Be Near Me

"Be Near Me"
Single by ABC
from the album How to Be a ... Zillionaire!
B-side"A to Z", "What's Your Destination?"
Released29 March 1985[1]
RecordedDecember 1984
Genre
Length3:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Martin Fry
  • Mark White
ABC singles chronology
"(How to Be A) Millionaire"
(1984) 		"Be Near Me"
(1985) 		"Vanity Kills"
(1985)
Music video
"Be Near Me" on YouTube

"Be Near Me" is a song by English pop band ABC. It was released in April 1985 as the second single from their third studio album, How to Be a ... Zillionaire!. It peaked at No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart in 1985, and was the only single from the album to reach the UK top 40. It was more successful in the United States where it reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5][6] The song also went to number-one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart in September of that year, remaining on top for two weeks.[7]

Composition

The song is written in F major (C mixolydian mode) with a BPM of 125.

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Peter Care and shows the four band members in colourful attire playing oversized, cartoonish, instruments, against a white background and floor while the camera makes a series of rolling, panning and swooping shots.[8]

Track listing

7" version

US release

  1. "Be Near Me" – 3:38
  2. "A to Z" – 2:50

UK release

  1. "Be Near Me" – 3:38
  2. "A to Z" – 2:50

12" version

US release

  1. "Be Near Me" (Munich Disco Mix) – 5:28
  2. "Be Near Me" (Ecstasy Mix) – 4:45
  3. "What's Your Destination?" (instrumental version of "Be Near Me") – 3:36

UK release

  1. "Be Near Me" (Munich Disco Mix) – 5:27
  2. "A to Z" – 2:50
  3. "What's Your Destination?" (instrumental version of "Be Near Me") – 3:38

Personnel

Credits adapted from the original album liner notes, "One Two Testing" and "International Musician".[9][10]

ABC

Additional Musicians

Chart performance

See also

References

  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 34.
  2. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "ABC". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 2. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. But after Beauty Stab flopped, ABC returned to synth pop for the fabulously poignant 1985 hit "Be Near Me," on How to Be a Zillionaire!
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "ABC – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  4. ^ Sarah Rodman (22 August 2008). "A reason to flock to '80s night". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  5. ^ "ABC Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 16.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 15.
  8. ^ Be Near Me. MTV. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015.
  9. ^ Colbert, Paul (June 1985). "ABC". One Two Testing (Jun 1985): 48–51.
  10. ^ Bashe, Philip (March 1986). "The Zillion Dollar Men". International Musician (Mar 1986): 58–61.
  11. ^ "RPM100 Singles". RPM Weekly. 30 November 1985. p. 6. Retrieved 24 February 2021 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  12. ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 30, 1985". Cash Box Magazine. 30 November 1985. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1985/Top 100 Songs of 1985". Music Outfitters. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. 28 December 1985. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2018.