"The Closer I Get to You" is a romantic ballad performed by singer-songwriter Roberta Flack and soul musician Donny Hathaway. The song was written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, who were members of Miles Davis's band and also part of Flack's band at the time. Created by Atlantic Records, the song was released on Flack's 1977 album Blue Lights in the Basement and as a single in 1978. It became a major hit that reached many different audiences, becoming Flack's most successful song after her 1973 single "Killing Me Softly with His Song." Originally planned as a solo song, Flack's manager, David Franklin, suggested adding Hathaway's voice, leading to the final version of the song.

"The Closer I Get to You" reached number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart for two weeks in April 1978. It also reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, behind Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" and Wings' "With a Little Luck." The song stayed in the top ten in Canada for fourteen weeks and reached the top ten in France for one week. It received a gold certification in the United States in May 1978 and became one of Flack and Hathaway's most well-known duets. At the 21st Annual Grammy Awards in 1979, Flack and Hathaway were nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus. The award was given to the Bee Gees for their work on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The song was later performed again by Luther Vandross and Beyoncé in 2003.

Background and composition

"The Closer I Get to You" was written by Reggie Lucas and James Mtume, who were members of Roberta Flack's touring band and had previously worked on the album Blue Lights in the Basement. They created the song during a break between tours. Later, during the recording sessions for the album, they shared it with Flack's producer, Joe Ferla. Ferla, along with Flack (using the name Rubina Flake) and Gene McDaniels, produced the track. Ahmet Ertegun was the executive producer.

Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway were close friends when they attended Howard University. In 1972, they recorded a duet album together. Five years later, they worked on "The Closer I Get to You" as a team.

The song was not originally meant to be a duet. Flack's manager, David Franklin, who had previously worked with Hathaway, decided to change the song to include him. At the time, Hathaway was struggling with severe depression, which often required hospital stays. His condition also caused mood changes, which affected his relationship with Flack. Because of his health, Hathaway could not travel from Chicago to New York to record with Flack. Instead, Flack recorded her part with a session singer as a temporary solution. The track was then sent to Chicago for Hathaway to add his vocals, and later returned to New York for final mixing.

Flack announced that the song would always be a tribute to Hathaway. She also said that all money from the song would go to Hathaway's wife and two children.

According to the sheet music from Musicnotes.com, published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is in 4/4 time and has a tempo of 90 beats per minute. It is written in the key of A major and follows the chord progression D maj9 –C♯m7 –F♯m7 –A maj7. Flack's vocal range is from C♯4 to F♯5. The song was released as a 7-inch single with "Love is the Healing" as the B-side.

Reception

Critics said "The Closer I Get to You" showed Flack at her best. The song ranked number 40 on Billboard's list of "The 40 Biggest Duets Of All Time," where it was called a "tender tune." Authors of All Music Guide To Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul described the song as delicate. Alan Light of Vibe magazine said the song sounded natural, like a conversation between friends. Gregory J. P. Godek, author of 1001 Ways to Be Romantic, included the song in a list of "Best Love Song Duets." A writer for Jet magazine called it a "pop-soul classic." Carolyn Quick Tillery, author of Celebrating Our Equality, described the song as a lasting musical legacy. Devon Jarvis of Women's Health included Flack and Hathaway's version of "The Closer I Get to You" in "Favorite Karaoke Duets." When opening the "R&B Vault," Gail Mitchell of Billboard praised the song as a 1970s-era classic. Jason Elias of Allmusic wrote that the track reached the grace and beautiful sound that other similar songs often missed. Lewis Dene of BBC called "The Closer I Get to You" a "soul masterpiece." Both Hathaway and Flack were nominated for a Grammy Award for their duet.

