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
My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're making me fall in love
In love with you baby, I
I'm losing control
I don't want to let go yet
Till you want me
You, you're all that I need
You're all that I want
I gotta go slow
Keep it under control now
Till you want me
(chorus)
But my body keeps changing my mind
Keeps changing my heart
When we're dancing
My body says love you tonight
To drive me out of my mind
When we're dancing
(Verse 1)
Well I know it wouldn't be right
To say take me home tonight
But when we get to dancing
When I see you dancing
When it comes to dancing
My body keeps changing my mind
You, it's you in my heart
It's you on my mind
And you just can't help it
I should give it some time
And wait for the right sign
That you want me
'Cause
Repeat (chorus )
Repeat (Verse 1)
And we fly together across the floor
My heart's crying out for more
Cause I just can't resist you
Repeat (Verse 1)
You know
Repeat (chorus)
In this song, the Carpenters express their struggles over their true feelings. The lyrics convey a message of inner conflict and confusion which revolves around the idea of love. The singer is torn between letting go of their feelings and the desire to hold on to them. The repeated use of "my body keeps changing my mind" suggests that the singer's body and mind are in a constant battle. They want to love but fear the consequences that may come with it.
The lyrics, "I don't want to let go yet, Till you want me", illustrate the singer's hesitation to express their feelings because they are unsure if their love would be reciprocated. The fear of rejection has caused them to control their emotions. The lyrics, "keep it under control now, Till you want me" show that the singer will keep their feelings hidden until the other person feels the same way.
The chorus, "When we're dancing, my body says love you tonight, to drive me out of my mind when we're dancing" portrays the mutual attraction between the two. The singer's body instinctively knows what their heart desires but their mind is hesitant to act on it.
Overall, the song explores the complexity of love, the fear of rejection, and the struggle to convey one's feelings. It is a beautiful rendition of the inner turmoil that accompanies the feeling of love.
Line by Line Meaning
You, you're driving me wild
You are causing me to feel intense emotions that are overwhelming and difficult to control
You're making me fall in love
Your actions are leading me to develop romantic feelings for you
In love with you baby, I
I am deeply infatuated with you and have strong romantic feelings for you
I'm losing control
I am struggling to maintain my composure and resist my emotions
I don't want to let go yet
I am not ready to stop pursuing my feelings for you
Till you want me
Until I know that you reciprocate my feelings and want me as well
You, you're all that I need
You are the only thing that I require to make me happy and satisfied
You're all that I want
I desire you above all else and crave your attention and affection
And I'd sure love to love you, I
I am eager and excited to pursue a romantic relationship with you
I gotta go slow
I need to be cautious and patient when it comes to pursuing a romantic relationship with you
Keep it under control now
I need to maintain self-control and not let my emotions overwhelm me
Till you want me
Until you demonstrate that you want to pursue a romantic relationship with me
But my body keeps changing my mind
Despite my attempts to control my emotions and actions, my physical response to you is making it difficult for me to resist my feelings
Keeps changing my heart
My physical and emotional reactions to you are causing my heart to feel conflicted and uncertain
When we're dancing
When we are in close physical proximity and engaging in activities that are enjoyable and intimate
My body says love you tonight
My physical response to you is telling me that I am falling in love with you in this moment
To drive me out of my mind
My intense emotions and physical response to you are making it difficult for me to think clearly and rationally
Well I know it wouldn't be right
I am aware that pursuing a romantic relationship with you may not be appropriate or acceptable
To say take me home tonight
To express my desire to engage in intimate activities with you right now would not be respectful or appropriate
When we get to dancing
When we are in close physical proximity and engaged in activities that are enjoyable and intimate
When I see you dancing
Watching you move and express yourself through dance is causing me to feel romantic attraction and admiration
When it comes to dancing
Engaging in physical activity with you is heightening my physical and emotional responses to you
My heart's crying out for more
My emotions are becoming more intense and my desire to pursue a romantic relationship with you is growing stronger
Cause I just can't resist you
Despite my attempts to control my emotions and actions, my physical and emotional response to you is too strong to resist
You know
I want you to understand that my feelings for you are genuine and intense
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LESLIE JAN PEARL
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.