The Nearness of You

By Hoagy Carmichael & Ned Washington
1938

Can it possibly be that this is the first Hoagy Carmichael song covered on Standard of the Day? Apparently so! Carmichael's quiet, sweet ode to love was introduced with a hit record by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, with Ray Eberle on vocals. Several years ago, Norah Jones brought new attention to it by including a recording on her acclaimed debut album Come Away With Me.

Lyrics:

It's not the pale moon that excites me,
That thrills and delights me.
Oh no,
It's just the nearness of you.

It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation.
Oh no,
It's just the nearness of you.

When you're in my arms, and I feel you so close to me,
All my wildest dreams come true.

I need no soft lights to enchant me,
If you would only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight,
And to feel in the night
The nearness of you.

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Frank Sinatra
Diana Krall
Keith Richards
Les Brown