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: Learn the progressions
(They Long To Be) Close To You was written by Burt Bacharach, so we are in for some clever chordal movement with this one!
Starting with Cadd9 – Bm, the eagle-eyed chord enthusiast can instantly see that we have moved from IV to III since this is the only area where we have a major chord and a minor chord a semitone apart.
This tells us that the key must be G. Here are 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 dom7, leading back to chord IV, just like a blues.
As the IV chord is also what starts the chorus, I really feel that G7 was necessary as the verse and chorus chords of Close To You are so 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 how to incorporate the vocal melody in bar 2 and in doing so 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.
Following this movement between verse and chorus, the only thing that happens 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, as the key is new, we have to play all of Close To You’s chords in a different way (check the TAB). The same extensions aren’t available when using barre chord shapes.
These are Close To You’s solo and verse 4‘s 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 – Absus2 which you simply must have TAB to make it sound like the original arrangement.
The outro repeats that last movement, IV – I, but now with different extensions, like this:
||: Dbmaj7 (IV) | Dbmaj7 | Abmaj7 (I) | Abmaj7 :||
These last chords from Close To You remind me of Empire State Of Mind, maybe it’s just me or did Alicia “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 1 rule with chord charts is that they must fit on one page, rule 2 is that they need to be as easy to understand as possible.
The main reason rule 1 is broken is usually down to when a song changes key and I have to write everything out again, in the new key.
In the case of Close To You’s chords, we move up from G to Ab and therefore I can’t get this arrangement onto just one page.
The good news is that having it on two pages makes it clear 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!
(They Long To Be) Close To You was originally written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Initially released as They Long To Be Close To You with Richard Chamberlain in 1963, the song didn’t do too well, in fact, the B-side Blue Guitar became a hit!
In 1964 Burt arranged the song for Dionne Warwick, this time releasing the song as a B-side to Here I Am.
Again, it didn’t do well in the charts so Burt released his own 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 worked and the song even snatched a Grammy in favor of Let It Be by The Beatles and Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel.
Following the success of Close To You, Carpenters went on to sell more albums than any other act in the ’70s.
Close To You Chords | Related Pages
(They Long To Be) Close To You | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play Close To You by the Carpenters using TAB and chord analysis.
| Cadd9 | Bm | Bm7 | Em9 |
Why do birds suddenly appear, every time, you are near…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Burt Bacharach tunes
One of the most important composers of the last century, Burt Bacharach‘s tunes have been recorded by over 1000 artists.
Unforgettable hits include Close To You, Walk On By, Arthur’s Theme, That’s What Friends Are For, What The World Needs Now, and I Say A Little Prayer.
Burt Bacharach on the web
Carpenters tunes
Siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter started out in music early on. Richard on the Piano and Karen on Lead Vocals/Drums.
During Carpenters‘ short and troubled career, they became the biggest act of the 70s, topping even The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel at Award ceremonies.
Carpenters on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson on Close To You chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
