Erroll Louis Garner was born on 15th June 1921 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began playing the piano at the age of three. At the age of seven he began appearing on radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh with a group called the Candy Kids. By the age of eleven he was playing on the Allegheny riverboats. At the age of fourteen in 1937 he joined local saxophonist Leroy Brown.
He played locally in the shadow of his older pianist brother, Linton Garner, and moved to New York in 1944. He briefly worked with the bassist Slam Stewart, and though not a bebop musician, in 1947 he played with Charlie Parker on the famous "Cool Blues" session. Although his admission to the Pittsburgh music union was initially refused because of his inability to read music, they eventually relented in 1956 and made him an honorary member. Garner is credited with having a superb memory for music; after attending a concert by the Russian pianist Emil Gilels, Garner returned to his apartment and was able to play a large portion of the performed music.
His 1955 recording Concert by the Sea ranks among his very best work. Ironically this recording of a performance at an army base in Carmel, California, featuring Eddie Calhoun on bass and Denzil Best on drums, was made using relatively primitive sound equipment, but Garner's inventiveness and swing made its point in each tune. Other notable works include 1951's Long Ago and Far Away and 1974's Magician, both of which see Erroll perform a number of classic standards in his own style. Often the trio was expanded to add Latin percussion, usually a conga, with electric results.
What made Erroll easy to recognise were his trademark introductions, that seemed to make no sense but broke dramatically into his exposition of the tune he was to play, and the guitar strumming sound of his left hand, playing crotchet accompaniment to his rich-sounding right hand. This approach suggests that he was influenced by the iconic rhythm guitar work of Count Basie's long time guitarist, Freddie Green. But discerning listeners could find that while his even-four left hand was a fixture, it was far from being the only rhythmic approach he took to playing.
Close To You
Erroll Garner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time you are near
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Why do stars fall down from the sky?
Every time you walk by
Just like me, they long to be
On the day that you were born
And the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust
In your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
On the day that you were born
And the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust
In your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue
That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
The overall theme of Erroll Garner’s “Close To You” is love and the feelings that come with it. The song is an ode to a person that the singer is enamored with. The lyrics suggest that when this person is around, everything seems to fall into place, as if some beautiful dream has come to life. The first set of lyrics ask the rhetorical question, “Why do birds suddenly appear?” The answer seems clear, that when the singer is close to the person they love, everything feels perfect and beautiful. The second set of lyrics states, “Why do stars fall down from the sky?” and again the answer seems to be because of the magic and beauty that the person exudes.
The latter half of the lyrics take a more mythical approach, portraying the loved person as a “dream come true” that was created by angels on the day of their birth. They sprinkled “moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue” which led to all the girls in town, including the singer, being drawn to the captivating aura of the loved one. The lyrics continue, “just like me they long to be close to you,” expressing how everyone that has the opportunity to meet the person feels the pull towards them. In essence, the lyrics are a love song that draws from the natural world and the mysteries of the heavens to paint a picture of the beloved as an irresistible force that draws admiration and love from all around.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do birds suddenly appear?
Why do birds seem to magically appear every time you are near?
Every time you are near
Whenever you're around, birds seem to flock closer to you.
Just like me, they long to be
Similar to myself, birds also yearn to be close to you.
Close to you
In your presence, birds crave the opportunity to be nearby.
Why do stars fall down from the sky?
Why do stars seem to fall from the sky every time you pass by?
Every time you walk by
As you walk, stars seem to fall from the sky as if following you.
Just like me, they long to be
Similar to myself, stars also yearn to be near you.
On the day that you were born
Referring to the day of your birth,
And the angels got together
It's as if the angels came to an agreement.
And decided to create a dream come true
The angels worked together to make your arrival a reality and a dream fulfilled.
So they sprinkled moon dust
The angels used moon dust as a material.
In your hair of gold
The moon dust was put into your lovely golden hair.
And starlight in your eyes of blue
Similarly, starlight was put into your enchanting blue eyes.
That is why all the girls in town
The reason all the girls in town
Follow you all around
Is because they can't resist following you.
Just like me, they long to be
Similar to myself, all the girls are also yearning to be close to you.
Close to you
All the girls would love the chance to be near you.
Just like me, they long to be
Just like myself, the girls all have a strong desire to be near you.
Close to you
Being close to you is the ultimate desire for these girls.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rsjmd
One of my all time favorite jazz albums;
adam braga
No doubt !
Spiro Cardamis
He is still teaching all generations what groove and More is about!! Errrolll...A role model and one and a Half!!!!
wellington Baillou
My goodness! This is one of my favorites by The Carpenters and to hear it reimagined like this is, just pure genius.
Leonardo Martina
Uno dei più grandi musicisti di tutti i tempi.
Dave Chard
Absolutely fantastic.
JiMemes
This is some really incredible piano
Michael M
The ONLY time I like this song is when Erroll plays it!
Guaguanco S. Montuno d' Cubop
The 1 and only Buyú on tumbadora layin down flames en forma de floreos...uff
Monk Schutz
Do you see the relation between Erroll and Michael Jackson ?