WIL DARCANGELO: Music
4. The Nearness of You
(WIL DARCANGELO)
music by Hoagy Charmichael, lyrics by Ned Washington
As with much of my material, I'd never heard this song before it was suggested to me by my woodwind player Zach Chadwick. He thought it would be a good fit for my voice and so I called my arranger. I left him a voice mail message saying that I wanted to do "The Nearness of You" and, knowing my range, he could pick the key. I got a pdf of the chart emailed to me a few days later and, never actually having heard the song before, I started plunking it out on my piano to teach it to myself. I had no idea that this song was meant to be a ballad! It seemed so lively and upbeat to me! I thought that it sounded more like a pop song than a ballad and I added a hefty minor third key change toward the end simply because it gave me pleasure to do so. Purists out there may object (in fact Rev. Jim Rice, my arranger, said he'd be embarassed to play it!), but I love the abandon this version inspires for me. Outside the box....
THE NEARNESS OF YOU
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’ll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night
The nearness of you.