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
Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore
Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And add a tear or two
Throw in some emptiness
Mix 'till you're bluer than blue
Keep it all under cover
Next to your broken dreams
When you're through
Then you'll know how I
As the nights go by
Makes you wanta die
Cause
[Chorus]
Your baby doesn't love you anymore
Your baby doesn't love you anymore
You try to make believe
It doesn't bother you
For your own sake believe
You'll make it through
Just make a vow ev'ry morning
That today you will change
Your point of view
But it's all a game
That you play in vain
And you live in pain
Cuz it's very plain
[Chorus]
And there's nothin' that you can do
But just break down and cry
It's over for you
When
[Chorus]
The lyrics of "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" by Carpenters is a heartbreaking account of someone who is trying to cope with the pain of a broken relationship. The lyrics suggest that the person is feeling lonely and empty after the breakup, while desperately trying to make themselves believe that they are okay. They are trying to put up a brave front by making a vow every morning to change their point of view, but deep down, they are living in pain. The pain is so intense that they feel like dying with each passing night.
The lyrics are emotive and draw on the universal experience of love and loss. It is a reflection of how people tend to pretend that they are okay even when they are hurting, hoping that if they fake it long enough, they will eventually heal. But the more they pretend, the more they realize that the pain is real and they can't escape it.
The song is a classic example of Carpenters' ability to produce emotive ballads with Karen Carpenter's warm, soothing voice being the perfect vehicle for such lyrics. Richard Carpenter's arrangements complement the emotive lyrics, adding to the overall melancholic mood of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Just take some loneliness
Begin with an immense feeling of solitude
And add a tear or two
Add some tears to that feeling
Throw in some emptiness
Include a persistent sense of emotional void
Mix 'till you're bluer than blue
Combine these feelings until they manifest in a deep despair that is difficult to shake
Keep it all under cover
Hide these emotions from others and put on a brave face
Next to your broken dreams
Confronted with the shattered aspirations that you had for your relationship
When you're through
When you have experienced this pain to its fullest extent
Then you'll know how I
Then you'll understand the pain that I am feeling
Sit alone and cry
I am sitting by myself shedding tears
As the nights go by
This feeling persists night after night
Makes you wanta die
These thoughts can become overwhelming and lead one to ponder their own mortality
Cause
As a result of this intense and unrelenting pain
Your baby doesn't love you anymore
The one you love most no longer returns that love
Your baby doesn't love you anymore
The one you love most no longer returns that love
You try to make believe
You attempt to deceive yourself
It doesn't bother you
Pretending that this lack of love doesn't hurt
For your own sake believe
In order to maintain hope and instill self-confidence
You'll make it through
You have the strength within yourself to persevere
Just make a vow ev'ry morning
Resolve to improve yourself and your life each day
That today you will change
Determined to make a positive change
Your point of view
Your outlook on life and your relationship
But it's all a game
All your efforts are just pretend
That you play in vain
Trying to control a situation that is beyond your control
And you live in pain
The emotional torment persists
Cuz it's very plain
Because it is incredibly clear to anyone who is observing
Your baby doesn't love you anymore
The one you love most no longer returns that love
Your baby doesn't love you anymore
The one you love most no longer returns that love
And there's nothin' that you can do
Despite your best efforts, there is no solution that will bring back the love that has been lost
But just break down and cry
The realization of this fact brings you to tears
It's over for you
The relationship has irretrievably ended
When
At the point in time when there is no hope for reconciliation
Your baby doesn't love you anymore
The one you love most no longer returns that love
Your baby doesn't love you anymore
The one you love most no longer returns that love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LARRY WEISS
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.