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Why do birds sud den ly ap pear,
ev ’ry time
you are near?
Just like me,
they long to be, close to you.
That is why all the girls in town
fol low you
all a round;
just like me,
they long to be, close to you.
Just like me,
they long to be, close to you.
This page shows “Close To You” by The Carpenters in our color-coded kid songbook view — every note is colored by pitch (red C, orange D, yellow E, green F, blue G, purple A, pink B) and the lyrics sit directly under each note, so children can sing along while they play. The song is in the key of G at 120 BPM, a slightly more challenging arrangement — practice each phrase slowly first.
This arrangement is a great way to settle into the key of G major and get comfortable with smooth, flowing chord transitions at a moderate 120 BPM. Your left hand uses an octave bass pattern, so focus on landing those octaves cleanly — keep your hand relaxed and let your pinky and thumb do the stretching without tensing your wrist. Your right hand carries that iconic melody, which sits mostly in a comfortable five-finger position but does ask you to shape gentle, singing phrases, so think about pressing into each note with a little weight rather than poking at the keys. I'd suggest learning hands separately first: get the left-hand octave pattern steady and almost automatic before layering the melody on top. The trickiest moment for most students is keeping the bass rhythm even while the melody holds longer notes — slow it down to about 80 BPM until both hands feel independent, then gradually bring it up to tempo. A little sustain pedal, changed with each new bass note, will give you that warm, romantic sound the song needs. This is the piece that'll teach you to trust your left hand without watching it, and that's a skill you'll use in everything you play next.