"From a Distance" is a song written in 1985 by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold. Gold was working as a secretary at the time for HBO and writing songs in her free time. Gold's friend, Christine Lavin, introduced the song to Nanci Griffith, who first recorded it for her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind. The song was covered a number of times, with the most successful being a version by Bette Midler which became a major hit in 1990. Interpretation Julie Gold has stated that she believes in an immanent and beneficent God, and also thinks that people have a right to interpret the song any way they want, as with all art. She has stated that the song is about the difference between how things appear to be and how they really are. Original Nanci Griffith version Nanci Griffith recorded it first in her 1987 album Lone Star State of Mind. Nanci Griffith stated that a songwriter Julie Gold sent her the song in 1986, asking Griffith what was wrong with it, as Gold had sent it to many artists and record companies but none wanted to record it. Griffith answered that she loved it so much the moment she heard it and that she wanted to hear it performed personally by Gold. This established a relationship between the two with Griffith being the first to record "From a Distance" in her Lone Star State of Mind album. Griffith performed it live many times and a version of her live performance on August 19–20, 1988 at the Anderson Fair, a Houston, Texas club long known for featuring folk artists in an intimate setting, appeared in her live album One Fair Summer Evening. The Griffith version charted only in Ireland, where her version became a sleeper hit, spending 17 non-consecutive weeks in the Irish Top 30 during 1988, peaking at number nine in April. Track listing Ireland 7" (MCA 1169) "From a Distance" "Sing One For Sister" Charts Bette Midler version "From a Distance" became an international commercial success after it was covered by American singer Bette Midler for her seventh studio album, Some People's Lives (1990). World events at this time gave the song a resonance as an anthem during the Gulf War. It reached number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song went on to win