(Debuted May 17, 1980, Peaked #56, 8 Weeks on the Chart)
Although this song likely deserved to be a bigger hit than it was, it would have been a sad reminder if it had actually gone into the Top 40. That's because Donny Hathaway had apparently jumped from the window of a hotel where he was staying on January 13, 1979. Since he had been battling depression, the death was ruled a suicide.
During his bouts with depression, Hathaway managed to push Roberta Flack away despite the series of hit duets they had in the early 1970s. After not speaking to each other for several years, they reconciled in 1978 and recorded a #2 pop hit called "The Closer I Get to You." A duet album was planned; however, Hathaway only recorded two songs for it before his untimely death.
The YouTube video below has the full 9-minute version of the song, which gives a proper appreciation for the chemistry Flack and Hathaway shared, as well as the talent that was so quickly silenced when he made the fateful decision that ended his life.
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