| "Closer to the Heart" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Rush | ||||
| from the album A Farewell to Kings | ||||
| B-side | "Madrigal" | |||
| Released |
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| Recorded | June 23, 1977 | |||
| Studio | Rockfield Studios, South Wales, UK | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock[2] | |||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Rush singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Closer to the Heart" on YouTube | ||||
"Closer to the Heart" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released in November 1977 as the lead single from their fifth studio album A Farewell to Kings. It was the first Rush song to feature a non-member as a songwriter in Peter Talbot,[3] a friend of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. It was Rush's first hit single in the United Kingdom, reaching number 36 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1978. It also peaked at number 45 in Canada and number 76 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010.[4]
Cash Box called it a "strong song" and said that it is "very like a Led Zeppelin number in terms of structure, timbres, and the role of the lead vocalist."[5] Record World called it a "stately rocker with a strong vocal."[6]
A live version of the song was released as a single in 1981 as the lead single from their live album, Exit...Stage Left which peaked at number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (January 5, 2024). "The Top 20 unlikely Progressive Rock hits, ranked". Goldmine. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ Rush "Retrospective" release 1997
- ^ Infantry, Ashante (2010-01-20). "New home a place to sing praises of our songwriters". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 1, 1977. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. October 15, 1977. p. 24. Retrieved 2023-02-16.