By Bernice Petkere (1933)
Close your eyes,
Rest your head on my shoulder and sleep,
Close your eyes,
And I ‘ll close mine.
Close your eyes.
Let’s pretend that we’re both counting sheep,
Close your eyes,
Oh, this is divine.
Music play,
Something dreamy for dancing
While we’re here romancing
It’s love’s holiday
And love will be our guide.
Close your eyes.
When you open them dear I’ll be near
By your side,
So won’t you close your eyes.
Recorded by Ruth Etting in 1933.
Available On:America's Sweetheart of Song
- Ruth Etting ASV/Living Era
Released: September 25, 2001
Available On:Goodnight My Love
- Ruth EttingTake Two Records
Recorded: 1930-1937
Released: November 7, 1994
This song as written by Bernice Petkere
I don’t know Kurt? If you google “Close Your Eyes” 1925 Yoell Vincent there are lots of references – including a reference to the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings, which is a partner of the Library of Congress National Jukebox website, dated 1925, with Charles Vincent listed as the composer and Larry Yoell as the lyricist.
Since the EDVR project doesn’t have a music file online for this song, there’s no way to tell definitively if it’s the same song, but since all the info on ruthetting.com came from either old 78′s, old sheet music, or old articles in newspapers and magazines, if there is a mistake, and if someone else did indeed write this version of “Close Your Eyes” then it’s not the first time there’s been some confusion.
Pingback: RuthEtting.com | VIDEO | Close Your Eyes, 1933
It is a jazz classic and heavely recorded with credit always given to Bernice Petkere.
Once someting is listed wrong on the internet it just keeps going. She wrote “Stay Out of My Dreams” for Ruth Etting as well and as you can tell from the major to minor chord changes was not from 1925.
The 1925 “Close Your Eyes” by LARRY YOELL & CHARLES VINCENT is on Edison Diamond Disc record 51659 and is NOT the same song. I can send you an MP3 of it or look and hear at http://www.aardvarkmastering.com/edison.htm
Hello Cheryl,
I have had no problem convincing the YouTube contributor of the Close You Eyes video that it was written by Bernice Petkere.
What do I need to convince you?
I can scan the sheet music of both songs and easily demonstrate the difference. You can listen to the Edison recording for the Yoell version of the song I sent to you.
Please tell me what you need to make the correction.
Kurt
Here is a link to information on the Vincent & Yoell version of Close Your Eyes.
http://home.earthlink.net/~jukejunkie/ruthettingsingscloseyoureyes/
As you can easily see it is not the version Ruth sings.
Thanks for making that page with the sheet music and music clip Kurt! I’m grateful for the correction, and to be able to credit the proper songwriter.
Like I said in my comment above, all the info on this site came from other printed sources – sheet music, the actual 78′s, old newspaper and magazine articles, and theatre programs – and from information sent to me by devoted fans of Ruth Etting over the last 14 years. And I was grateful to collect every bit of info you find here! It’s not always easy to find good information 70 or 80 years after the fact.
I am glad to discover this site…..Ruth is SO appreciated for her genuine talent. I hope she lives on forever in the hearts of her fans~!!!