So Close (Enchanted song) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "So Close" |
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| Song by Jon McLaughlin | |
| from the album Enchanted | |
| Released | November 20, 2007 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:49 |
| Label | Walt Disney |
| Composer(s) | Alan Menken |
| Lyricist(s) | Stephen Schwartz |
| Producer(s) |
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"So Close" is a popular song from the 2007 fantasy film Enchanted. It was written by famous Disney composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The song is sung by American singer Jon McLaughlin, who appears in the movie as a band vocalist.
In the film, "So Close" plays during a special dance scene. The main characters, Giselle and Robert, dance together at a fancy costume ball. The song's words describe their growing relationship. It also shows how Giselle changes and grows into a modern young woman.
As Giselle becomes more modern, the songs in Enchanted also change their style. "So Close" sounds like the pop songs from Disney movies in the 1990s. This style matches Giselle's new, modern look in the scene. It's a romantic pop ballad. Menken and Schwartz based "So Close" on the famous song from Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991). The way the scene was filmed also reminds viewers of the ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast.
"So Close" was one of three songs from Enchanted nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards. Jon McLaughlin's live performance at the awards show was highly praised. It helped many more people discover his music.
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Creating the Song
"So Close" was written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. They based it on the title song from Beauty and the Beast. Alan Menken had also written the music for that song.
The movie's director, Kevin Lima, wanted the song's last words to be "So close and still so far." This line shows that Giselle and Robert are very close, but it seems like their time together might be ending. The songwriters asked Robbie Buchanan to produce the song. Buchanan had worked on other popular Disney songs like "Beauty and the Beast," "A Whole New World" from Aladdin, and "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas.
Alan Menken first made a simple version of the song. Then, Robbie Buchanan created the music that plays behind the singer. Many musicians helped with the song before it was finished. Menken then added the orchestral parts and created a special instrumental section for the characters to dance to.
Singer-songwriter Jon McLaughlin was chosen to record "So Close." The film's music team found him through his record label. Musicians like Neil Stubenhaus (bass), John Robinson (drums), and Michael Landau (guitar) played on the track. Robbie Buchanan played both piano and synthesizer.
Alan Menken had written another version of "So Close." The filmmakers liked it but chose the final version for the movie. Also, a song for the villain, Queen Narissa, was removed. The director felt it would be too close to "So Close" and wanted to avoid the movie becoming too much of a musical. "So Close" was released on November 20, 2007, as part of the Enchanted movie soundtrack.
The Scene in Enchanted
How the Scene Fits In
The songs in Enchanted become more modern as the movie goes on. Amy Adams, who plays Giselle, said "So Close" is "a lot more poppy" than earlier songs like "Happy Working Song" and "That's How You Know". Stephen Schwartz explained that the music gets more modern as Giselle becomes a "contemporary young woman." He compared "So Close" to Disney musicals from the 1990s, like Beauty and the Beast.
The filmmakers decided to have an outside singer perform the song. This made sense for the scene, as it takes place at a ball with a band. Even though the actors pretend a live singer is performing, it's actually a pop recording with an orchestra. Patrick Dempsey, who plays Robert, at first didn't want to sing a small part of the song, but Schwartz convinced him.
The dance scene was planned to look like the famous ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast. Director Kevin Lima wanted to recreate that moment in a live-action film.
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Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey took many dance classes before filming the scene. Adams was already a solo dancer, but dancing with a partner was new for her. She found it hard to let Dempsey lead her at first. A professional ballroom dancer helped them. The dancer told Adams to "surrender" to Dempsey, reminding her that she was still dancing her own dance while being led. After rehearsing, the actors learned to trust each other. Adams felt this was an important "life lesson" about trust in real relationships.
Giselle's purple gown for the ball shows her change from a fairy tale character to a "real woman." Costume designer Mona May was inspired by 1930s musical films and early Disney Princess drawings. She also wanted the dress to look like something modern. May said Giselle's final look was "completely modern," without big hair or curls. She also wanted the dress to show Giselle's "feminine strength," as Giselle is one of Disney's first princesses to save the prince. Adams helped design the "glass slippers" Giselle wears, which were custom-made for dancing. Robert's outfit also reminds viewers of the Beast's tuxedo in Beauty and the Beast.
The scene was filmed in the Woolworth Building in Manhattan. Executive producer Chris Chase chose it because it looks like a "medieval-looking castle" with gargoyles. He felt it was a modern castle, fitting the movie's theme of mixing old fairy tales with new ideas.
How "So Close" is Used
Before the ball, Giselle goes shopping with Robert's daughter, Morgan. She gets new clothes for The King & Queen's Ball. The dress Giselle chooses shows her "transformation into a contemporary New Yorker."
Giselle and her prince, Edward, arrive at the ball. They meet Robert and his fiancée, Nancy. For "The King and Queen's Waltz," gentlemen are asked to dance with a lady they didn't come with. Edward dances with Nancy. After a moment, Robert asks Giselle to dance. This dance helps them "finalize [their] bond."
In the movie, Jon McLaughlin plays himself and sings "So Close" as part of the band. The song shows Giselle's inner feelings. As Giselle and Robert dance, other couples move away, giving them space. Robert quietly sings some of the song's words to Giselle.
Nancy eventually interrupts their dance. She reunites with Robert as Edward gets ready to leave New York with Giselle. As the song ends, Giselle watches Robert finish their dance with Nancy. Alan Menken called "So Close" a "heartfelt, emotional moment" in the film.
Song Details
"So Close" is written in the key of E major and is played "slowly." It lasts three minutes and forty-nine seconds. The song is in 4/4 time, which means it's not a waltz (waltzes are in 3/4 time).
The song is a "modern pop" ballad. Alan Menken said it's "a more contemporary, adult ballad" and fits his usual ballad style. It sounds like pop music from the 1980s and 1990s. The song uses many pop instruments like bass, drums, guitar, piano, and synthesizer. Jon McLaughlin sings it with a "melancholic voice." His voice range on the song covers three octaves.
"So Close" is a love song. Its words reflect the movie's story and Giselle's relationship with Robert. It starts with lines like "You're in my arms/And all the word is gone/The music playing on/for only two/so close together." It ends with "...So close, and still/So far..." This ending shows that even though Giselle and Robert are physically close, there is still something keeping them apart.
Live Performances and Other Versions
Jon McLaughlin performed "So Close" live at the 80th Academy Awards. The song was nominated for Best Original Song that year. Patrick Dempsey introduced the performance. Dancers dressed as Giselle and Robert recreated the ballroom scene on stage.
McLaughlin's performance was highly praised. It made him "an overnight sensation" and helped many more people discover his music. After his performance, his first album, Indiana, saw a huge increase in sales on Amazon. It even reached number one on Amazon's Movers & Shakers chart.
Singer John Barrowman and actress Jodie Prenger recorded "So Close" as a duet for Barrowman's 2010 album. Barrowman met Prenger during a TV talent show and asked her to record the song with him. She agreed right away. However, one critic felt their version didn't leave a "lasting impression."
Japanese singer Koda Kumi covered the song in 2017 for a Japanese cover album called Thank You, Disney. She kept the English lyrics, but her version had a pop and jazz sound.
