK & European enhanced maxi-single liner notes). Blue. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 2001. SINCD30, 7243 8 97950 04.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. ^ Too Close (UK cassette single sleeve). Blue. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 2001. SINC 30, 7243 8 97950 42.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ Too Close (European CD single liner notes). Blue. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 2001. SINCDE30, 7243 8 97950 28.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Blue – Too Close". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  36. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Blue – Too Close" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  37. ^ "Ultratop.be – Blue – Too Close" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  38. ^ "Ultratop.be – Blue – Too Close" (in French). Ultratip.
  39. ^ "Hits of the World - Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 113 no. 37. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 25, 2001. p. 61. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  40. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blue – Too Close" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  41. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Too Close". Irish Singles Chart.
  42. ^ "Charts.nz – Blue – Too Close". Top 40 Singles.
  43. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Blue – Too Close". VG-lista.
  44. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  45. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Blue – Too Close". Singles Top 100.
  46. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  47. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2001". ARIA. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  48. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2001" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  49. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  50. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  51. ^ "British single certifications – Blue – Too Close". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  52. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting August 27, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 25, 2001. p. 31. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  53. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 22nd October 2001" (PDF). ARIA. October 22, 2001. p. 24. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  54. ^ Fraser, Nicholas (August 29, 2015). "When she say she got a cute friend for you". Vine. Vine. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  55. ^ Downgoes Fraser (September 14, 2015), Ig-@Downgoes.Fraser (OFFICIAL FULL LENGTH!!) Why You Always Lying video, retrieved March 8, 2016
  56. ^ Lynch, Allison (September 11, 2015). "This 'Why you always lying?' meme is the internet's new obsession". Metro News UK. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  57. ^ "90's Group Next's "Too Close" Song & Video Gets A Little Boost After "Why You Lyin'" Video Goes Viral". Spaced Out Magazine Radio. Retrieved September 3, 2015.

External links[]

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