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
Make Believe It's Your 1st Tim
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At love before
We've been around the game enough
To know the score'
But then is then
And now is now
And now is all that matters anyhow
[Chorus]
Make believe it's your first time
Leave your sadness behind
Make believe it's your first time
And I'll make believe it's mine
The door is closed
It's you and me
We'll take our time with love
The way it oughta be
This moment's ours
Tonight's the night
And if we fall in love
Well, that's alright
[Chorus]
So close your eyes
And hold me close
And let our hearts pretend
That love is ours to share tonight
And it might never end
[Chorus]
The Carpenters' song "Make Believe It's Your First Time" is a touching and romantic ballad about the power and magic of love. The song is about two lovers who have tried their hand at love before and been through the ups and downs of relationships. They know that love can be painful and difficult, but they also know that it can be beautiful and life-changing.
The song begins by acknowledging the couple's past experiences with love. They have been around the game long enough to know the score, but they realize that the past is the past, and the present is all that matters. The chorus of the song encourages the couple to leave their past sadness behind and to make believe that it is their first time falling in love. They both try to forget their past heartaches and open their hearts to each other, allowing themselves to fall in love again.
The second verse of the song paints a beautiful picture of the couple's intimate moment. The door is closed, and it's just the two of them. They take their time with love, enjoying each other's company and savoring the experience. They know that this moment is special and that if they fall in love, that's alright. The chorus of the song is repeated, urging them to forget their past and make believe that it's their first time falling in love.
Overall, "Make Believe It's Your First Time" is a beautiful and poignant song about the power of love to heal even the most wounded hearts.
Line by Line Meaning
We've tried our hand
We've attempted to love in the past
At love before
We've previously experienced romantic love
We've been around the game enough
We've been involved in enough romantic relationships to understand the rules
To know the score'
To know what to expect in a romantic relationship
But then is then
Those past experiences are gone and cannot be changed
And now is now
Present circumstances are what matter most
And now is all that matters anyhow
The present is all that we have, so we should focus on it
[Chorus]
Refrain
Make believe it's your first time
Pretend that it's your first romantic encounter
Leave your sadness behind
Forget about any emotional baggage from previous relationships
And I'll make believe it's mine
I'll also pretend that it's my first time
The door is closed
We're alone in a private space
It's you and me
We're the only ones present in this moment
We'll take our time with love
We'll be patient and not rush into anything
The way it oughta be
This is how a romantic encounter should be experienced
This moment's ours
We're in control of this moment
Tonight's the night
This is the perfect evening for a romantic encounter
And if we fall in love
If we develop strong feelings for one another
Well, that's alright
It's completely fine
So close your eyes
It's time to be fully present in the moment
And hold me close
Embrace me physically and emotionally
And let our hearts pretend
Allow our emotions to imagine the romantic scenario
That love is ours to share tonight
We have the opportunity to experience and enjoy romantic love right now
And it might never end
This moment of romantic love might not last forever
[Chorus]
Refrain
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB MORRISON, JOHNNY WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zumzaide5100
this song has one of the saddest and loneliest melody I've ever heard
@QueenBee7001
Very true
@benitoahillion4676
First heard this song during my struggle against sadness way back 1983. Mother Mary assisted to recover.
@gailhancocks5207
These were not the words of Karen, these were the words from Richard??
@amy2770
Grew up in an old fashioned church so the Carpenters was a favorite, the song from this album was the first we had on CD, others were all LPS back in the day and I know the lyrics by heart because that's what we did back then.. big Sunday lunch at home and the albums on the turntable. She's still so phenomenal
@dexterpagurayan4881
Indeed a wonderful voice no one can surpass these times🥲🥲
@martinweber7912
Karen Carpenter was the best voice, singer, performer, that could have ever existed, her clear and powerful voice, as a singer, the right tones and interpretation, are incredibly perfect, what bothers me most about the hard and sad life that she had to live very misunderstood by her mother and Richard, listening to The Carpenters songs relieves me of all pain
@larrykoehler8632
I never get tired of her voice.
@lynrainy9383
Wow awesome 💞🌞💞🥰
@mariabellamanalang3053
There is always hope for the broken hearted. A first time in everything 🙏💝