Close To You
- the cranberries Lyrics

The Cranberries’ “Close to You” is a love song that speaks about the overpowering effect of the singer’s love interest on them and the things around them. The song begins with the singer wondering and admiring the way birds suddenly appear every time their love interest is close to them. The birds nestling around the love interest can be interpreted as an objectification of the effect the love interest has on the singer – they see everything around the person, from their movements to what they wear, as a representation of their beauty and value. The second stanza descends further into the singer’s musings as they wonder why stars fall from the sky whenever the love interest walks by. It implies that they almost lose their breath when the love interest is around, and it feels like the stars are reaching out to highlight the person’s ethereal qualities.

The third stanza highlights the celestial aspects of the love interest as the angels are said to have blessed them with moon dust in their hair and starlight in their eyes. The line refers to the love interest's extraordinary qualities that separate them from the rest of the people in the town. As a result of their beauty and charm, all the girls in the town are smitten and follow them around. The last section of the song repeats the chorus and the titular line, which is about wishing to be close to the love interest just like everything else in their life seems to want to be.

Looking at the overall message of the song, it is clear that the singer is caught up in a spell of infatuation with their love interest. The lyrics romanticize the idea that the person is so special that everything around them finds it hard to resist their natural magnetism. The Cranberries use poetic metaphors and vivid imagery to capture the all-consuming nature of romantic attraction, which can make the person feel like they are operating in an altered state of consciousness.

**Interesting Facts about Close to You:**

* The song was written by guitarist Noel Hogan, with vocals by Dolores O'Riordan.
* “Close to You” was also released under a different title "They Long to Be Close to You."
* The song was released in 1992 as part of the band’s debut album "Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We?" and was not released as a single.
* The song became famous in 1994 after being featured in an episode of Northern Exposure, a television drama.
* The song was a cover of a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 1970, which was famously performed by Richard Chamberlain.
* The Cranberries had initially intended to do an acoustic cover of the song but subsequently decided to give it an alternative rock twist.
* The Cranberries also covered “(They Long to Be) Close to You” for a tribute album titled “If I Were a Carpenter” in 1994, alongside other renowned artists such as Sheryl Crow and Sonic Youth.
* The song was also used in the 2006 movie “Stranger Than Fiction”.
* Some radio stations, including BBC Radio 2, added the song to their playlist soon after the Northern Exposure episode aired, leading to the song's popularity.
* The song's success opened many doors for The Cranberries, setting them on their path to international success and tours.

**Chords:**

Unfortunately, the chords for Close to You are not available as the song features a synthesizer instead of a guitar.