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
Love Is Surrender
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How it makes life complete
You can talk all you want
Make it sound good and sweet
But the words have an empty ring
And they don't really mean a thing
Without love you are not to be found
You are not to be found
[Chorus]
For love is surrender
You must surrender if you care
You must surrender if you dare
Shout about love
Then the wars will all end
You can shout "we're all brothers",
And even pretend
But you can't cover up the past
Just pretending will never last
Without love you are nothing at all
You are nothing at all, huh
[Chorus: x2]
Dare!
The Carpenters' song Love Is Surrender explores the profound nature of love and its transformative power. The lyrics express the importance of love to human existence and the inadequacy of mere talk or pretense in the absence of true love. The opening lines of "Talk about love, how it makes life complete" suggest that love is an essential ingredient in our lives, and mere words and sweet talk can not capture its real essence. The lines "Without love you are not to be found" also highlight that love is what gives life true meaning and purpose.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "For love is surrender, you must surrender if you care," emphasizing the idea that surrendering to love is the key to obtaining its full benefits. The lines "Shout about love, then the wars will all end," depicts love as a force that transcends all conflict and strife in society. The song also acknowledges the importance of accepting one's past without pretension or denial as the lines "You can't cover up the past, just pretending will never last" imply the importance of confronting one's history honestly.
Line by Line Meaning
Talk about love
Let's discuss the topic of love
How it makes life complete
Love is an essential component for a fulfilling life
You can talk all you want
You can say as much as you please
Make it sound good and sweet
You can even make it sound pleasant and appealing
But the words have an empty ring
However, the words lack substance and significance
And they don't really mean a thing
They hold no real value or importance
Without love you are not to be found
Without love, one's existence feels incomplete and unfulfilling
You are not to be found
Without love, you are lost and aimless
[Chorus]
This is the chorus of the song
For love is surrender
True love requires an act of surrender and vulnerability
You must surrender if you care
If you truly care about someone, you must be willing to let down your guard and open yourself up to them
You must surrender if you dare
It takes courage to be vulnerable and surrender control in a relationship
Shout about love
Declare your love with enthusiasm
Then the wars will all end
If everyone could love one another, there would be no need for wars or conflict
You can shout 'we're all brothers'
You can proclaim that we are all part of the same human family
And even pretend
But merely pretending to love one another is not enough
But you can't cover up the past
Pretending to love doesn't erase the traumas and hurts of the past
Just pretending will never last
A relationship built on a foundation of pretense will ultimately crumble
Without love you are nothing at all
Without love, one's life is devoid of meaning and purpose
You are nothing at all, huh
Without love, you are insignificant and inconsequential
[Chorus: x2]
Repeating the chorus
Dare!
An exclamation urging the listener to have the courage to love
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: RALPH CARMICHAEL
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.