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Nearly a quarter-century after its release, Goapele’s “Closer” continues to soundtrack people’s lives, from weddings to graduations. The song can be readily heard blasting from sound systems in the backs of Buicks in the Town, and uptempo house music remixes of it play constantly in sweaty nightclubs from London to Johannesburg.
Late this month, the Oakland singer and songwriter will perform older and newer music alike — and of course, “Closer” — during a May 23 and 24 residency at Yoshis’ jazz club in Oakland.
A few weeks ago, multiple Instagram accounts began claiming that “Closer” was the first-ever music video by an African-American woman to be uploaded to YouTube…