Carpenter created the Richard Carpenter Trio in 1965 with sister Karen and friend Wes Jacobs. Richard played the piano; Karen played the drums, and Wes played the tuba and bass.
In 1966, the Richard Carpenter Trio played "Iced Tea" and "The Girl from Ipanema" at the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands. They won the competition, and shortly after recorded three songs at RCA Studios: "Every Little Thing," "Strangers in the Night," and the Carpenter original, "Iced Tea." "Iced Tea" is the only recording that was officially released to the public.
Around 1967, Richard and Karen joined four other student musicians from Long Beach State to form a sextet, Spectrum, consisting of:
John Bettis
Richard Carpenter
Karen Carpenter
Leslie Johnston
Gary Sims
Danny Woodhams
Although Spectrum played frequently at LA-area nightclubs such as Whisky A Go-Go, they met with an unenthusiastic response - their broad harmonies and avoidance of rock 'n roll limited the band's commercial potential. Yet Spectrum was fruitful in another way, providing the raw material of future success: Bettis went on to become a lyricist for Richard's original compositions, and all the other members except Leslie Johnston went on to become members of the Carpenters.
While Karen was suffering from the anorexia nervosa that ultimately claimed her life, Richard suffered from an addiction to quaaludes. They had been prescribed for him by his doctor as sleep aids, but his usage got out of hand. He eventually sought treatment for his addiction at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, checking into the clinic in 1979 for an eight-week treatment program, which proved successful.
Three days before his 37th birthday, the Carpenter family celebrated the unveiling of the Carpenters' new Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. He said in his speech 'this is a sad day, but at the same time a very special and beautiful day to my family and I, My only regret is that Karen is not physically here to share it with us, but I know that she is very much alive in our minds, and in our hearts'.
He started recording a solo album on June 26, 1985 and finished the album on July 5, 1987. The album was called Time. It featured Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick. Springfield sang "Something in Your Eyes," and Warwick sang "In Love Alone." Richard created a song dedicated to Karen called "When Time Was All We Had." It starts off as an a cappella, but then Richard's piano fades in, as well as Herb Alpert's flugelhorn. Lyrics included:
Our hearts were filled with music and laughter, Your voice will be the sweetest sound I'll ever hear and yet, We knew somehow the song would never end, When time was all we had to spend.
In 1996, at the suggestion of music writer Daniel Levitin, Carpenter recorded and released "Richard Carpenter: Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor", which included reworkings of many Carpenters favorites, including hits and album tracks, and ends with "Karen's Theme", which Carpenter composed for the 1989 made for TV movie, "The Karen Carpenter Story".
In 1984, Richard married his first cousin Mary Rudolph (daughter of his mother's sister Bernice). Her brother, Mark Rudolph, was the Carpenters' road manager, as well as the radio call-in "contestant" in the [Oldies] "Medley" on the 1973 album, Now & Then. The couple had been dating since the late 1970s. A young Mary made a cameo appearance in the Carpenters promotional video for the song "I Need to be in Love." It should be noted that when Karen learned of the relationship she was completely mortified and shared her feelings with her brother on a number of occasions, leading to a final argument where Richard told his sister "We have had the tests done there will be no problem if we have children in the future. So let it drop!". Richard and Mary have five children: Kristi Lynn, Traci Tatum, Mindi Karen (named after his late sister), Colin Paul and Taylor Mary. The children and Richard sometimes perform music together at various Carpenter-related events. The family today resides in Thousand Oaks, California. He also funds an annual scholarship/talent show for people with artistic abilities that is held at the Thousand Oaks Civic Center.
Recently, Richard helped in the productions of the documentaries "Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters" (1997) and "Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story" (2007). He released the DVDs "Gold: Greatest Hits" and "Interpretations." Carpenter is also mastering a new Christmas album.
Who Do You Love
Richard Carpenter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
hopin' maybe you'll call
Not you, you'll break a date
You wouldn't wait at all
If I'm hard to handle (tell me 'bout it)
Here's my angle (think about it)
Takes two to tango and I ought to know
Who do you, Who do you, Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Some girls do it right every night
and never ask for more
Not you, you know the score
You always ask what for
Where's the danger (tell me 'bout it)
We'll be strangers (think about it)
If it ever changes, I ought to know
Who do you, Who do you, Who do you love?
Who do you, Who do you, Who do you love?
Who do you love?
The lyrics of Richard Carpenter’s “Who Do You Love” paints a picture of a relationship where both parties have different perspectives on love and commitment. The song begins by contrasting the singer to other girls who are at home waiting by the phone for their love interest to call. In contrast, the singer's love interest is non-committal, always breaking dates and not willing to wait for them.
The second verse contrasts the singer with girls who are content with little acts of love and never ask for more. In contrast, the singer's love interest always wants more and is not content with the status quo. The singer is asking their love interest about their perspective on love, wondering who they truly love.
The chorus is a simple repetition of the question “Who do you love?” Though the exact meaning of the question is not clear, it appears to be the singer asking their love interest about the depth of their love and whether the singer is included in that love.
Overall, the song seems to be about unrequited love and the difficulties of being with someone who does not love you as much as you love them. It's an interesting take on relationships and the different perspectives people can have on love and commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
Some girls sit by the phone at home alone
Some girls wait idly by the phone, hoping for your call while they are alone at home
hopin' maybe you'll call
They hope that you will pick up the phone and give them a ring
Not you, you'll break a date
You are not like that, you would cancel your plans without hesitation
You wouldn't wait at all
You don't believe in waiting and would rather take action immediately
If I'm hard to handle (tell me 'bout it)
If I am difficult to handle, go ahead and say it
Here's my angle (think about it)
I have a perspective on this, take a moment and consider it
Takes two to tango and I ought to know
It takes two to make a relationship work and I have firsthand experience with that
Who do you, Who do you, Who do you love?
Who is it that you truly love?
Some girls do it right every night
Some girls always do the right thing when it comes to love
and never ask for more
They never expect anything beyond what they are receiving
Not you, you know the score
You, on the other hand, are not satisfied with the usual and expect more
You always ask what for
You are always looking for a reason behind everything
Where's the danger (tell me 'bout it)
What is the risk involved? I want to know about it
We'll be strangers (think about it)
Our relationship will not be the same anymore, consider that
If it ever changes, I ought to know
If anything changes between us, I deserve to know about it
Who do you, Who do you, Who do you love?
Who is it that you truly love?
Who do you love?
I want to know who your heart belongs to
Contributed by Dominic E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.