"The Nearness of You" is a popular song written by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Ned Washington. Published in 1937, the song was intended for the Paramount Pictures film Romance in the Dark, but production was suspended and the film was never completed.
Edward Michael Washington, better known as Ned Washington, is an American songwriter. Washington was nominated for an Oscar twelve times from 1940 to 1962. He twice won the statuette for Best Original Song: in 1940 for "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio and in 1952 for "The Ballad of High Noon" from High Noon. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's 1956 album of duets, Ella and Louis, included a version of this song in which Fitzgerald provided lead vocals while Armstrong provided solo vocals and trumpet. Accompaniment was provided by a small group of the Oscar Peterson Trio featuring Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar, joined by Buddy Rich on drums.
Hoagy Carmichael is an American songwriter, conductor and film actor. He is best known as the author of the songs "Stardust" (lyrics by M. Parish), "Georgia on My Mind" (lyrics by S. Gorrell) and "The Nearness of You" (lyrics by Ned Washington), which became popular jazz standards.
