Marti Pellow (born March 23, 1965 in Clydebank, near Glasgow, Scotland) is … Read Full Bio ↴Marti Pellow (born March 23, 1965 in Clydebank, near Glasgow, Scotland) is the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet.

He enjoyed success with the group throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. However, in 1997 drummer Tommy Cummingham left the band and its success waned immediately. Pellow was by this time suffering from addiction to heroin. He famously quoted, on finally beating the drug, "It was textbook. I couldn't function without it. But there's no romantic side to heroin - it's no good."

In May 1999, Marti left Wet Wet Wet in order to embark on a solo career. November that year saw Marti on his first solo tour. On 4 June 2001, he released his first single, Close To You, followed a few weeks later by his first solo album, Smile. A further single, I've Been Around The World, was released that November; towards the end of the year he had a seven-date tour (the Smile Tour) around Britain. In 2002, Marti hosted and sang in Girls' Night Out, one of a week of shows in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, at the Royal Albert Hall. This led to him being offered the part of Billy Flynn, the lawyer in the play Chicago in London's West End.

Close To You
Marti Pellow Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Time is never on our side
Beauty reaches for the light
From the shadow of your smile
Into my arms

There's a flower in my field you know
Holding love up like a shield
Now I know we have it sealed

Here in my heart

Every night I turn the light down slowly
And watch you in your afterglow
I want to get close to you
Tell me you want me to

What can I do?
I need you now
And I want you now
In my life

Where the stream begins to flow
A life of love that springs you know
From every word
Into my soul

Treasure buried deep inside
Turns the hands way back in time you know
Leaving all our past behind
Can we let it go?

Every night I turn the light down slowly
And watch you in your afterglow
I want to get close to you
Tell me you want me to

What can I do?
I need you now
And I want you now
In my life

We've been holding on
For things to change
The fear is gone
We've turned the page

In the book of love
And to know this love
Is to own it all
From high above

I feel the call
Of your love
My love
I want to get close to you

Tell me you want me to
What can I do?
I need you now
And I want you now

In my life
I want to get close to you
Tell me you want me to

I want to get close to you
I want to get close to you

Overall Meaning

Marti Pellow’s Close to You is a love song that describes the depth of love felt by the singer, and his desire to be close to his beloved. The first verse implies that time is fleeting, and beauty, in this case, the beauty of love, should be appreciated and cherished. The narrative switches, and the singer talks directly to his lover, describing her as a flower in his field, who holds their love like a shield against the world. He recognizes that their love is sealed in his heart, and he wants to get closer to her.

The second verse expands on the first, describing love as the source of life and the treasure buried deep inside their hearts. He then wonders if they can let the past go and make a new start. In the final verse, the singer recognizes that they have been holding on for things to change, but now they can turn the page in the “book of love” and start anew. The repeated chorus expresses his desire to be close to his lover and be wanted by her.

The song’s instrumentation is light and melodic, and Pellow’s vocals are emotive and tender. The lyrics express vulnerability, the need for human connection, and the desire to be loved unconditionally. The song’s theme makes it a popular choice for couples’ first dances at weddings, and it has become an enduring classic.

Line by Line Meaning

Time is never on our side
We always have a limited amount of time to spend together

Beauty reaches for the light
Beauty looks for positivity and joy

From the shadow of your smile
From under your joys and happiness

Into my arms
I want to hold you close

There's a flower in my field you know
There's a symbol of our love growing in my life

Holding love up like a shield
Our love protects us from harm and negativity

Now I know we have it sealed
I am sure that our love will last forever

Here in my heart
My love for you is deep inside me

Every night I turn the light down slowly
I watch you as you get ready for bed

And watch you in your afterglow
I admire how beautiful and calm you look after a long day

I want to get close to you
I want to be intimate with you

Tell me you want me to
Please let me know if you want this too

What can I do?
How can I make you mine?

I need you now
I crave your love and presence

And I want you now
I desire to have you in my life

Where the stream begins to flow
Where our love started and began to grow

A life of love that springs you know
Our love brings positivity and growth

From every word
From every conversation and interaction

Into my soul
Into the deepest parts of me

Treasure buried deep inside
Love that we deeply cherish within ourselves

Turns the hands way back in time you know
Reminds us of our past and the love that brought us here

Leaving all our past behind
We can let go of our past and focus on our love

Can we let it go?
Can we truly forgive each other and move forward?

We've been holding on
We've been waiting for our relationship to improve

For things to change
Hoping that things will naturally improve over time

The fear is gone
We are no longer scared of the future

We've turned the page
We are ready to start a new chapter in our love story

In the book of love
In our relationship

And to know this love
To fully understand our love for each other

Is to own it all
Is to acknowledge and embrace everything about our love

From high above
Looking at our relationship from a distance, we can see the love we have for each other

I feel the call
I am drawn to you and your love

Of your love
The love that you give me

My love
The love that I give you

I want to get close to you
I want to be intimate with you

Tell me you want me to
Please let me know if you want this too

What can I do?
How can I make you mine?

I need you now
I crave your love and presence

And I want you now
I desire to have you in my life

In my life
As a partner and lover in my life

I want to get close to you
I want to be intimate with you

Tell me you want me to
Please let me know if you want this too

I want to get close to you
I want to be intimate with you

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERNARD EDWARDS, ANDREW LOGAN, NILE RODGERS, MIKE MORE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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