"(They Long to Be) Close to You" was the first Burt Bacharach/Hal David composition the Carpenters covered.
The song was recorded time and time again during the sixties, but didn't do well at all until the Carpenters version.
It became Richard and Karen Carpenter's first RIAA-certified Gold single, as well as their first Billboard Hot 100 single that reached the Top 10.
It stayed at number 1 for 4 weeks, and became the Carpenters' iconic song.