The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of si… Read Full Bio ↴The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter. With their light, airy melodies and meticulously crafted, clean arrangements, the duo stood in direct contrast with the excessive, gaudy pop/rock of the '70s; yet they became one of the most popular artists of the decade, scoring 12 Top Ten hits, including three number one singles.

Karen Carpenter's calm, often somber voice was the most distinctive element of their music, settling in perfectly amidst the precise, lush arrangements provided by her brother Richard. The duo's sound drew more from pre-rock pop than rock & roll, but that didn't prevent the Carpenters from appealing to a variety of audiences, particularly Top 40, easy listening, and adult contemporary. While their popularity declined during the latter half of the '70s, they remained one of the most distinctive and recognizable acts the decade produced.

The Carpenters formed in the late '60s in Downey, CA, after their family moved from their native New Haven, CT. Richard had played piano with a cocktail jazz trio in a handful of local Connecticut nightclubs. Once the family had moved to California, he began to study piano while he supported Karen in a trio that featured Wes Jacobs (tuba/bass). With Jacobs and Richard forming her backup band, Karen was signed to the local Californian record label Magic Lamp, who released two unsuccessful singles by the singer. The trio won a Battle of the Bands contest at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966, which led to a record contract with RCA. Signing under the name The Richard Carpenter Trio, the group cut four songs that were never released. Jacobs left the band at the beginning of 1968.

Following Jacobs' departure, the siblings formed Spectrum with Richard's college friend John Bettis. Spectrum fell apart by the end of the year, but the Carpenters continued performing as a duo. The pair recorded some demos at the house of Los Angeles session musician Joe Osborn; the tape was directed toward Herb Alpert, the head of A&M Records, who signed the duo to his record label in early 1969.

Offering, the Carpenters' first album, was released in November 1969. Neither Offering or the accompanying single, a cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride," made a big impression. However, the Carpenters' fortunes changed with their second single, a version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "(They Long to Be) Close to You." Taken from the album Close to You, the single became the group's first number one, spending four weeks on the top of the U.S. charts. "Close to You" became an international hit, beginning a five-year period where the duo was one of the most popular recording acts in the world. During that period the Carpenters won two Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist of 1970, and had an impressive string of Top Ten hits, including "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," "Hurting Each Other," "Goodbye to Love," "Yesterday Once More," and "Top of the World."

After 1975's number-four hit "Only Yesterday," the group's popularity began to decline. For the latter half of the '70s, the duo were plagued by personal problems. Richard had become addicted to prescription drugs; in 1978, he entered a recovery clinic, kicking his habit. Karen, meanwhile, became afflicted with anorexia nervosa, a disease she suffered from for the rest of her life. On top of their health problems, the group's singles had stopped reaching the Top Ten and by 1978, they weren't even reaching the Top 40. Consequently, Karen decided to pursue a solo career, recording a solo album in 1979 with Phil Ramone. The record was not completed at that time (though it would be released in 1996), and she returned to the Carpenters later that year. The reunited duo released their last album of new material, Made in America, in 1981. The album marked a commercial comeback, as "Touch Me When We're Dancing" made it to number 16 on the charts. However, Karen's health continued to decline, forcing the duo out of the spotlight. On February 4, 1983, Karen was found unconscious at her parents' home in Downey; she died in the hospital shortly after due to cardiac arrest, which was later due to the strain on her heart caused by years of crash dieting caused by anorexia nervosa.

After Karen's death, Richard Carpenter concentrated on production work and assembling various compilations of the Carpenters' recorded work. In 1987, he released a solo album called Time, which featured guest appearances by Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

from http://music.msn.com/artist/?artist=1607403&contenttype=artistsongs

Daddy
Carpenters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're my love
You're my angel
You're the girl of my dreams
And I'd like to thank you
For waiting patiently
Daddy's home, your Daddy's home, to stay

How I've waited for this moment

To be by your side
Your best friend wrote and told me
You had tear drops in you eyes
Daddy's home, your Daddy's home, to stay

It wasn't on a Sunday
(Monday and Tuesday went by)
It wasn't on a Tuesday afternoon
(All I could do was cry)
But I made a promise
That you treasure
And I made it back home to you

How I've waited for this moment
To be by your side
Your best friend wrote and told me
You had tear drops in your eyes
Daddy's home, your Daddy's home, to stay
Daddy's home, to stay
I'm not a thousand miles away.
Daddy's home, to stay
And I'm gonna be here come with me
Daddy's home, to stay (Come with me)
I'm not a thousand miles away.

Daddy's home, to stay
And I'm gonna be here come with me

Overall Meaning

The song Daddy's Home by The Carpenters is about a man who has been away for a long time and is finally returning home to his loved one. The man expresses his love for his partner by calling her his angel and the girl of his dreams. He acknowledges that he had to be away for a while, but he thanks her for waiting patiently for him to return.

The chorus of the song, "Daddy's home, your Daddy's home, to stay," is repeated throughout, emphasizing the joy of the man's return and his commitment to staying with his partner. He describes how he waited for this moment, longed to be by her side and to wipe away the tears that he heard she had shed in his absence. He made a promise to her that he kept and he is finally home to stay.

The song conveys a sense of happiness, relief and longing being satisfied. It is a tribute to the special relationship between a father and his children. The lyrics of the song are easy to understand and The Carpenters' Karen Carpenter's soulful voice helps to bring the song to life.

Line by Line Meaning

You're my love
You are the love of my life

You're my angel
You are like an angel to me

You're the girl of my dreams
You are the one I have always dreamed of

And I'd like to thank you
I would like to express my gratitude to you

For waiting patiently
For being patient and waiting for me

Daddy's home, your Daddy's home, to stay
I am finally home and I am here to stay with you

How I've waited for this moment
I have been waiting for this moment for a long time

To be by your side
To be with you

Your best friend wrote and told me
Your best friend informed me

You had tear drops in your eyes
You were crying

It wasn't on a Sunday
It didn't happen on a Sunday

(Monday and Tuesday went by)
It happened on any day other than Monday or Tuesday

It wasn't on a Tuesday afternoon
It didn't happen on a Tuesday afternoon

(All I could do was cry)
I was so upset

But I made a promise
I made a commitment

That you treasure
That is important to you

And I made it back home to you
I came back home to be with you

I'm not a thousand miles away.
I am not far away

And I'm gonna be here come with me
I will be here, please come with me

Daddy's home, to stay (Come with me)
I am here to stay, please come with me

I'm not a thousand miles away.
I am not far away

Daddy's home, to stay
I am here to stay with you

And I'm gonna be here come with me
I will be here, please come with me

Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES SHEPPARD, WILLIAM HENRY MILLER, Karen Gooch

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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