The original (performed by The Carpenters):


"Jazzed-up version"

(They Long To Be) Close To You

(They Long to Be) Close To You

To download score: http://www.scribd.com/doc/5056177/Carpenters-Close-to-you-piano-sheet-music

Music by: Burt Bacharach

Key: Eb major

This song, first made famous by The Carpenters, is certainly a popular hit among couples. It has a simple and easy-to-catch melody, yet it has a groovy, jazzy harmony which sets one to sing it over and over again.

Several features worth pointing out:

Form
Extended binary form ll:A::B A’ :ll is displayed in this song. It is structured as follows:

• ll:A:ll - Bars 1 to 8, which this theme is repeated from bars 8 to 15, which ends with a plagal (IV -I) cadence
  


• ll:B A’ :ll
  1. ‘B’ section – Bars 17 to 23. This section is clearly seen as an extension of the previous ‘A’ section, hence employs the organic principle. This section is left harmonically open – imperfect cadence (IV-V) seen at bar 21-22. This cadence marking exemplifies that this section is not a ‘self-contained’ section, that there is another section ‘coming up’ to tie up the whole song.

2. ‘A’ section – Bars 24-28. This section is an exact duplicate of the first ‘A’ section

Sentence structure

This song clearly follows a rhythmic profile of 2+2+4 sentence structure, or ‘short short long’ structure as below:

Short: “Why do birds suddenly appear” bar 1-2
Short: “Every time you are near” bar 3-4
Long: “Just like me, they long to be close to you” bar 5-8


This structure is also seen at:

Short: “On the day that you were born the angels got together and” Bar 17-18
Short: “decided to create a dream come true” Bar 19-20
Long: “So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue.” Bar 20-23

Such 2+2+4 sentence structure gives a stable and predictable rhythmic pace, allowing listener to tap their feet easily along with the music.

Chromatic lines
The composer uses chromaticism evidently in this music. Such feature creates the following elements:
1. Groovy harmony

This is attained by the play of the descending chromatic lines, which their harmonies are part of T (Tonic) expansion. For instance, at bs 2-3: G7(sus4)- G7- Gm7 , indicates descending C-B-(implied)Bb in the lower voice. This is a T expansion of III chord. Such expansion is also seen at b 20: C9(sus4)- C9- C7 leading a F-E-Eb in the lower voice.

Similarly, Bs 21-22: Ab(add2)- Abmaj7- Ab6 reveals a subtle descending line in the middle voice Bb- A- G. This descending line takes the role of a PD expansion, giving a ‘smooth’ landing to the ‘F’ of the dominant Bb chord, which is the D (dominant) in this phrase structure.

2. Smooth links between sentence structures

The composer utilizes chromatic auxiliary lines to link from the end of a phrase structure to a start of new phrase structure. This is seen at b 15-16, T expansion of Eb6- Ebmaj7-Eb6-Eb7. The Eb6- Eb7 creates a hidden melodic line of C-Db, moving on to ‘C’ at bar 17 of the Ab chord. Hence, the clever use of Eb7 chord stimulates the listener that the music has not stopped but ‘there is more to come’, creating a smooth transition from one phrase structure to another.

In all, the use of chromatic lines allows the melodic line to not sound mundanely bonded to a particular scale. Hence, it sets music moving, bringing listeners into the realm of magical love.

Chord progression
The song is basically made up of the following progression: I-IV-III-vi-IV-I for the ll: A:ll section. This progression is displays a different harmonic phrase structure as follows:

I - IV- III- vi - IV- I

T------------------- PD- T

In the usual tonal music, IV-I is usually a tonic (T) expansion of the harmonic phrase structure, where a perfect cadence (V-I) precedes before this cadence. However, in this song, the absence of such cadence causes IV-I to take up the function of PD-T.

The ll:B:ll section comprises of IV-iii-VI-IV-V. The alternation of major to minor chords influences the overall flow of the song. As major and minor chords bring in different colours to the music, it ensures that the music is least boring, that one would want to sing it over and over again.

I enjoy listening and singing to this song. It is amazing how the use of the abovementioned harmony can create the atmosphere associated with the lyrics of the song, even without the alteration of rhythm (Simple quaver beats are used throughout the whole song).

The 2nd video above is a more 'jazzed up' version of this song.

Feel free to comment, and enjoy this song!