The recording by Francis Craig was released by Bullet Records as catalog number 1001. It first reached the BillboardBest Sellers chart on August 30, 1947, and lasted 21 weeks on the chart, peaking at number one. On the "Most Played By Jockeys" chart, the song spent 17 consecutive weeks at number one, setting a record for both the song and the artist with most consecutive weeks in the number-one position on a US pop music chart.Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song overall for 1947. In 2009, hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas surpassed Craig's record for artist with most consecutive weeks in the number-one position with the songs "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling". However, their record was accomplished with combined weeks of two #1 songs - one succeeding the other in the top position. In 2019, "Old Town Road", by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, surpassed "Near You" for song with most consecutive weeks in the number-one position with 19 weeks.
In 1977, "Near You" became a number-one country hit as a duet for the duo of George Jones and Tammy Wynette, one of the more unlikely compositions the two country legends ever sang together. Recorded in the winter of 1974, its atypical arrangement showed that country fans still had an appetite for any music performed by the estranged couple, who had been country music's "First Couple" in the early seventies. In fact, it was their second consecutive #1 single since their divorce in 1975; they had only managed to top the charts once during their six-year marriage with "We're Gonna Hold On" in 1973.
Other versions
Other recordings of the song that charted on the Billboardbest seller in 1947 include:
Elliot Lawrence entered the chart on October 3 and peaked at number nine. This was Lawrence's only charting hit.
Larry Green entered the chart on October 10 and peaked at number three.
Two Ton Baker entered the chart at the same time as Green, and peaked at number twelve, staying for five weeks.
Alvino Rey entered the chart on October 17 and peaked at number nine in its only week on the chart. This was Rey's last charting hit.
In addition, "Near You" was used by Milton Berle as the closing song on his Texaco Star Theater, and became his theme song for many years thereafter. Other versions include:
Roger Williams recorded the song in 1958, and it charted on the BillboardHot 100 singles chart, peaking at number ten.
