Close The Door – Teddy Pendergrass | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1 for 2 weeks) & (#25); 1978
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Teddy Pendergrass might have spent his music career behind a drum kit were it not for some impromptu vocalizing at a Puerto Rican club gig. Leader Harold Melvin was hanging out in the lobby, and heard an unfamiliar voice singing Eddie Holman’s Hey There Lonely Girl.
Impressed, Melvin returned to the bandstand to find his drummer singing. When the latest line-up of Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes signed with Philadelphia International, Teddy was out front. His dramatic lead on If You Don’t Know Me By Now powered the group to #1 R&B and #3 pop in 1972.
Hit-after-hit followed until Teddy and Harold parted ways. For his solo debut, label owners Kenny gamble and Leon Huff wrote I Don’t Love You Anymore, which went Top 5 R&B but only #41 pop.
His next single didn’t even make the Hot 100. G&H returned with Close The Door; a record that gave Teddy his first #1 R&B since 1975’s Wake Up Everybody with the Blue Notes.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Producer:
- Kenny Gamble
- Leon Huff
Lyrics Writer:
- Kenny Gamble
- Leon Huff
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).