Close To You | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
||: Cadd9 C :|| x3
| Cadd9 |
Verse 1
| Cadd9 | Bm | Bm7 | Em9 |
Why do birds suddenly appear, every time, you are near?
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 | G5 | G5 |
Just like me, they long to be, close to you.
Verse 2
| Cadd9 | Bm | Bm7 | Em9 |
Why do stars fall down from the sky, every time, you walk by?
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 | G | G7 |
Just like me, they long to be, close to you.
Chorus 1
| Cmaj13 | Cmaj13 | Bm7 Bm7/D | Bm7/F# Bm7/E |
On the day that you were born the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true.
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 | Dadd9 | D5 |
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue.
Verse 3
| Cadd9 | Bm | Bm7 | Em9 |
That is why all the girls in town (girls in town). Follow you (follow you) all around (all around).
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 | G |
Just like me, they long to be, close to you.
Solo – Key change!
| N.C Db/F |
| Dbadd9 | Cm | Cm7 | Fm9 |
| Dbsus2 | Dbsus2 Db5 | Ab | Ab |
Chorus 2
| Db | Db | Cm7 Cm7/Eb | Cm7/G Cm7/F |
On the day that you were born the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true.
| Dbmaj7 | Dbmaj7 | Eb | Eb N.C |
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue.
Verse 4
| Dbadd9 | Cm | Cm7 | Fm9 |
That is why all the girls in town (girls in town). Follow you (follow you) all around (all around).
| Dbsus2 | Dbsus2 Db5 | Abmaj7 | Abmaj7 |
Just like me, they long to be, close to you.
| Dbsus2 Db5 | Dbsus2 Db5 |2/4 Db5 |
Just like me, they long to be.
|4/4 Absus2 Ab5 | Absus2 Ab5 | Absus2 Ab5 | Absus2 |
Close to you.
Outro
||: Dbmaj7 | Dbmaj7 | Abmaj7 | Abmaj7 :||
||: Wa-ah, close to you. :||
Close To You Chords: Discover the Unique Harmonic Movement
(They Long To Be) Close To You was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, so we’re in for some clever chordal movement!
Starting with Cadd9–Bm, the eagle-eyed chord enthusiast can instantly see that we’ve moved from IV to III. This is because these are the only major and minor chords a semitone apart in this section.
This tells us the key must be G. Here are (They Long To Be) Close To You‘s verse chords, with Roman numerals:
| Cadd9 (IV) | Bm (III) | Bm7 | Em9 (VI) |
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 |1. G5 (I) | G5 |2. G | G7 |
The second time we resolve to chord I, the tension is increased with a dominant 7th (G7), leading back to chord IV—just like a blues progression.
As the IV chord also starts the chorus, I really feel that G7 was necessary, as the verse and chorus chords of (They Long To Be) Close To You are similar. Here’s chorus 1’s progression:
| Cmaj13 (IV) | Cmaj13 | Bm7 (III) Bm7/D | Bm7/F# Bm7/E |
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 | Dadd9 V) | D5 |
In the TAB lesson, we look at incorporating the vocal melody in bar 2 to form a maj13 chord. Here’s a link to that part of the lesson: (They Long To Be) Close To You – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Close To You Chords: Shift to Ab and Explore the Key Change
Following this movement between verse and chorus, the only thing that changes is that we move up a semitone, to the key of Ab.
Here’s the new chorus in this key:
| Db (IV) | Db | Cm7 (III) Cm7/Eb | Cm7/G Cm7/F |
| Dbmaj7 | Dbmaj7 | Eb (V) | Eb N.C |
Even though the chords are the same, the new key requires us to play all of (They Long To Be) Close To You‘s chords differently (check the TAB). The same extensions aren’t available when using barre chord shapes.
These are (They Long To Be) Close To You‘s solo and verse 4 chords in the new key:
| Dbadd9 (IV) | Cm (IV) | Cm7 | Fm9 (VI) |
| Dbsus2 | Dbsus2 Db5 |1. Ab (I) | Ab |2. Abmaj7 (I) | Abmaj7 |
Verse 4 continues moving from Dbsus2 to Absus2; you’ll need the TAB to make it sound like the original arrangement.
The outro repeats that last movement, IV – I, but with different extensions:
||: Dbmaj7 (IV) | Dbmaj7 | Abmaj7 (I) | Abmaj7 :||
These final chords from (They Long To Be) Close To You remind me of Empire State Of Mind. Maybe it’s just me, or did Alicia Keys get inspired?
Following a deep dive into the TAB and playing along with the original recording, this chord chart is all you need.
(They Long To Be) Close To You Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
My number one rule with chord charts is that they must fit on one page; rule number two is they need to be as easy to understand as possible.
The main reason rule one is broken is usually when a song changes key and I have to rewrite everything in the new key.
In the case of (They Long To Be) Close To You‘s chords, we move up from G to Ab, so I can’t get this arrangement onto just one page.
The good news is that having it on two pages makes it clearer and easier to understand, with lots of space between sections.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: (They Long To Be) Close To You Chord Chart PDF page 1 and (They Long To Be) Close To You Chord Chart PDF page 2.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: (They Long To Be) Close To You iReal Pro page 1 and (They Long To Be) Close To You iReal Pro page 2.
Close To You was Carpenter’s first hit!
Initially released as They Long To Be Close To You with Richard Chamberlain in 1963, the song didn’t do too well; the B-side, Blue Guitar, became a hit!
In 1964, Burt Bacharach arranged the song for Dionne Warwick, this time releasing it as a B-side to Here I Am.
Again, it didn’t chart well, so Burt released his version in 1968, but this didn’t work either!
In 1970, the Carpenters released their version, now named (They Long To Be) Close To You.
This time it was a success, even snatching a Grammy, beating out Let It Be by The Beatles and Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel.
Following the success of (They Long To Be) Close To You, the Carpenters went on to sell more albums than any other act in the 1970s.
Close To You Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: (They Long To Be) Close To You (Carpenters) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: