Move Closer to Your World
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008) |
Move Closer to Your World is a television news music package composed by jingle writer Al Ham under his Mayoham Music label. This music package was first used by WNAC-TV in Boston (currently WHDH-TV; unrelated to the present-day WNAC-TV in Providence, Rhode Island) in the fall of 1970 under the tenure of then head anchor Chuck Scarborough (now on WNBC, flagship NBC station in New York City, since 1974) but is more famous for its use on WPVI-TV in Philadelphia (then owned by Capital Cities Communications, now an ABC O&O), which started using the music for its "Action News" broadcasts in 1972. WNAC's news director moved to Philadelphia in 1972 and took the theme with him. The song is arguably one of the most recognized news themes, especially in the northeastern United States.
The theme is still used to this day by WPVI, which is now owned by Disney. It has frequently remastered the theme to make it sound less dated. In the current version, the bongo drums are downplayed, the brass instruments updated, the "hippie singers" replaced by string instruments, and the bass has been enhanced; in addition, the pitch has been raised a semitone (only the most famous portion has been remixed in this way). WPVI has been the highest-rated station in Philadelphia for four decades, and the theme has become a large part of the Philadelphia consciousness, much like the Rocky theme. Unique among news theme songs, MCTYW is offered by WPVI as a free cell phone ringtone, linked below.
The theme is also used on WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York, where it is known as The Eyewitness News Theme. WKBW was a sister station to WPVI from 1961 to 1988, and used the theme for its famous Eyewitness News format developed by Irv Weinstein. That theme was used from 1972 to 2003, before a drastic and ill-fated package change was installed in that year. After five years of falling ratings and massive complaints (including from Weinstein himself) over the format change, WKBW brought back the theme and the Eyewitness News name in October 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Other stations using Move Closer to Your World
Other Capital Cities-owned stations also used the theme, including KTRK-TV in Houston, WTNH-TV in New Haven, Connecticut, WTVD in Durham, North Carolina and KFSN-TV in Fresno, California. In addition, other stations including WPIX in New York City, WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and WJET-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania have used the song as their news theme music in the past. Most stations dropped the theme in favor of more modern packages by the early 1990s, a few years after Capital Cities bought ABC and the Action News format began to fade. As stated before, WPVI and WKBW still use variants of the original, while WNEP currently uses an updated remake, dating to 1994.
In Australia, Network Ten used the theme on its local Eyewitness News newscasts from October 1977 until February 1988 (with local variations). It was also used by many local newscasts in Canada, Latin America (most notably Brazil's Rede Bandeirantes in the 1970s and Peru's América Televisión, when it was called OBRA-TV 4 in the 1980s) and even Asia from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.
[edit] Lyrics
Move Closer to Your World is unique for news theme songs in that it contains lyrics:
- "Move closer to your world, my friend
- Take a little bit of time
- Move closer to your world, my friend
- And you'll see...
- Just a little bit of time
- That's all it takes to bring your world together
- Take a little bit of time
- Don't turn away, my friend, tomorrows are forever
- Get close to people
- Your world needs you to care, to share it
- Take the time
- Join hands, my friend, with all the people in your world
- Move in close...
- Move on in...
- And you'll see...
- Move closer to your world, my friend
- Move closer to your world
- Move closer to your world, my friend
- And you'll see..."
Usually only the first four lines are used, as in the closing of every WPVI's Action News program.
[edit] Versions
- MCTYW '70
- The original version composed by Al Ham; performed in the key of A. This version was the only one to include the full lyrics. Four "verses" were included in the package, an instrumental version, a choral version, a version that featured a jazz piano descant, and a version that was sung solo as if it were a ballad with a Liberace-style piano embellishment. This was the most commonly used in the United States from the 1970s through the 1980s. WKBW and WPVI use portions of the original theme to this day.
- MCTYW "Cut One"
- This version was one of at least 17 "cuts," or variations, of the original theme, as originally arranged by Ham. It is believed to have debuted on ATV10 in Melbourne, where it was used from 1977 to 1980. By the late 1980s, it was revived in the United States, and became the most popular version. It is the version currently used as the main theme for WPVI and WKBW. This is basically the tail end of the original package, recut and sped up 6%, so that it is in the key of B-flat.
- MCTYW '80
- Also debuting on ATV10, where it was used from 1980 to 1988, this version is brassier in instrumentation with a slightly more disco feel, and is performed in B minor. It has, to date, never been used in the United States.
- MCTYW '89
- Debuted on WKBW-TV, where it was used from 1989 to 1995 during the "NewsChannel 7" era. This version was a New Age arrangement featuring a dominant synthesizer instead of the brass band. This version, returning to the original key of A, was replaced in 1995 with a remixed version of "Cut One."[1]
- MCTYW '94
- This updated version of the song, composed by Cliff Schwarz, is currently heard on WNEP-TV in Scranton (as well as its various sister stations) and used during the 90s at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh. It has sometimes been referred to as a "dance version."
- MCTYW '97
- Debuted on WPVI-TV and performed by the London Philharmonic. This is the most infamous of versions. In an effort to make the song more thunderous and authoritative, WPVI commissioned this cover version of the song. Fan reaction was resoundingly negative, and "Cut One" was reinstated after only four days.[2]
- This Just In by 615 Music
- This version is designated as "production music" by the company, and is not intended as a main news piece. Its best known use is as the theme for the fictional "NewsChannel 7" on the Disney Channel TV series Lizzie McGuire. Nevertheless, noncommercial station WEIU-TV in Springfield, IL and a handful of stations in Puerto Rico have used it as a main theme.
- WPVI-TV Action News Arrangements by 615 Music
- This is used only for news promos for WPVI-TV's upcoming newscast and for breaking news & developing stories opens during the newscast.
- WPXI "Channel 11 News Nightbeat" theme, c. 1994
- This loosely-based remix was used to open WPXI's 11pm newscast for a time in the 1990s and used elements from Move Closer to Your World and the Cliff Schwarz "dance" version. This was used in bits and pieces until WPXI installed the Total Coverage package.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- WNEP Tribute Page (featuring audio versions of Move Closer to Your World)
- Southern Media - has full credits of every U.S. television station to use MCTYW from 1970-present and audio clips of many of those intros.
- Comprehensive list of audio clips of Philadelphia TV news themes, including short-lived London Orchestra version of MCTYW[dead link]
- Get the free MCTYW ringtone here
- "Move Closer To Your World" cuts on Television Production Music Museum
