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
Remember When Lovin' Took All Night
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To touch again
Where you should be
I'd love to think what your smile
I feel your eyes
Starting a fire all over me
Baby I know, I know what your arms can do
(*) remember when lovin' took all night
Remember the feeling of doing it right
It's been so wrong, you've been gone too long
Now it's gonna be all right
We'll take all night again tonight
I think you know
That missing you
Took all my time
Loneliness never ran so deep till then
Now here we are
Lost in a feeling of feeling good
Baby you know, I'll love you again and again
Repeat (*)
The lyrics to Carpenters' song Remember When Lovin' Took All Night appear to describe a reunion with a lover who has been away for some time. The singer notes that the lover is close enough to touch and expresses her delight at the prospect of discovering where his smile is leading. She feels as though his eyes are igniting a fire within her and expresses her knowledge of what his arms are capable of doing. The song speaks to the memory of a time when making love was an all-night affair that felt right and good. The singer acknowledges that loneliness took over in the absence of her lover but is now comforted by their reunion.
Line by Line Meaning
You're close enough
You are within my reach
To touch again
So that I can feel your touch once again
Where you should be
In the place where you belong, by my side
I'd love to think what your smile
I wonder how your smile will affect me
Is leading to
What it will lead to
I feel your eyes
I can sense the way you look at me
Starting a fire all over me
Igniting a passionate desire in me
Baby I know, I know what your arms can do
I'm aware of the kind of comfort and passion your embrace can bring
Remember when lovin' took all night
Recalling a time when love making took an entire night to be fulfilled
Remember the feeling of doing it right
Reminiscing the satisfation of performing love making in just the right way
It's been so wrong, you've been gone too long
Things have been bad for a while since you've been away for so long
Now it's gonna be all right
But now everything will be okay
We'll take all night again tonight
Tonight we will take our time once again to fulfill our physical needs
I think you know
I believe you are aware
That missing you
This longing for you
Took all my time
Has consumed all my time
Loneliness never ran so deep till then
I've never felt this lonely until you left
Now here we are
Now we are reunited
Lost in a feeling of feeling good
Feeling happy and pleased in this moment together
Baby you know, I'll love you again and again
You know that my love for you is eternal, and I will always love you
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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.