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
Sh-Boom
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I could take you up in paradise up above
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
Hello, hello again
Sh-boom and hoping we'll meet again
Oh life could be a dream
If only all my precious plans would come true
If you would let me spend my whole life loving you
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
Every time I look at you
Something is on my mind
If you do what I want you to
Baby, we'd be so fine
Oh life could be a dream
If I could take you up in paradise up above
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
Sh-boom sh-boom
Sh-boom sh-boom
Sh-boom sh-boom
Sweetheart
The lyrics to the song "Sh-Boom" by the Carpenters are about the hopes and dreams of a person who is in love. The first verse talks about how life could be a dream if they could be taken up to paradise with their loved one and if their loved one would tell them they are the only one they love. The chorus repeats the phrase "life could be a dream, sweetheart" and expresses the desire for their plans and love to come true.
The second verse talks about how every time the person looks at their loved one something is on their mind and how everything would be fine if their loved one did what they wanted them to. The final chorus repeats the same sentiments as the first chorus with the addition of the word "hello" which suggests the hope of the two meeting again soon.
Overall, the lyrics of "Sh-Boom" are about the aspirations of a person in love and the longing for a perfect life with their loved one. The use of the word "sh-boom" throughout the song adds to the overall dreamy and nostalgic tone of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh life could be a dream
Life has the potential to be perfect
If I could take you up in paradise up above
If we could be in heaven together, life would be perfect
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Your love is the only thing I need to make life perfect
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
My life would be perfect if you love me
Hello, hello again
It's good to see you again
Sh-boom and hoping we'll meet again
I'm using this song to connect with you and hope to see you again
If only all my precious plans would come true
If everything went according to plan, life would be perfect
If you would let me spend my whole life loving you
If you'd be my love forever, my life would be perfect
Every time I look at you
I can't stop thinking about you
Something is on my mind
My mind is consumed by thoughts of you
If you do what I want you to
If you love me back, my dreams will come true
Baby, we'd be so fine
Our lives together would be perfect
Sh-boom sh-boom
The sound of this song is connecting us
Sweetheart
I'm addressing the one I love
Contributed by Grace T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tracypaxton1054
Is that Richard singing the lead? It doesn't really sound like him. Oh, how I wish they had recorded a full length version of this song!