From a Distance


"From a Distance" is a song written in 1985 by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold. Gold was working as a secretary at the time for HBO and writing songs in her free time. Gold's friend, Christine Lavin, introduced the song to Nanci Griffith, who first recorded it for her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind.
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. She has stated that the song is about the difference between how things appear to be and how they really are.

Original Nanci Griffith version

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

    Charts

Bette Midler version

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 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 and many others.

Critical reception

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." 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." Gene Sandbloom from The Network Forty said that "the lyrics manage to take in the globe 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." Conversely, Midler's recording of the song ranked at number 37 on VH1's list of the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever." and ranked at number 14 on Blender Magazine's list of "The 50 Worst Songs Ever". Criticisms focus on the song's lyrical content and the production of Midler's version.

Track listings

UK 7"
US cassette
Japan 3"
  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "One More Round"
US CD maxi promo
  1. "From a Distance"
UK CD maxi
UK 12"
  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "One More Round"
  3. "Wind Beneath My Wings"
  4. "The Rose"
US CD maxi
  1. "From a Distance "
Note: Christmas version from 2006

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Cliff Richard version

The song was simultaneously released by Cliff Richard in October 1990 from a similarly titled album reaching number 11 in the UK Singles Charts 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
  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "Lindsay Jane II"
UK CD single/UK 12"
  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "Lindsay Jane II"
  3. "Wired for Sound"

    Charts

Magdalene Survivors Together charity version

"From a Distance" became a 2011 charity single 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