"Coming Up Close" is a song by American band

'Til Tuesday Til Tuesday (often stylized as til tuesday) was an American new wave band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The band, consisting of Aimee Mann (lead vocals, bass), Robert Holmes (guitar), Joey Pesce (keyboards), and Michael Haus ...

, which was released in 1986 as the second and final single from their second studio album '' Welcome Home''. The song was written by

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

and produced by

Rhett Davies Rhett Davies (born 1949 in London) is an English record producer and engineer. Davies' father was trumpet player Ray Davies (no relation to Ray Davies of The Kinks). Davies became a studio engineer at Island Records studios in the early 1970s, a ...

. "Coming Up Close" peaked at No. 59 on the US ''

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Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

Background

"Coming Up Close" was one of the earliest songs Mann wrote using an acoustic guitar rather than a bass guitar. Mann wrote the song during the time the band was on tour as the opening act for

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

in March–April 1985. 'Til Tuesday had wanted "Coming Up Close" to be the first single from ''Welcome Home'', rather than "

What About Love "What About Love" is a song originally recorded by Canadian rock group Toronto, re-released in 1985 by the American rock group Heart. The song was Heart's "comeback" single. It was the first Heart track to reach the top 40 in three years, and ...

". Mann told ''

The Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' in 1986, "I really love 'Coming Up Close' and we did want it to be the first single. But we sort of realized that 'What About Love' was more immediate." The album and its two singles achieved modest commercial success in the United States, but did not live up to the expectations of Epic Records or the band. Mann told ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' in 1989: "'Coming Up Close' made people nervous 'cause there were no other songs like it on the charts; now there are. We could've been groundbreakers, I think, if ''Welcome Home'' had gotten the attention it deserved."

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Bob McKinnon and produced by McKinnon and Siegel. It received heavy rotation on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Critical reception

On its release, ''

'' described "Coming Up Close" as a "nostalgic rock song" and "contemplative follow-up" to "What About Love" which "incorporates elements of both country and western". ''

'' considered the song to be a "country-flavored and richly textured mid-tempo track" which has "an airy, evocative ambience that yields to a riveting chorus". They praised Mann's vocal for being "earnest", "charming" and "spellbinding". Bill Nowak of ''

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'' gave the song a three and a half star rating out of four and described it as a "very fine song" which should put the band "back on track" commercially. In a review of ''Welcome Home'', Jim Sullivan of ''

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'' praised "Coming Up Close" as "the best song the wispy-voiced Mann has written". He added, "A gentle, countryish song, it has a catchy, calming lilt and a feeling of resonant hope." Bill Hendersen of ''

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'' commented: "On songs like 'Coming Up Close' and 'Angels Never Call,' Mann has laid her influences and vulnerabilities on the table for everyone to see. Sure, the songs contain the all-important modern dance rhythms, but they also carry subtle country undertones that give them unusual twists." L. Kent Wolgamott of the ''

Lincoln Journal Star The ''Lincoln Journal Star'' is an American daily newspaper that serves Lincoln, Nebraska, the state capital and home of the University of Nebraska. It is the most widely read newspaper in Lincoln and has the second-largest circulation in N ...

'' considered "Coming Up Close" to be a "direct personal song, something most new bands avoid like the plague". Richard Thompson of the ''

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'' considered the "haunting" song to be "about a love affair that never takes off". In a retrospective review of the song, Stewart Mason of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted the "detail-filled lyrics" that "sound like a

Raymond Carver Raymond Clevie Carver Jr. (May 25, 1938 – August 2, 1988) was an American short story writer and poet. He contributed to the revitalization of the American short story during the 1980s. Early life Carver was born in Clatskanie, Oregon, a mi ...

story set to music", and the "haunting hints of emotions" which are "resolved in an equally elliptical but much more direct and yearning chorus".

Track listing

;7" single #"Coming Up Close" – 4:08 #"Angels Never Call" – 3:38 ;7" single (Japanese release) #"Coming Up Close" – 4:08 #"Yesterday" – 3:38 ;7" single (US promo) #"Coming Up Close" – 4:08 #"Coming Up Close" – 4:08 ;12" (US promo) #"Coming Up Close" – 4:37 #"Coming Up Close" – 4:08 ;12" (Dutch release) #"Coming Up Close" – 4:08 #"Angels Never Call" – 3:38 #"No One Is Watching You Now" – 3:53

Personnel

'Til Tuesday *

– vocals, bass * Robert Holmes – guitar, backing vocals * Joey Pesce – synthesizer, backing vocals *

Michael Hausman Michael Hausman is an American musician and talent manager, known for his collaboration with former-girlfriend and bandmate Aimee Mann. Hausman attended Berklee College of Music and played with a Boston band called The Dark before becoming the dr ...

– drums, percussion Production *

– producer and engineer (all tracks) * Bruce Lampcov – mixing and engineer on "Coming Up Close" and "Angels Never Call" * Mark McKenna – engineering on "Coming Up Close" and "Angels Never Call", mixing on "Yesterday" *

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

, Bill Kipper – mastering

Charts

References

{{authority control 1986 songs 1986 singles 'Til Tuesday songs Epic Records singles Songs written by Aimee Mann Song recordings produced by Rhett Davies