Pery Ribeiro (born Peri de Oliveira Martins, October 27, 1937 in Rio de Jan… Read Full Bio ↴Pery Ribeiro (born Peri de Oliveira Martins, October 27, 1937 in Rio de Janeiro), was the son of composer Herivelto Martins and of the singer Dalva de Oliveira. Ribeiro is a bossa nova singer who is credited with having launched the song "Garota de Ipanema."

Ribeiro started his artistic career by providing singing and voices in Walt Disney animated movies. In 1944, he acted in the film Berlim na Batucada, by Luís de Barros. His debut on radio was in 1959, on Rádio Nacional, where he took his stage name Pery Ribeiro on suggestion of his godfather César de Alencar. In 1960, Ribeiro had his first song, "Não Devo Insistir" (written with Dora Lopes), recorded by Dalva de Oliveira. Ribeiro recorded his first single in the same year. In 1961, he recorded the bossa nova classics "Manhã de Carnaval" and "Samba de Orfeu" (both by Luís Bonfá and Antônio Maria) and "Barquinho" (Roberto Menescal and Ronaldo Bôscoli), among others.

The first LP came in 1962, “Pery Ribeiro e Seu Mundo de Canções Românticas”, backed by Luís Bonfá on the guitar. In the next year, "Pery é Todo Bossa" had an enormous success with the first recording of "Garota de Ipanema" (by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes), along with other bossa nova classics like "Me Lembro Vagamente," "Nós e o Mar," "Ah! Se eu Pudesse," and "Rio" (all by Roberto Menescal and Ronaldo Bôscoli) and originals.

In 1965, he formed the group "Gemini V" with Leny Andradel and the bossa nova trio Bossa 3. They performed at the Porão 73 club and at the Princesa Isabel theater ("Rio"), also releasing a live record of the shows. In 1966, Ribeiro went to the U.S. where he joined the Bossa Rio (Sérgio Mendes, Gracinha Leporace, Osmar Milito, Manfredo Fest, Otávio Bailly, and Ronnie Mesquita), performing in several American cities.

Pery Ribeiro passed away on February 24, 2012.

Close to You
Pery Ribeiro Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Why do birds suddenly appear?
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

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

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

Overall Meaning

In "Close to You," Pery Ribeiro ponders why natural elements like birds and stars seem to be drawn to a person he's enamored with. He explains their magnetism using his own desire to be near this person as a metaphor, suggesting that the attraction is beyond coincidence or chance. Ribeiro goes on to describe the subject of his affection as being uniquely special, as if created by angels, with moon dust in her hair and starlight in her eyes. He concludes by saying that, just like him, all the girls in town long to be close to her.

The lyrics may seem simple at first, but upon closer inspection, they reveal a depth of emotion and an appreciation for the mysteries of attraction. The use of natural elements to describe the object of affection adds a layer of romanticism to the song, highlighting the beauty of nature and its ability to inspire feelings of love and longing.

Line by Line Meaning

Why do birds suddenly appear?
The presence of your love is so strong that it attracts the presence of beautiful nature just like it attracts my heart

Every time you are near
The nearness of your love creates a beautiful aura that attracts this beautiful nature and also me

Just like me, they long to be
Similar to me, nature also desires to be closer to you and soak in the love and beauty that surrounds you

Close to you
The desire of nature, myself and other ladies is to be close to you and enjoy the aura of your love and beauty

Why do stars fall down from the sky?
The appearance of your love is so powerful that it attracts even the appearance of stars from the sky

Every time you walk by
Your majestic presence fills the air as you walk by, which attracts even the stars from the sky to appear so close to us

On the day that you were born
The day you were born was the day when the divine forces came together and decided to bless the world with a wonderful dream of an individual

And the angels got together
Various spiritual forces convened together to bless mankind with the presence of the precious gem that is you

And decided to create a dream come true
They combined their efforts to bless and create something wonderful and amazing for the world

So they sprinkled moon dust
To bestow your hair with an angelic touch like the moon dust spreading light

In your hair of gold
The combination of you and the heavenly forces produced hair that is a precious and delicate color of gold

And starlight in your eyes of blue
Spiritual forces gifted you with starlight filled eyes that shine and sparkle with the brilliance of the stars that they are

That is why all the girls in town
All the ladies in town recognize and appreciate your unique and divinely inspired beauty

Follow you all around
They follow you around as you spread your love and beauty everywhere you go

Just like me, they long to be
Like me, they too long to be near you and savor the beauty and love that surrounds you

Close to you
The deep desire of all of us is to be close to you and immerse ourselves in your loving aura

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVE FERGUSON, JONATHAN HUGHSTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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