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
The Parting Of Our Ways
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The love we shared?
The love I live for is no longer there
If God only planned it to last all our days
There never would have been a parting of our ways
Love was so bright, then you went away
My days were sunny; now they are gray
There never would have been a parting of our ways
I hope and pray that he'll return to me
Forever since he's been gone, I've been in misery
I hope someday he'll come up to my door,
Saying he's sorry he'll leave no more
My love is gone now; it didn't last
Who was my future now is my past
If God only planned it to last all our days
There never would have been,
Never would have been now,
Never would have been a parting of our ways
The lyrics to The Parting Of Our Ways are a lamentation over a lost love. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the love they once shared has dissipated and that their future together is now a thing of the past. The opening lines “Where has it gone? / The love we shared?” set the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer grapples with the loss of something so important to them. They plead that if God had intended their love to last forever, they would not have had to part ways.
The second verse is particularly poignant, as it describes the singer's struggle to cope with life after their lover has gone. The contrast between “my days were sunny” before the breakup, and “now they are grey” highlights the depth of their loss. The third verse suggests that the singer is still clinging to the hope that their love may one day be rekindled. They long for reconciliation, dreaming that their former lover will return to them and apologize for leaving.
The final verse is a sad acknowledgement of the reality that their former love is now just a memory. The lyrics “my love is gone now, it didn't last / who was my future now is my past” acknowledge that the promising future they once imagined together is now lost. The repetition of “never would have been a parting of our ways” in the final lines emphasizes the regret and sadness that the singer feels about the end of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Where has it gone?
I am searching for the love that we once shared.
The love we shared?
I am questioning whether the love that we once shared even existed.
The love I live for is no longer there
The love that I depended on is no longer present in my life.
If God only planned it to last all our days
I believe that if love was meant to last forever, it would have.
There never would have been a parting of our ways
Our separation would not have happened if our love was meant to last.
Love was so bright, then you went away
Our love was strong and joyful, but it ended when you left.
My days were sunny; now they are gray
My life was happy and bright when our love was present, but now it feels dull and sad.
I hope and pray that he'll return to me
I am wishing and begging for my love to come back to me.
Forever since he's been gone, I've been in misery
My life has been full of pain and sadness since my love left.
I hope someday he'll come up to my door,
I have a dream that my love will return to me and apologize.
Saying he's sorry he'll leave no more
I want my love to apologize and promise not to leave me ever again.
My love is gone now; it didn't last
Our love ended and did not survive.
Who was my future now is my past
The person I thought I would spend my life with is now a memory of the past.
Never would have been,
The possibility of a separation
Never would have been now,
would not have happened.
Never would have been a parting of our ways
Our relationship would not have ended and we would have stayed together forever.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Richard Carpenter
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.