Just to Be Close to You

"Just to Be Close to You"
Single by Commodores
from the album Hot on the Tracks
B-side"Thumpin' Music"
ReleasedAugust 1976
GenreSoul[1]
Length3:14 (single edit) 6:21 (album version)
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Lionel Richie
Producer(s)Commodores
Commodores singles chronology
"Slippery When Wet"
(1975) 		"Just to Be Close to You"
(1976) 		"Easy"
(1977)

"Just to Be Close to You" is a song by American R&B/funk band, Commodores, in 1976. Released from their album, Hot on the Tracks, it would become one of their biggest hits, spending two weeks at the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart and becoming their second Billboard Hot 100 top ten, peaking at number seven.[2] The song was written and sung by Lionel Richie.

Cash Box said that "there's a terrific spoken introduction, packed with soul, that gives way to a truly beautiful ballad."[3]

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (December 23, 2019). "The Number Ones: Commodores' "Three Times A Lady"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 7, 2023. "Sweet Love," "Just To Be Close To You," and "Easy" are all recognizably soul songs.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 130.
  3. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 28, 1976. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-12-11.