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
Sing a Song
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sing out loud, sing out strong
Sing of good things not bad
Sing of happy not sad
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
Just sing, sing a song
Sing, sing a song
Let the world sing along
Sing of love there could be
Sing for you and for me
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song
Just sing, sing a song
Just sing, sing a song
The lyrics to Carpenters' song "Sing a Song" encourage listeners to express themselves through singing. The opening lines encourage people to sing out loud and strong, without fear of judgment or criticism. The song then goes on to urge singers to focus on positive and happy things, rather than dwelling on sadness or negativity.
The chorus repeats the message of the song, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and personal meaning in one's singing. The final line of the chorus, "just sing, sing a song," encapsulates the song's overall message: that singing is meant to be a personal, individual expression, not necessarily meant for anyone else's approval.
Overall, "Sing a Song" is a song about finding joy and personal fulfillment through music. It encourages listeners to embrace their own voices and sing out without hesitation or reservation.
Line by Line Meaning
Sing, sing a song
Encouragement to sing a song
Sing out loud, sing out strong
Sing without holding back, with confidence and strength
Sing of good things not bad
Choose to sing about positive things in life instead of negative ones
Sing of happy not sad
Sing about things that bring joy instead of things that make one sad
Make it simple to last your whole life long
Keep the song simple and memorable so that it can be sung and enjoyed for a lifetime
Don't worry that it's not good enough
Don't be concerned about the song being perfect or meeting others' standards
For anyone else to hear
Sing for oneself and not to impress others
Let the world sing along
Invite others to join in and sing together with the song
Sing of love there could be
Sing about the possibility of love and how it can bring people together
Sing for you and for me
Sing for oneself and for others, bringing people together with music
Just sing, sing a song
Reiteration of the main message to sing a song
Just sing, sing a song
Reiteration of the main message to sing a song
Just sing, sing a song
Reiteration of the main message to sing a song
Contributed by Reagan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
southwestsearch
Not only is Karen Carpenters voice that of an angel but the Carpenters songs are timeless.
Marianne R
This song chased the bully’s words away when I was little. I would sing it to my self in sped classes, and CAT scans, I am six again and crying 🥰
leslie hilesgardener
Stay as those children were supposed to be.
M P
I was fortunate to grow up with music it still puts me in a happy place and brings back sweet memories of my childhood my mother and my aunties ❤️
SaJH
I was born in 1995, my dad in 1960. He’s a huge fan of The Carpenters. He always played this song for me in the car when I was a little kid. We are now 63 and 27 and I live far away from him and I have my own family. I don’t get to see him often. But I play this song for my 1 year old son in the car now and he loves listening to it with me. It always reminds me of being a kid ❤ I’m so happy my dad shared this wonderful music with me.
Daniel
Her beautiful voice has made this song a melody from heaven.
Laxus Grey
When you're being depressed and having a terrible day, just listen to this song and it will brighten up your day.
Arwa Hub
Exaxtly what I am doing right now!
T.S. T.
This was the first song I ever remember learning.
I've sung all my life, and my father was a professional singer (not famous).
I LOVE and respect Ms. Carpenter, for all that she brought to my world of song.
mr.dreamer
Same, my father would play this for me all the time. Good memories.