Standards · 1937
The Nearness Of You chords & key
“The Nearness Of You” is a jazz standard by Hoagy Carmichael from 1937. Most bands play it in F major, ballad; the tune runs 30 bars in AAB form. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres G minor, F major and B♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 7 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — F major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Gm7×7
- C7×7
- Fmaj7×5
- Cm7×3
- F7×3
- B♭maj7×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
G minor, F major and B♭ major
History
"The Nearness of You" is a popular song written in 1937 by Hoagy Carmichael, with lyrics by Ned Washington. Intended for an unproduced Paramount Pictures film titled Romance In The Rough, the studio's publishing division Famous Music reregistered and published the song three years later in 1940. It was first recorded by Chick Bullock and his Orchestra on Vocalion. The song was also heard in the later 1940 recording "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle. Later in the 1940s and the early 1950s, many other artists covered the song, including George Shearing, Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan, Bob Manning, and a duet version by Louis Armstrong with Ella Fitzgerald. James Taylor joined Michael Brecker for a pop/jazz version on Brecker's 2000 album Nearness of You: The Ballad Book. Two years later, the song closed the Grammy Award–winning album Come Away with Me by Norah Jones.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
| 1956 | Ella and Louis Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong · “The Nearness of You” |
| 1956 | That Old Feeling Frank Sinatra · “The Nearness of You” |
| 1957 | An Evening With Oscar Peterson Oscar Peterson |
| 1967 | Simply Streisand Barbra Streisand · “The Nearness of You” |
| 2008 | Ella & Louis (and Oscar Too) Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong & The Oscar Peterson Trio · “The Nearness of You” |
| 2026 | Nearness Lizz Wright & Kenny Banks · “The Nearness of You” |
| — | Ella Et Louis Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong · “The Nearness of You” |
Transcribed solos on The Nearness Of You
| Branford Marsalis tenor saxophone | 37 BPM |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- The Nearness of You Rolf Ericson And His Swingin' Swedes · Rolf Ericson · Arne Domnerus… archive.org ↗
- The Nearness of You (Tu Proximidad) Harry James and his Orchestra · Dick Haymes · Washington · Carmichael · 1940 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Ceora 39% | A♭ major |
| If There Is Someone Lovelier 37% | C major |
| In Love In Vain 35% | B♭ major |
| Deed I Do 34% | C major |
| Young And Foolish 33% | C major |
| One Morning In May 32% | G major |
| Teach Me Tonight 32% | E♭ major |
| Billy Boy 31% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is The Nearness Of You in?
The Nearness Of You is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.
Who wrote The Nearness Of You?
The Nearness Of You was written by Hoagy Carmichael (1937).
What is the form of The Nearness Of You?
The Nearness Of You has 3 sections (AAB) with 30 bars in total.
How fast is The Nearness Of You played?
The usual groove is Ballad. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 37 BPM.
What are the chord changes to The Nearness Of You?
The opening bars are Fmaj7 | Cm7 F7 | Bbmaj7 | Bbdim7 E7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.