"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 Home Box Office and writing songs in her free time.^[1] Gold's friend, Christine Lavin, introduced the song to Nanci Griffith who first recorded it for her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind. It quickly became a favorite of Griffith's fans around the world.

The song also became subject of many interpretations with the most famous being the Bette Midler version in the United States and the Cliff Richard version in the UK.

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.^[2] She has stated that the song is about the difference between how things appear to be and how they really are.^[2]

[[Nanci Griffith recorded it first in her 1987 album Lone Star State of Mind and again in 1988 live in her album One Fair Summer Evening.

Judy Collins sang it live in 1989, being first recorded in her live album Sanity and Grace, and in 1990 in her studio album Fires of Eden. The Byrds recorded the song as one of 4 newly recorded studio tracks for their box set The Byrds released in 1990.

The song then became an international commercial success after it was recorded in 1990 by Bette Midler for the album Some People's Lives. "From a Distance" went to number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.^[3] The song went on to win a Grammy for Song of the Year in 1991.

Midler re-recorded a Christmas version for her 2006 Christmas Album, Cool Yule, with additional lyrics by Midler, Robbie Buchanan and Jay Landers. Additional recordings of the original have been performed by Gold, Griffith, Simon Nicol (of Fairport Convention) and many others. The song has also been sung by a number of children's choirs (including the performing arts group Theatretrain)

Midler's album, Some People's Lives also peaked at number 6 in the Billboard 200.

Much of the song's popularity coincided with the first Persian Gulf War.

The song also won a "3 Million Airs Award" from Broadcast Music Incorporated.

Charts

Track listings

7": UK (Atlantic A7820) CASS: USA (Atlantic 7567-84888-4) 3": Japan (Atlantic AMDY-5032)

1. "From a Distance"
2. "One More Round"

CDM: USA (Atlantic PRCD3528) Promo

1. "From a Distance"

CDM: UK (Atlantic A7820CD) 12": UK (Atlantic A7820T)

1. "From a Distance"
2. "One More Round"
3. "Wind Beneath My Wings"
4. "The Rose"

CDM: USA (Columbia 88697-00957-2)

1. "From a Distance (Christmas Version)"

Note: Christmas version from 2006

Criticism

The Midler recording of the song ranked at number 37 on VH1's list of the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever."^[6] and ranked at number 14 on Blender Magazine's list of "The 50 Worst Songs Ever".^[7] Criticisms focus on the song's lyrical content and the production of Midler's version, suggesting the single offers "liberal homilies, stiff rhymes and more sound F/X than a Mel Gibson movie".^[7] Blender's editors declare the "Worst Moment" to result from the use of the drum machine, stating, "If God exists, He probably hates drum machines."^[7]

More recently, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked Midler's version of the song at #59 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, stating that God is "no dummy", with "less chance of hearing this [song] from up there".^[8]

The song was simultaneously released by Cliff Richard in October 1990 from a similarly titled album From A Distance: The Event reaching number 11 in the UK Singles Charts^[9] 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.

Charts

• The Byrds (1990) for their eponymous box set
• Donna Summer, Nanci Griffith and Raul Malo (1996) One Voice: Olympic Album (produced by Michael Omartian ) Performed in French, English, Spanish and German
• Elaine Paige recorded a version during the sessions for her 1991 album Love Can Do That, which was only later released on her 1997 From a Distance compilation album.
• John Barrowman (2008), a cover version recorded for his album Music Music Music

Parodies

• In 1992, singer-songwriter Jay Mankita wrote a parody, "From a Dog's Stance", which appeared in Sing Out! magazine and was later included on his recording, Dogs Are Watching Us.^[10] Mankita adopts the viewpoint of the canine rather than the divine: "From a dog's stance, we all have enough... / so why not give dogs more? / From a dog's stance, dogs can't comprehend... / what all these cats are for."^[10]
• The song has also been satirized by singer-songwriter Sue Trainor in her In a Closeup.^[11] According to a Washington Post review, "Trainor seems to genuinely admire 'From a Distance', Julie Gold's anthem of universal brotherhood, for she treats the hymn-like melody with great respect. She changes the lyrics, though, and instead of waxing poetic about the beauty of the world 'from a distance', she points out how flawed it all looks 'in a closeup'."^[12]

• "From a Distance" review at AllMusic
• "From a Distance" at Songfacts
• Video of Julie Gold's Grammy Acceptance
• "From a Distance" awakens space shuttle astronauts