Story Songs: Come A Little Bit Closer

One of the American groups that survived the British Invasion in the 1960s was Jay and the Americans. They put together a string of hits including "Only In America," "Let's Lock the Door," "Cara Mia" and "She Cried."

But their biggest hit was "Come A Little Bit Closer," written by Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart and Wes Farrell, that reached No. 3 on the Billboard chart in 1964.

The song is about a guy who falls for a sexy temptress:

"In a little cafe just the other side of the border
She was just sitting there givin' me looks that made my mouth water
So I started walking her way
She belonged to bad man, Jose
And I knew, yes I knew I should leave
When I heard her say, yeah"

And what did she say?

"Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long"

So one thing leads to another:

"So we started to dance
In my arms, she felt so inviting
That I just couldn't resist
Just one little kiss so exciting"

And then he's told that Jose is in the neighborhood but he can't break away from her spell until the cafe becomes quiet. Jose has arrived!

"Then the music stopped
When I looked the cafe was empty
Then I heard Jose say
'Man you know you're in trouble plenty'
So I dropped my drink from my hand
And through the window I ran"

And as he left the cafe, he could hear the woman tell Jose:

"Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long"

Oh, well....

Jay and the Americans were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, located in Sharon, Pa.,  in 2002.

"Come A Little Bit Closer" lyrics