"Closer I Get To You" - Flack/Hathaway

Has anyone here tried to reproduce the radio version of "The Closer I Get To You?" It's weird in that verses are rearranged (not dissimilar to how the 45 of "Take It To The Limit" was created). I tried to do it once based on a lyrics sheet and couldn't get anywhere (just couldn't get it smooth enough). Note--this is the DJ version, I do believe the commercial 45 and LP versions were the same.

Maybe someone here has had more success (or has access).

Grant wrote: The radio edit, if i'm not mistaken, just cuts out the first verse and second chorus.

I don't think that's right, Grant. I believe the verse order on the DJ edit goes like this (quoting first lines for each):

Flack--"The closer I get to you. . ."
Hathaway--"Sweeter and sweeter. . ."
Flack--"Lying here next to you. . ."
Hathaway--"Over and over again. . ."
Flack--"The closer I get to you. . ."
Hathaway--"The closer I get to you. . ."
(not to mention a little of the intro is snipped)

The commercial 45 and LP version order goes like this:

Flack--"The closer I get to you. . ."
Hathaway--"Over and over again. . ."
Flack--"Lying here next to you. . ."
Hathaway--"Sweeter and sweeter. . ."
Flack--"The closer I get to you. . ."
Hathaway--"Over and over again. . ."
Flack--"The closer I get to you. . ."
Hathaway--"The closer I get to you. . ."

Pat or Ed, do either of you have access to the (3:27) DJ 45 to confirm? Oh, BTW, Pat, the song was a hit in 1978, not 1979 (peaked at #2 Billboard in May).

Not really. The way the commercial 45 is set up, I don't think you can seamlessly create the DJ edit out of it. You have to move the "Sweeter and sweeter" verse to BEFORE Flack sings "Lying here next to you," but I do believe there's some vocal overlapping involved. And it might actually be the first "Over and over again" verse used for the DJ edit (maybe with the last line of the second "over and over again" verse used for the seamless edit to Flack's final solo chorus).

If you were able to do it, I'd like to hear it.

sriv94 wrote: If you were able to do it, I'd like to hear it.

I'll work on one.

I'm going to wait until I have an original copy of the DJ 45 before I attempt to recreate it from CD. The original may reveal a better way to accomplish these edits.