"Come Close" is a single by rapper Common

Common (rapper)

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....

 featuring guest vocals by Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

. The song is produced by Chad Hugo

Chad Hugo

Charles Edward Hugo is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of the funk/rock band N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist...

 and Pharrell's production team, The Neptunes

The Neptunes

The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...

. Peaking at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, "Come Close" is the only song from Common's 2002 album Electric Circus

Electric Circus (album)

Electric Circus is the fifth studio album by rapper Common, released December 10, 2002 on the now-defunct MCA Records. The album was highly anticipated and praised by many critics for its ambitious vision. However, it was not as commercially successful as his previous album, Like Water for...

to make an appearance on the national music chart. It was released in conjunction with a promo video directed by Sanaa Hamri

Sanaa Hamri

Sanaa Hamri is a Moroccan American music video and film director. She is one of the few prominent female film and music video directors of color.-Early life and breakthrough:...

 and Questlove of The Roots

The Roots

The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...

. The song's lyrics are a loving marriage proposition to Common's then girlfriend Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu

Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...

. Jack LV Isles of Allmusic describes it as a "slow-paced dialogue [...] that borders on typical," but will inevitably be a commercial success. Mark Anthony Neal of Pop Matters comments on its mainstream sound saying that its not a "sell-out" track, just a "fly love song" in which The Neptunes "brought their A-game."

Music video

In the video for the song, Common visits his girlfriend, a deaf-mute

Deaf-mute

For "deafness", see hearing impairment. For "Deaf" as a cultural term, see Deaf culture. For "inability to speak", see muteness.Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was both deaf and could not speak...

 woman (although this is not mentioned in the song itself). As she looks outside of her window, Common raps the verses to the song, while using cardboard signs to communicate the meanings of the words to her. After the second verse, he eventually proposes with the lines "I'm tired of the fast lane, I want you to have my last name." His girlfriend gladly accepts and they then drive off.

In the woman's room, behind her bed, there is a poster written in sign language. If one looks closely, it spells out "COMMON".

This video was nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

 2003 for the MTV2 Award

MTV Video Music Award - MTV2 Award

The MTV2 Award was first presented at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2001. The category recognized the best videos to have premiered and/or got their start in MTV's sister channel, MTV2. Much like the Viewer's Choice award, the MTV2 Award was also fan-voted...

, but it lost to AFI

AFI (band)

AFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...

's "Girl's Not Grey

Girl's Not Grey

"Girl's Not Grey" is a song by American rock band AFI. It was released as the debut single from their sixth studio album Sing the Sorrow in 2003. It is the band's third most successful single, peaking at #7 on the Alternative Songs Chart and #14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart...

."

Remixes

The main remix

Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 of this song is titled "Come Close (Remix) (Closer)." It features guest vocals by Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu

Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...

, Pharrell and Q-Tip

Q-Tip (rapper)

Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...

. Produced by J Dilla

J Dilla

James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...

, it utilizes a sample of "Daylight" by RAMP

RAMP

RAMP was an American soul/jazz band from Cincinnati, Ohio. RAMP has mistakenly been said to stand for "Roy Ayers Music Production" and "Roy Ayers Music Project", but Ayers was not a member, though he did write and produce songs on their debut album....

. It was also remixed by German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 dance

Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

 group Boozoo Bajou

Boozoo Bajou

Boozoo Bajou is a musical duo from Germany. They are noted for their distinct blend of Cajun sounds with island rhythms. Their first album, Satta, was released in 2001. In 2005 they released Dust My Broom...

. This remix is about six minutes long and can be found on their 2003 album Remixes. In 2003, hip hop producer

Hip hop production

Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical aspects of hip hop. This means that hip hop producers are the instrumentalists involved in a work...

 Blackbeard also remixed "Come Close" and released it as a single. In 2005, Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 hip hop producer Nicolay remixed it for his album The Dutch Masters, Vol. 1. Skillz

Skillz

Shaquan Lewis, also known as Mad Skillz, Skillz, is an American rapper known for his acclaimed 1996 album From Where???, a reference to his origins in Virginia, not the stereotypical New York City or Los Angeles rapper, and he's also known for his yearly "Rap Ups", which he has done since...

 used the beat for the 2002 Rap Up.

12-inch single

A-side

1. "Come Close to Me (LP)"
2. "Come Close to Me (Instrumental)"
3. "Come Close to Me (A Cappella)"

B-side

1. "I Got a Right Ta (LP)"
2. "I Got a Right Ta (Instrumental)"
3. "I Got a Right Ta (A Cappella)"

"Come Close Remix (Closer)" CD single

1. "Come Close Remix (Closer) (Main)" (4:37)
2. "Come Close Remix (Closer) (Instrumental)" (4:37)
3. "Come Close (Main)" (4:23)
4. "The Hustle (Clean)" (4:20)
5. "Aquarius (Clean)" (4:53)
6. "Come Close (Multimedia Track)" (3:48)

"Come Close Remix" (Closer)" 12-inch single

A-side

1. "Come Close Remix (Closer) (Main)" (4:37)
2. "Come Close Remix (Closer) (Instrumental)" (4:37)
3. "Come Close Remix (Closer) (A Cappella)" (5:11)

B-side

1. "The Hustle (Clean)" (4:20)
2. "The Hustle (Instrumental)" (4:19)
3. "Aquarius (Clean)" (4:53)
4. "Aquarius (Instrumental)" (4:53)

Chart positions

Chart (2002)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	65
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...	21
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...	18