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
When It's Gone
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where's the poetry in the pain
Where's the color in the stain where the tears have fallen
It's gone, it's just gone
Where's the method to this madness
As we create this suffering
And we do each other in and we still hold on
But it's gone, it's just gone
(*) He says it's gone
And he can't go on a living a memory
Mulling it over endlessly
Why is that so hard for me to see
He says it's gone
And he can't go on trying to live a lie
And when he cries, I know it's over
But I may never know why
There's no face in the locket
There's no place for the past
I'll put it back in my pocket
It was never meant to last
It's just gone
Repeat (*)
There's no word for the sadness
There's no poetry in the pain
There's no color in the stain where the tears have fallen
It's gone, it's just gone
It's gone, it's just gone
Well, it's gone
The song "When It's Gone" by Carpenters explores the feeling of loss and the struggle to cope with it. The opening lines ask "Where's the word for the sadness, where's the poetry in the pain?" In these lines, the singer is searching for a way to articulate the emotion they are feeling. They are trying to find meaning in their sorrow and make sense of the pain that they are experiencing.
The chorus repeats the phrase "it's gone, it's just gone" several times. This repetition emphasizes the finality of the loss that the singer is experiencing. The second verse continues this theme of acceptance and questioning. The singer asks "Where's the method to this madness, as we create this suffering?" This line suggests that the losses we experience are often beyond our control, and that even when we cause pain to others, we still ultimately lose something ourselves.
The bridge of the song features a conversation between two people. One person says that "it's gone" and that they can't go on living a memory. The other person struggles to understand why it's so hard to accept the loss. The final verse repeats the opening lines, emphasizing the cyclical nature of grief, and how it can be difficult to move forward from a loss.
Overall, the song is a meditation on the experience of loss, and the challenge of coming to terms with it. The lyrics are elegantly crafted and express the complex emotions that come with grieving in a clear and poignant way.
Line by Line Meaning
Where's the word for the sadness
As we struggle to express the sadness we feel, we realize that there is no word that can fully encapsulate our emotions.
Where's the poetry in the pain
Even though the pain we feel is so significant, there is no poetic language that can convey its depth.
Where's the color in the stain where the tears have fallen
As tears fall to the ground, they leave a stain, but there is no color that can describe the pain we feel in our hearts.
It's gone, it's just gone
The love we once shared has disappeared, leaving us in a state of confusion and sadness.
Where's the method to this madness
Even though we suffer through conflicts and arguments, there is no logic or reason to the suffering we endure.
As we create this suffering
Despite our desire for peace and love, we often bring suffering to ourselves and others through our actions.
But it's gone, it's just gone
The love that once existed between us is no longer there, despite our attempts to hold on to it.
He says it's gone
The artist's partner has acknowledged that their love has ended and they can no longer live in the past.
And he can't go on a living a memory
The artist's partner realizes that they cannot keep living in the memories of their past love and must move on.
Mulling it over endlessly
The artist's partner has been reflecting and thinking about the end of their relationship, which has caused them significant pain and sadness.
Why is that so hard for me to see
Despite trying to move on, the singer's partner still struggles to understand why their love ended and why they can't go back to what they had before.
And he can't go on trying to live a lie
The artist's partner realizes that they cannot pretend that their love still exists and must face the reality of their breakup.
And when he cries, I know it's over
The singer's partner's tears show that they have come to terms with the end of their relationship, and there is no going back.
There's no face in the locket
The locket, which once held a picture of the singer's partner, is now empty, symbolizing the emptiness the singer feels without their love.
There's no place for the past
Even though the singer wants to hold on to the memories of their past love, they realize that they must let them go and move on.
It's just gone
The love that the artist once shared with their partner has disappeared, leaving them with a sense of loss and emptiness.
Well, it's gone
The repetition of the line emphasizes the finality of the loss of the love between the artist and their partner.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RANDY HANDLEY
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.