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
Little Girl Blue
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What can you do? Old girl you're through
Sit there, and count your little fingers
Unlucky little girl blue
Sit there and count the raindrops falling on you
It's time you knew
All you can count on is the raindrops
That fall on little girl blue
(*) No use old girl, you may as well surrender
Your hope is getting slender
Why won't somebody send a tender blue boy
To cheer up little girl blue
When I was very young the world was younger than I
As merry as a carousel
The circus tent was strong with every star in the sky
Above the rings I loved so well
Now the young world has grown old
Gone are the silver and gold
Repeat (*)
The lyrics to "Little Girl Blue" by Carpenters paint a melancholic story about a forlorn girl who is facing hopelessness and despair. The opening verse paints a picture of a girl lost in thought, counting her fingers as if trying to find a way out of her predicament. However, the song implies that she has already given up and is resigned to her fate. The allusion in the lyrics is to the blue mood of depression that afflicts her. The girl has no one to cheer her up or lend a helping hand.
The chorus is the inner voice of the girl talking to herself. She sees the raindrops falling on her and realizes how alone and helpless she is. The raindrops are a metaphor for her sadness and despair, and she feels there is no hope left. The girl is crying out for someone, anyone, to come and brighten up her life. The implication is that depression can be a profound sense of despair, and it needs someone to intervene to help you out.
Line by Line Meaning
Sit there, and count your fingers
Just sit there and twiddle your thumbs, you have nothing to do
What can you do? Old girl you're through
You're past your prime, there's nothing left for you
Sit there, and count your little fingers
Just sit there and be useless, you have no purpose
Unlucky little girl blue
You're unlucky and miserable, with nothing to look forward to
Sit there and count the raindrops falling on you
All you can do is watch the world go by and feel sorry for yourself
It's time you knew
You need to realize the truth about your situation
All you can count on is the raindrops
You have nothing in your life but sadness and despair
That fall on little girl blue
Your unhappiness is a constant, unchanging reality
No use old girl, you may as well surrender
You're a lost cause, you might as well give up
Your hope is getting slender
You're losing faith and hope for a better future
Why won't somebody send a tender blue boy
A kind and caring man could make a difference in your life
To cheer up little girl blue
Someone needs to find a way to bring happiness and joy back into your life
When I was very young the world was younger than I
When I was a child, the world felt fresh and new
As merry as a carousel
Life was full of joy and happiness, like a carnival ride
The circus tent was strong with every star in the sky
The world felt magical and wondrous, like a circus under the stars
Above the rings I loved so well
I was happy and content, playing in the circus ring
Now the young world has grown old
As I've grown older, the world has lost its magic and charm
Gone are the silver and gold
Everything that once brought me joy and happiness is now gone
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J Parker
on Happy
Wrong lyrics shown. Correct ones --- Happy by Carpenters
I've played the game of love before.
Too young to know
How hard the fall could be;
I never thought I'd try again.
Somehow you brought
The gambler out in me.
You can deal me in this time around.
Even though the odds are high,
We'll play them down.
You may be a chance I need to take,
And the hand I'm holdin' says it's no mistake.
Happy is the way I'm feelin',
And I know it comes from being with you.
All at once my life is changin',
And I know it's 'cause I'm fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love.
Fallin' in love with you.
If this is luck then let it ride.
If it's the starts,
They're surely on my side.
I've never been so safisfied
By love before;
For all the times I've tried.
These beginnings could mean more
Than the brief affair I bargained for.
Little did I know, when we began,
That my time had come to win a hand.
Happy is the way I'm feelin',
And I know it comes from being with you.
All at once my life is changin',
And I know it's 'cause I'm fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love.
Fallin' in love with you.
Please forgive me if I seem
To be walking through a waking dream.
Laughter never came so easily;
There's a freedom here that's new to me.
Happy is the way I'm feelin',
And I know it comes from being with you.
All at once my life is changin',
And I know it's 'cause I'm fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love with you.
Fallin' in love.
Fallin' in love with you.