The late Arthur Russell didn't release his tender ballad "Close My Eyes" during his lifetime. Russell passed away from AIDS-related illnesses in 1992, and "Close My Eyes" came out on 2008 the posthumous album Love Is Overtaking Me, amidst a renewed wave of appreciation for Russell's work. Since then, though, "Close My Eyes" has become one of Russell's best-known songs, and it's been covered by people like Robin Pecknold and Jeff Tweedy. Now, the folk guitar virtuoso Jake Xerxes Fussell has released his version.
Last year, Jake Xerxes Fussell released his album When I'm Called, and it was one of our favorites of 2024. For a while now, Fussell has been playing his cover of "Close My Eyes" live. Now, he's shared the studio version of that cover. Fussell treats "Close My Eyes" as if it's a traditional folk song, and his stripped-down version taps into the beauty and vulnerability of the original. In a press release, Fussell says:
I’ve long felt partial to the country waltz as a song form. I enjoy playing them. And like so many of us record listeners, I became intrigued a number of years ago with the posthumously released recordings of the beautiful composer/cellist/singer/producer Arthur Russell. "Close My Eyes" naturally became something I’d slip into my shows every now and then. People began requesting it, and in time it became something of a setlist fixture and it seems to have developed a life of its own there.
Below, listen to Jake Xerxes Fussell's cover of "Close My Eyes," as well as the Arthur Russell original.
When I’m Called is out now on Fat Possum. Read our interview with Jake Xerxes Fussell here.
