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Rolling Stones songs: The Nearness of You
It isn’t your sweet conversation/ That brings this sensation, oh no…
Written by: Carmichael/Washington Recorded: Olympia Theatre, Paris, France, July 11 2003
The song The Nearness of You was penned by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Ned Washington and first featured in H.C. Potter’s 1938 film Romance in the Dark. Just two years later, Glenn Miller and his big band scored a major hit with it, which spurred countless renditions by renowned artists like Dinah Shore, Nat King Cole, and even a memorable duet by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. While the Rolling Stones are famously known for their love of traditional blues over the popular music standards of the American songbook, The Nearness of You remains an exception they’ve embraced, showcasing their versatility.
Keith Richards in his book Life: “It took me years to fully appreciate the talent of Broadway composers and musicians […]. And then when I started to write songs myself, I was able to measure the art of musical construction and the craftsmanship of these guys. I have the same esteem for Hoagy Carmichael, whose phone call I will never forget six months before his death.” The phone call was Hoagy wanting to congratulate Keith Richards on the demo he had made playing the piano in “The Nearness of You.” So it was partly in memory of Hoagy Carmichael, who died in 1981, that the Rolling Stones added this song to their set list on the Licks Tour.
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