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
Hits Medley '76
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Make it simple to last
Your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not
Good enough for anyone
Else to hear
Just sing, sing a song
Fall down from the sky?
Everytime you walk by
Just like me
They long to be
Close to you
Just like me
They long to be
Close to you
Ooh-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, close to you
Ooh-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, close to you
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, close to you
Let's take a lifetime to say
I knew you well
For only time will tell us so
And love may grow for all we know
He's got a ticket to ride
He's got a ticket to ride
He's got a ticket to ride
And he don't care (Baby, baby)
Don't care (Baby, baby)
Baby, baby
Feels like maybe things will be all right
Baby, baby
Your love's made me
Free as a song singin' forever
Only yesterday when I was sad
And I was lonely
You showed me the way to leave
The past and all it's tears behind me
Tomorrow may be even brighter than today
Since I threw my sadness away
Only yesterday
(Guitar Solo)
When there's no gettin' over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you
I don't wanna talk
About the things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me
Now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play
I don't wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You've come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self-confidence
The winner takes it all, oh
(Guitar Solo Continued)
The winner takes it all
The loser standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny, hee
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give anymore (The winner takes it all, oh)
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give anymore
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give anymore, oh, oh, oh, oh
(Guitar Solo Until End)
The Carpenters Hits Medley '76 is a compilation of some of the group's most popular hits. "Sing" begins with gentle encouragement to make music a part of life, even if it never reaches an audience of others. The chorus urges listeners to sing a song with an unselfconscious heart as everyone possesses a voice that deserves to be heard. The song reminds us that we all have something to offer, regardless of how insignificant it might seem to others.
The second part of the medley is a classic love ballad called "Close to You." The romantic lyrics describe how the universe seems to long for the person that the singer loves. The song speaks of the singer's intense longing to be closer to the one he/she desires. The melody is soft and sweet, and the lyrics are timeless, making it a quintessential love song to this day.
The final song of this medley is an emotional tune "Without You." The song expresses the pain and misery of losing someone who gave life zest and meaning. It's a melancholy love song about loss, heartbreak, and learning to live without someone who made life worthwhile. The song is cryptic about whether the loss is a romantic relationship, a loved one who passed away, or something else entirely. However, it expresses the raw, visceral pain of losing something that gave life meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Sing, sing a song
Encourage yourself to sing a song
Make it simple to last
Choose easy-to-remember lyrics
Your whole life long
Sing forever, throughout your life
Don't worry that it's not
Don't stress about people not liking your song
Good enough for anyone
It doesn't have to impress others
Else to hear
Just let yourself hear your own voice
Why do stars
Just like the stars
Fall down from the sky?
You make me feel like I'm falling
Everytime you walk by
Whenever I see you
Just like me
I'm not the only one who feels this way
They long to be
They also want to be close to you
Close to you
Near and dear to your heart
Let's take a lifetime to say
It takes a lifetime to say
I knew you well
That I truly knew you well
For only time will tell us so
We'll only really know long after the fact
And love may grow for all we know
Even though we don't know for sure, love may grow between us
He's got a ticket to ride
He's got a free pass, a quick out
And he don't care (Baby, baby)
He just doesn't care about anything
Feels like maybe things will be all right
I have faith that things will turn out okay
Your love's made me
Because of your love
Free as a song singin' forever
I am free to sing like a song forevermore
Only yesterday when I was sad
Just yesterday when I was upset
And I was lonely
And I had no one around
You showed me the way to leave
You showed me how to move on
The past and all it's tears behind me
Leave the past behind along with all the tears
Tomorrow may be even brighter than today
Tomorrow might even be better than today
Since I threw my sadness away
Since I let go of my sadness
When there's no gettin' over that rainbow
When it feels impossible to reach a certain goal
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
When even my smallest dreams cannot come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
I can handle all the craziness the world can throw at me
But I won't last a day without you
I cannot last without you
I don't wanna talk
I do not want to discuss
About the things we've gone through
The issues we have faced
Though it's hurting me
Even if it hurts me
Now it's history
It's now in the past
I've played all my cards
I've tried everything I could
And that's what you've done too
And so have you
Nothing more to say
There is nothing left to say
No more ace to play
No more tricks up our sleeves
I don't wanna talk
I do not want to discuss
If it makes you feel sad
If it upsets you
And I understand
I know how you feel
You've come to shake my hand
You've come to say your farewell
I apologize
I'm sorry
If it makes you feel bad
If it bothers you
Seeing me so tense
Me being so uptight
No self-confidence
Lacking faith in my abilities
The winner takes it all, oh
In the end, only one can be the winner
The loser standing small
The loser feels small and insignificant
Beside the victory
Next to the winner
That's her destiny, hee
That's just how it turned out
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't go on if you're not here
I can't give anymore
I have nothing left to give
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't go on if you're not here
I can't give anymore
I have nothing left to give
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't go on if you're not here
I can't give anymore, oh, oh, oh, oh
I have nothing left to give
Contributed by Lillian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Reck Adrian
Isto foi extraordinário! Nunca vi nada igual! 🎤🎹🎼🎸🎺🎷👍👍👍🇧🇷🌎
doug bowling
She didn't have to prance around half naked to get attention she was a true talent. Such a angelic voice
Keith DeLucia
What a group. Richard was a musical genius, and I don't care what anyone says Karen is the greatest female vocalist in music history. Not Aretha, Whitney, Barbara. Nope, it's Karen
Mike Hatch
Your right she just makes you melt
Bryan
@That Little Voice .... don't forget Miley and Marie osmond
Bryan
It is the most ridiculous statement I ever heard she isn't even as good as Yoko and your comparing her to Whitney etc
Bryan
Lennon and McCartney were musical geniuses the carpenter's were barely average
Flora Folhagem
As vezes tem talentos que so se desenvolvem com o olhar do outro gênio. Os arranjos, as composições eram feitas para ela. Pelo genio do arranjo e da composição. Não existiria karen sem Richard.
Jim Magnet Man
Karen Carpenters, to this day, IMO, still has the most beautiful voice I've heard.
Arturo Delgado
The voice of an angel