Close Your Eyes

"Close Your Eyes" is the first single from Jessica Van Wood's debut album has yet to be announced. The song is a strictly piano and vocals song. It it a tribute to the Hunger Games that wasn't officially released on the soundtrack.

Song information
Close Your Eyes was released May 7th, 2012 and served as Jessica's debut single. The single was released just after striking a deal with Blacklight Records and has so far peaked at #4 on the URAPS Singles charts. It was released in the US and Canada only. This song gave Jessica her first top 10 and top 5. The song also was successful for Jessica on other formats, peaking at #2 on both the airplay and download charts.

The song is about a girl who loses her friend after a brutal attack. It's a cry for help, personally written by Jessica that was written for the Hunger Games, but didn't make the final cut for the official soundtrack. Jessica said this about the song, "It's really, really sad. When writing this, I always had to have a box of tissues present as the song made me very sad, and the video was very, very hard. The poor girl that had to play my best friend was such a good actress, but I couldn't stop from crying while they were shooting, so I had to leave. I know it's hard to debut with a tearjerker, but I guess it worked. People liked me enough to push me into the top 5 of all the charts, and I'm very grateful for that. I'm happy that people are going to give me a chance.

Music video
The video begins with Jessica sitting in a room with white walls, staring out a window to a forest. She has a pained expression and eventually ventures out to the forest. By the middle of the first verse, she reaches the forest and slumps against a tree with fear in her eyes. She holds a picture of a young girl, looking less than nine and tears fill her eyes. The music video fades into a memory of Jessica as a young girl running with the girl in the picture. The two are laughing and having fun until the other girl is taken away by a masked figure. Jessica screams and chases after them, but it's too late. The video cuts back to Jessica in the forest opening a box entitled "Jessica and Raven: Friends Forever!" She pulls out a necklace and a letter and begins to cry. The flashback of Jessica and the other girl continues with Jessica running wildly through the forest, screaming and crying. She finds Raven on the ground, bleeding and crying madly. Jessica looks pained and doesn't know what to do. Back in the present, Jessica continues to walk around the forest and pulls out multiple keepsakes from their memory box. The flashback continues with Jessica singing to Raven. The little girl slows her breathing until it eventually stops, causing Jessica to go mad with sadness. The video cuts back to present Jessica walking along a beach with a sunset, crying along with the words. As the last words finish, the video pans out to show Jessica slowly walking in front of a beautiful sunset.

Physical Copies
Close Your Eyes entered the physical albums chart at #4, selling almost 80,000 copies. In its second week, the single was pushed down to #5 after two songs debuted above it. It sold 63k copies. The single has so far sold 311,583 copies in total and peaked at #4. So far in it the song's 9 week run, it has only dipped out of the top 20 once, when it sat at #21 in its 6th week, selling over 14k copies. It has since been certified platinum, giving Jessica her first platinum single and so far her best selling song.

Downloads
Close Your Eyes entered the download chart on April 21st, 2012 at #17, selling 8,037 digital copies in its first week. In the songs second week, it leaped 11 spots to #6, selling 20,060 copies. In the song's third week, it jumped to #2, her highest position on any chart so far. It fell back to #5 the following week, selling 21,000 downloads. It has so far peaked at #2 and sold 91,917 downloads.

Airplay
Close Your Eyes entered the airplay chart at a lackluster #34 on May 5th, 2012. It was spun 4,265 times in its first week. The next week, the song rocketed 28 spots to #6 and then jumped to more to #2. The song has so far peaked at #2 and has been spun 81,992 times. Since it entered the top ten in its second week, the song only fell out once when it sat at #11.

Lyrics
Just close your eyes

You'll be okay

I won't let them hurt you

It won't end this way

Just close your eyes

I will protect you

Here I will save you

We'll make it through

Just close your eyes

Just close your eyes

No one's gonna hurt you

We will get by

Just close your eyes

Just close your eyes

You're safe in my arms

Don't even cry

You are safe here

Just close your eyes

You are safe here

Just close your eyes

Just close your eyes

We will get through it

They won't beat our spirit

We'll escape this pit

Just close your eyes

Dont you give up now

Don't you lose hope

We'll do this somehow

Just close your eyes

Just close your eyes

Please don't leave me

I know that you've tried

Just close your eyes

Just close your eyes

I need you so badly

Don't fall for their lies

You are safe here

Just close your eyes

You are safe here

Just close your eyes

Don't you leave me now

I need you with me

We won't let them beat us

Please stay with me now

Please rest in peace

And remember me

Because I won't forget you

I don't know what to do

Just close your eyes

Just close your eyes

I know you tried

Now I dry my eyes

For you