From a Distance

"From a Distance" is a song written in 1985[1] by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold. Gold was working as a secretary at the time for HBO and writing songs in her free time.[2] Gold's friend, Christine Lavin, introduced the song to Nanci Griffith, who first recorded it for her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind.

For other uses, see From a Distance (disambiguation).

The song was covered a number of times, with the most successful being a version by Bette Midler which became a major hit in 1990.

Interpretation

Julie Gold has stated that she believes in an immanent and beneficent God, and also thinks that people have a right to interpret the song any way they want, as with all art.[3] She has stated that the song is about the difference between how things appear to be and how they really are.[3]

Original Nanci Griffith version
"From a Distance"
Promotional single by Nanci Griffith
from the album Lone Star State of Mind
Released1988[4]
GenreCountry
Length4:10
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)Julie Gold
Producer(s)Tony Brown, Nancy Griffith

Nanci Griffith recorded it first in her 1987 album Lone Star State of Mind. Nanci Griffith stated that in 1986, a songwriter Julie Gold had sent her the song asking Griffith what was wrong with it, as Gold had sent it to so many artists and record companies but none wanted to record it. Griffith had answered that she loved it so much the moment she heard it and that she really wanted to hear it performed personally by Gold herself. Thus was established a good relationship between the two with Griffith being the first to record "From a Distance" in her Lone Star State of Mind album. Although the Griffith version became very popular, the song failed to chart until Bette Midler covered it.

Griffith performed it live many times from that day on and a version of her live performance done on August 19 and 20, 1988 at the Anderson Fair, a Houston, Texas club and long known for featuring folk artists in an intimate setting, appeared in her live album One Fair Summer Evening.

The song became a sleeper hit in Ireland, spending 17 non-consecutive weeks in the Irish Top 30 during 1988, peaking at number nine in April.

Track listing

Ireland 7" (MCA 1169)

  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "Sing One For Sister"

Charts
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[5] 9

Bette Midler version
"From a Distance"
Single by Bette Midler
from the album Some People's Lives
ReleasedOctober 1, 1990
GenrePop
Length4:37
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Julie Gold
Producer(s)Arif Mardin
Bette Midler singles chronology
"Wind Beneath My Wings"
(1989)		 "From a Distance"
(1990)		 "Night and Day"
(1991)

The song became an international commercial success after it was recorded in 1990 by Bette Midler for the album Some People's Lives. "From a Distance" reached number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 behind Stevie B's "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)"[6] The song went on to win a Grammy for Song of the Year in 1991. The song also won a "3 Million Airs Award" from Broadcast Music Incorporated.

Midler re-recorded a Christmas edition for her 2006 Christmas album, Cool Yule, with additional lyrics by Los Angeles native Jay Landers. Additional recordings of the original have been performed by Gold, Griffith, Simon Nicol (of Fairport Convention) and many others.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "soothing hymn that invokes inspirational images similar to "Wind Beneath My Wings", proves that the Divine Miss M still has what it takes to tackle top 40 territory."[7] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report wrote that Midler's Grammy for "Wind Beneath My Wings" "reaffirmed her innate ability to extract every single ounce of emotion out of a song. Teaming once again with producer Arif Mardin, she seems right at home with a tune that has much of the same quality as her giant hit of last year. Bette's certain to go the distance again."[8] Gene Sandbloom from The Network Forty said that "the lyrics manage to take in the globe (with a minimum of sugar) and deliver a song worth listening to a hundred times. The music, produced by sound specialist Arif Mardin, is a slow crescendo made to support Midler's voice without overwhelming." He added that she "again uses her "no frills" vocal approach which makes this song so genuine."[9] Conversely, Midler's recording of the song ranked at number 37 on VH1's list of the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever."[10] and ranked at number 14 on Blender Magazine's list of "The 50 Worst Songs Ever".[11] Criticisms focus on the song's lyrical content and the production of Midler's version.

Track listings

UK 7" (Atlantic A7820) US cassette (Atlantic 7567-84888-4) Japan 3" (Atlantic AMDY-5032)

  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "One More Round"

US CD maxi promo (Atlantic PRCD3528)

  1. "From a Distance"

UK CD maxi (Atlantic A7820CD) UK 12" (Atlantic A7820T)

  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "One More Round"
  3. "Wind Beneath My Wings"
  4. "The Rose"

US CD maxi (Columbia 88697-00957-2)

  1. "From a Distance (Christmas Version)"

Note: Christmas version from 2006

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Cliff Richard version
"From a Distance"
Single by Cliff Richard
from the album From a Distance: The Event
B-side"Lindsay Jane II"
ReleasedOctober 1, 1990
RecordedJune 16–17, 1989
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Julie Gold
Producer(s)Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard singles chronology
"Silhouettes"
(1990)		 "From a Distance"
(1990)		 "Saviour's Day"
(1990)

The song was simultaneously released by Cliff Richard in October 1990 from a similarly titled album From a Distance: The Event reaching number 11 in the UK Singles Charts[30] and number 16 in Ireland.

In 1999, on his "40th Anniversary Tour" as a recording artist, Richard opened his concert in Royal Albert Hall with the song.

