"You Can Close Your Eyes" is a song written by

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

which was released on his 1971 album ''

Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon ''Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released in April 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded between early January and late February of the same year. Relea ...

''. It was also released as the B-side to his #1 single "

You've Got a Friend "You've Got a Friend" is a 1971 song written by American singer, songwriter, and musician Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included on her second studio album, '' Tapestry'' (1971). Another well-known version is by James Taylor ...

". It has often been described as a

lullaby A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowledg ...

. It was initially recorded by his sister

Kate Taylor Kate Taylor (born August 15, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She is the younger (and only) sister of renowned singer-songwriter James Taylor, a six-time Grammy winner. Biography Taylor was born ...

for her 1971 album '' Sister Kate''. The song has been covered by many artists, including

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include " Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Th ...

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

Maureen McGovern Maureen Therese McGovern (born July 27, 1949) is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs " The Morning After" from the 1972 film '' The Poseidon Adventure''; " We May Never Love Like This Again" from '' ...

Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar styl ...

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

with

Natalie Maines Natalie Louise Maines (born October 14, 1974) is an American singer. She is the lead vocalist for the all-female country band The Chicks. In 1995, after leaving Berklee College of Music, Maines was recruited by the Dixie Chicks to replace their ...

, and the

King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 19 ...

James Taylor's version

Taylor wrote "You Can Close Your Eyes" about a year before it was recorded in early 1971. Taylor regards it as "a secular hymn." Rock journalist Dave Thompson considers it one of the best songs Taylor had written up to that point.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

critic Bill Janovitz describes "You Can Close Your Eyes" as "a beautiful

", and ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' critic Ben Gerson similarly calls it "an exquisite lullaby." Critic Al Rudis goes further, saying that the song "continues aylor'shold on the world championship of lullaby composers." Allmusic's William Ruhlmann describes it as a "moving" song that affirms romance. Martin Charles Strong describes it as being "lovely" and "more affecting" than "You've Got a Friend." Musicologist James Perone finds similarities between the melody of the verses of "You Can Close Your Eyes" and the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

of Taylor's earlier song "

Carolina in My Mind "Carolina in My Mind" is a song originally written and performed by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. It was Taylor's second single from his 1968 self-titled debut album. Taylor wrote ''Carolina in My Mind'' while overseas recording for ...

." Gerson compares the song's

melody A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combina ...

to that of

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later i ...

' " Here Comes My Baby." Janovitz points out a duality in the lyrics. The lyrics attempt to comfort the singer's lover, possibly after a fight. But the lyrics also sound a possibly ominous note, in that he sings "But I can sing this song/And you can sing this song when I'm gone," suggesting that he may be leaving her soon, although it is not specified whether "I'm gone" refers to ending the relationship or just going away for a while. Perone notes that the theme of a singer who can't express his feelings except through song gives "You Can Close Your Eyes" an "autobiographical-sounding feeling of authenticity." Perone also feels that the "unconventional overall structure and somewhat unpredictable phrase structure" produces a feeling of "from-the-heart spontaneity." Gerson notes that the themes in the song of farewell and that this could be the singer's last song are themes that run throughout the ''Mud Slide Slim'' album, calling "You Can Close Your Eyes" "the song which repudiates songs." Authors including Thompson and Sheila Weller have suggested that the song was written to Taylor's one-time girlfriend

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

. Taylor has confirmed this theory, stating during at least one stage performance that it was written for Mitchell. The song was written while Taylor and Mitchell were staying in a hotel in Tucumcari, NM as Taylor was filming "Two-Lane Blacktop." The only instrumentation is Taylor's

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, although live performances confirm that the closing riff actually blends two guitars to create the baroque effect. Janovitz praises Taylor's "exquisite" guitar playing, particularly noting the "

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

-meets-

country-folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradi ...

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

" at the beginning and end of the song. He also praises Taylor's "vulnerable" "quiet" singing. Taylor has performed "You Can Close Your Eyes" in live concerts many times, typically accompanied by other singers (quite often female). He performed it with Mitchell during the early 1970s. One such performance, from October 16, 1970, is included on the 2009 album ''

Amchitka Amchitka (; ale, Amchixtax̂; russian: Амчитка) is a volcanic, tectonically unstable and uninhabited island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Ref ...

''. In October 2021,

released a 1970 duet of her and then-boyfriend Taylor singing "You Can Close Your Eyes," which is to appear on her retrospective ''Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968 To 1971)''. A performance with

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

is included on the 2010 album '' Live at the Troubadour''. A solo live performance leads off the 1998 video '' Live at the Beacon Theater'', another live performance is the penultimate track on the 2002 video ''Pull Over'' and a different solo live performance closes the 2007 live album ''

One Man Band A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform. The simplest type of "one-man ban ...

''. The same live performance from One Man Band is included on ''The Essential James Taylor''. The 1998 live version was also included on the Japanese release of the

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

'' Greatest Hits Volume 2''. The studio version was included on the compilation album ''

The Best of James Taylor ''The Best of James Taylor'' is the fourth compilation album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor released by Warner Bros. Records in 2003. The same album was released in Europe as ''You've Got a Friend: The Best of James Taylor''. The a ...

''. On September 11, 2011, Taylor performed the song in New York City at the

National September 11 Memorial & Museum The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) is a memorial and museum in New York City commemorating the September 11 attacks of 2001, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bom ...

for the 10th anniversary of the

9/11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

. The song also was a regular set closer from 2004-12 (with the exception of the summer of 2006 and much of 2008), and 2017-19. In 2021 Taylor began performing it as a duet with his son Henry who had joined the band as a singer that year.

Cover versions

covered "You Can Close Your Eyes" as the closing track of her 1974 album ''

Heart Like a Wheel ''Heart Like a Wheel'' is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and ...

.'' According to music journalist Dave Thompson, producer

Peter Asher Peter Asher, (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and r ...

, who produced both Taylor's ''Mud Slide Slim'' and Ronstadt's ''Heart Like a Wheel'', reinvented the song for Ronstadt. Thompson considers it a "highlight" of ''Heart Like a Wheel''. James Taylor's ex-wife

covered the song on her 2007 album '' Into White'' accompanied by her children with Taylor, Sally Taylor and Ben Taylor. Author Sheila Weller describes this version as "slow, spectral" and "achingly beautiful." According to

critic Thom Jurek, mother and children "perform gorgeously" on this version. Taylor's sister

recorded the song for her 1971 album '' Sister Kate''.

critic Joe Viglione called it one of the "real knockout tunes" on ''Sister Kate''.

covered "You Can Close Your Eyes" on his 1976 album ''The End of the Beginning''.

covered "You Can Close Your Eyes" as the closing track of her 1992 album '' Baby I'm Yours''.

covered it on her 2003 album ''Artist's Choice: Sheryl Crow''. The

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group

the King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 19 ...

covered the song on their 2008 album ''Simple Gifts'' and

The Young'uns The Young'uns are an English folk group from Stockton, County Durham, England, who won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards "Best Group" award in 2015 and 2016 and “Best Album” for ''Strangers'' in 2018. They specialise in singing unaccompanied, an ...

covered it

on their 2012 album ''When Our Grandfathers Said No''.

performed "You Can Close Your Eyes" for a tribute concert for James Taylor in 2006.

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, g ...

, accompanied by the

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) an ...

covered the song in concert in 2010.

References

{{Authority control 1971 songs 1971 singles Songs written by James Taylor Song recordings produced by Peter Asher James Taylor songs Linda Ronstadt songs Carly Simon songs Maureen McGovern songs Warner Records singles Joni Mitchell songs