In the United States, the song became the duo's second number one on the US Hot Soul Singles chart in 1978 and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number three on the Adult Contemporary charts and number two on the Cash Box Top 100. By the end of 1978, the single was at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 31 on the Cash Box Top 100. In 2025, the song entered the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart and reached number 10. In Canada, the single topped the RPM Singles Chart and was at number 17 by the end of 1978. In New Zealand, the song reached number 16 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. In France, it charted at number 10 on the French Singles Chart. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 42 on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

A music video for "The Closer I Get to You" was made and directed by Roberta Flack. The video starts with Flack singing while sitting at a piano in a room lit by candles. Hathaway had passed away before the video was created, so when his part of the song plays, the camera focuses on a photo of Hathaway placed on a table behind Flack. Flack continues singing the rest of the song while sitting at the piano, and the camera sometimes shows a candle flame during Hathaway's verses. The video ends with Flack saying some of Hathaway's lyrics without sound as she fades into the view of the room lit by one candle. A live performance of Flack singing the song was used as the promotional music video.

Luther Vandross and Beyoncé version

Luther Vandross and Beyoncé's 2003 cover of the song was included on Vandross's final album, Dance with My Father, and Beyoncé's first solo album, Dangerously in Love (both released in 2003). The recording was completed at The Hit Factory and the Right Track Studios in New York City. The song has a tempo of 98 beats per minute, which is slightly faster than the original version. It was featured on the soundtrack of the Brazilian telenovela Celebridade. The track is in the key of E flat major and follows the chord progression G minor 7 – C minor 7 – E flat major 9 – A flat. It was released to US urban contemporary and urban adult contemporary radio on June 13, 2004.

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described the song as "dated" and said it did not fit well on Dangerously in Love. Erika Ramirez of Billboard noted that while Beyoncé performed well, the quiet storm duet felt out of place compared to the energetic style of most songs on the album. Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the remake with Luther Vandross "sounds, sadly, a little dated." Spence D. of IGN stated that by the time Beyoncé collaborated with Vandross on the track, the album had become more generic. Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone wrote that Beyoncé's performance highlighted that she is not yet in the same class as singers like Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey.

Jason King of Vibe magazine praised Beyoncé for including a Luther Vandross duet after a Jay-Z collaboration on the album. Rob Fitzpatrick of NME called the song "irredeemably cheesy" and said it would make listeners want something more exciting. Lewis Dene of BBC gave the song a positive review, predicting it would reach number one on the US R&B charts. Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound noted that the song had a "cheesy vibe" that felt more emotional in 2013 than in 2003, and praised Beyoncé's "sweetness and innocence" in her vocals. Pamelia S. Phillips, author of Singing for Dummies, called Beyoncé's performance on the song one of her best. Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters gave Beyoncé and Vandross "vocal props" for their quiet storm performance but said the overall performance felt flat. During the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, this version of "The Closer I Get to You" won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Beyoncé and Vandross's cover of "The Closer I Get to You" first appeared at number 76 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart on July 24, 2004. It rose to number 68 the next week and peaked at number 62 on August 7. The track remained on the chart for 20 weeks. On the airplay portion of the chart, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, the song spent eight weeks and reached a peak of number 60. The song was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for 500,000 equivalent units sold in the United States.

US Promotional CD Single
1. "The Closer I Get to You" (radio edit) – 4:26
2. "The Closer I Get to You" (instrumental) – 6:28
3. "The Closer I Get to You" (call out hook) – 0:10

Credits are taken from the liner notes of Dangerously in Love.

Other versions

"The Closer I Get To You" has been performed by many artists. Some important versions include the following:

• In 1990, Toshinobu Kubota and Lynn Davis sang a live version of the song together.
• Fourplay made a version of the song. A music reviewer named Steven McDonald from AllMusic said this version was not as special as the original.
• In 2005, Nina Girado sang the song with Thor for her live album Nina Live!. A writer from The Philippine Star said Thor sang the same notes as Nina in their duet. Girado’s version won the Best Duet Award at the Awit Awards in 2006.
• The Filipino acoustic band MYMP included a version of the song on their 2005 album Versions. Two members, Chin Alcantara and Juris Fernandez, sang the lyrics separately.