Track listings

UK 7"/UK Picture Disc (EMI EM 155/EMI EMPD 155)

  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "Lindsay Jane II"

UK CD single/UK 12" (EMI CDEM 155/EMI 12EM 155)

  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "Lindsay Jane II"
  3. "Wired for Sound" (live)

Charts
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[31] 16
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[32] 11

Magdalene Survivors Together charity version
"From a Distance"
Single by Various artists
Released2011
Length4:05
Songwriter(s)Julie Gold
Producer(s)John Reynolds, Tim Oliver

"From a Distance" became a 2011 charity single[33] in support of Magdalene Survivors Together, a charity set in July 2009 by Gerard Boland focusing on the human rights aspect of the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland. The 2011 single had vocal participation from a great number of artists: Sinéad O'Connor, Tommy Fleming, Brian Kennedy, Daniel O'Donnell, Ann Scott, Moya Brennan, Charlie Landsborough, Patrick Sheehy, Lumiere and the Scottish Glasgow Gospel Choir. The track was produced by John Reynolds and Tim Oliver and mastered at Soundmastwers, London. Tesco Ireland, Beaumex Ireland and Believe Digital distributed the single online and it was made available in Tesco stores through Ireland. The proceeds would go to build an Irish national monument for the Magdalene women.

Other cover versions
  • Judy Collins sang it live in 1989, being first recorded in her live album Sanity and Grace, and in 1990 in her studio album Fires of Eden.
  • The Byrds (1990) for their eponymous box set
  • Tilda Swinton performed the song in the character of Cissie Crouch in the 1990 TV series Your Cheatin’ Heart. It was sung by Eddi Reader on the soundtrack album of the series.
  • Kathy Mattea, for her 1991 album Time Passes By
  • Donna Summer, Nanci Griffith and Raul Malo (1996) One Voice: Olympic Album (produced by Michael Omartian) Performed in French, English, Spanish and German
  • Richard Clayderman and James Last recorded an instrumental version for their promo album and a German TV show in 1991, the song later appeared on their 1995 album Welthits in Gold (world hits in gold).
  • Elaine Paige recorded a version during the sessions for her 1991 album Love Can Do That, which was only later released on her 1997 From a Distance compilation album.
  • Fairport Convention on the Wormwood Years album (1991)[34] and subsequently on other albums including the 2002 release From Cropready to Portmerion (recorded live during their 1990 British Winter Tour[35]).
  • Simon Nicol on his 1987 album Before Your Time.
  • Riva Taylor (as Becky), on her 2004 album Shine.
  • John Barrowman (2008), a cover version recorded for his album Music Music Music.
  • Ingebjørg Harman Bratland (2014), a cover version "På avstand" sung in Norwegian, in a traditional Norwegian singing style.

Parodies
  • In 1992, singer-songwriter Jay Mankita wrote a parody, "From a Dog's Stance", which appeared in Sing Out! magazine and was later included on his recording, Dogs Are Watching Us.[36] Mankita adopts the viewpoint of the canine rather than the divine: "From a dog's stance, we all have enough... / so why not give dogs more? / From a dog's stance, dogs can't comprehend... / what all these cats are for."[36]
  • The song has also been satirized by singer-songwriter Sue Trainor in her In a Closeup.[37] According to a Washington Post review, "Trainor seems to genuinely admire 'From a Distance', Julie Gold's anthem of universal brotherhood, for she treats the hymn-like melody with great respect. She changes the lyrics, though, and instead of waxing poetic about the beauty of the world 'from a distance', she points out how flawed it all looks 'in a closeup'."[38][39]
  • In 2020 a parody of the song called "Keep Your Distance" was written, reminding listeners to practice social distancing.
gollark: It is?!
gollark: Yeeees.
gollark: Oh wait, they can't do *extract* priority.
gollark: Item conduits and itemducts can do priority nicely.
gollark: Just give boron higher priority access to the good™ system.

See also

References
  1. The story behind the song "From A Distance" by Julie Gold (as told to Lydia Hutchinson, June 16, 2015) @performingsongwriter.com Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  2. official Julie Gold Biography Archived May 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Julie Gold and Her Songs" Archived February 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Here on Earth - Radio Without Borders, Wisconsin Public Radio, February 19, 2005 (audio Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine)
  4. rateyourmusic.com
  5. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – From a Distance". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 170.
  7. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. October 6, 1990. p. 71. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  8. Sholin, Dave (September 21, 1990). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 1825. p. 68. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  9. "Top 40: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. September 21, 1990. p. 28. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  10. VH1 "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever" countdown
  11. "Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!" by John Aizlewood, Clark Collis, Steve Kandell, Ben Mitchell, Tony Power, James Slaughter, Rob Tannenbaum, Mim Udovitch, Rene Vienet and Jonah Weiner, Blender (view article)
  12. "Australian-charts.com – Bette Midler – From a Distance". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9085." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  14. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9174." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bette Midler – From a Distance". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – From a Distance". Irish Singles Chart.
  17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 32, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bette Midler – From a Distance" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  19. "Charts.nz – Bette Midler – From a Distance". Top 40 Singles.
  20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  21. "Bette Midler Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  22. "Bette Midler Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  23. "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  24. "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  25. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  26. "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  27. "Billboard Top 100 – 1991". Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  28. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  29. "American single certifications – Bette Midler – From a Distance". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 11, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  30. Official Charts: From a Distance by Cliff Richard
  31. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – From a Distance". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  32. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  33. (http://www.magdalenesurvivorstogether.net/#/charity-single/4562712514 Magdalene Survivors Together website: Charity single)
  34. http://www.allmusic.com/album/woodworm-years-mw0000040096
  35. http://www.allmusic.com/album/from-cropredy-to-portmeirion-mw0000454338
  36. "From a Dog's Stance" lyrics from official Jay Mankita web site
  37. "In a Closeup, album". Archived from the original on February 4, 2002. Retrieved June 17, 2009. by Sue Trainor
  38. "Trainor's Reverent Poke at Folk" by Geoffrey Himes, The Washington Post, April 30, 1993
  39. Himes, Geoffrey (April 30, 1993). "Trainor's Reverent Poke At Folk". The Washington Post.
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