The group was part of the "Brooklyn sound" of the early 1970s, formed from three players of the group King Davis House Rockers. The House Rockers were a local dance band who had released a couple of obscure singles (1967's "We All Make Mistakes Sometimes" on Verve Records, 1972's "Rum Punch") The three players (guitarist Richard Thompson, tenor sax player Bill Risbrook, and alto sax player Carlos Ward) formed Madison Street Express along with bassist Louis Risbrook (later Muslim-monickered Jamal Rasool), percussionist Dennis Rowe, drummer Terrell Wood, and vocalist Barbara Wood. They along with producer Jeff Lane signed with production company Roadshow Records to record writer Billy Nichols "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)." The record was shopped around to major labels until it was accepted at Scepter Records. Scepter suggested the group change its name from Madison Street Express, hence the Brooklyn Transit Express. The single was released in August 1974, and reached the top 10. Lane took the group back into the studios at that point to record a second single and pitch a full album to the label. Scepter agreed to the LP and to Roadshow Records having its own label within Scepter Records.
The first two singles were hits, both number 1 R&B releases and both Top 5 pop singles in the US. The album hit number 1 on the R&B album chart and number 5 on the Pop album chart of the US. These recordings were also hits in the spreading disco culture, "Do It" peaking on club playlists before Billboard started a separate disco chart, but the follow-up single sat for five weeks at number 1. They were certified gold releases.
BT Express released an album per year through 1978. With the third album, Leslie Ming was brought in as drummer and keyboardist Michael Jones was added as keyboardist. Jamal, who had converted to the Muslim faith, gave Jones the name Kashif Saleem, which he used after departing the group, in 1979, to pursue producing ("Mighty M Productions" with Morrie Brown and Paul Laurence Jones) and solo recording ventures. That year songwriter Billy Nichols and drummer Leslie Ming also departed the group. In 1976 Scepter records was experiencing business difficulties that soon ended the company, and BT Express was given a distribution deal with Columbia Records, which, though it gave them greater exposure, resulted in less attention being paid to their production, since they had so many acts to concentrate on. The group did not achieve the level of radio or sales success on Columbia that they had on the more nurturing but by-then defunct Scepter. They stayed with Columbia for five years, with Lane producing through 1978, then Nichols producing their fifth album before he departed for solo work, and Morrie Brown producing the sixth LP and several follow-up tracks. The group switched labels to Coast To Coast Records for the 1982 LP, to Earthtone Records for a later 1982 single, and to manager King Davis' own label in 1985.
Close To You
B.T. Express Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time you are near
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Why do stars fall down from the sky?
Every time you walk by
Just like me, they long to be
On the day that you were born
And the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust
In your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
On the day that you were born
And the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust
In your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
The lyrics to B.T. Express's song Close to You are a beautiful and poetic tribute to the power of love and attraction. The song's opening lines, "Why do birds suddenly appear? Every time you are near," describe the feeling of being drawn to someone so intensely that even nature seems to respond. The comparison of the singer's longing to that of the birds emphasizes the deep connection between the two.
The second verse, "Why do stars fall down from the sky? Every time you walk by," takes this romantic imagery even further, invoking the idea of falling stars as a symbol of great power and beauty. The repetition of "just like me, they long to be close to you" reinforces the idea that the singer is not alone in their attraction to this person.
The final verse offers an explanation for the intense attraction the singer feels towards their beloved. The idea of angels coming together to create a "dream come true" offers a magical and mystical explanation for the power of love. The use of moon dust and starlight to create this special person emphasizes their extraordinary qualities and serves to further elevate them in the eyes of the singer and those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do birds suddenly appear?
Why does your presence make everything seem more beautiful and magical?
Every time you are near
Every time you are near, everything around me becomes more captivating.
Just like me, they long to be
Like me, the birds that appear long to be close to you.
Close to you
Close to you, everything seems more enchanting and worthwhile.
Why do stars fall down from the sky?
Why do the stars fall when you walk by, almost like the universe is trying to show off how beautiful you are?
Every time you walk by
Every time you walk by, the world becomes even more alluring.
On the day that you were born
The day you were born, a dream come true was created.
And the angels got together
It's almost as if heavenly beings came together to create something incredibly special.
And decided to create a dream come true
They came together and made a dream come true by bringing you into the world.
So they sprinkled moon dust
So they added moon dust to your hair.
In your hair of gold
Because your hair is as precious and valuable as gold.
And starlight in your eyes of blue
And added starlight to your blue eyes, making them twinkle like diamonds in the sky.
That is why all the girls in town
That's why all the girls in town can't resist you.
Follow you all around
They can't help but follow you around because you're so mesmerizing.
Just like me, they long to be
Just like me, they long to be close to you and experience the captivating beauty you bring to the world.
Close to you
Close to you, everything is more breathtaking and surreal.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind