The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of siblings Ka… Read Full Bio ↴The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and press materials is simply Carpenters without the definite article. During a period in the 1970s when louder and wilder rock was in great demand, Richard and Karen produced a distinctively soft musical style that made them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

The Carpenters' melodic pop charted a record-breaking score of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, becoming leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary genres. The Carpenters had three #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen #1 hits on the Adult Contemporary Chart (see The Carpenters discography). In addition, they had twelve top 10 singles (including their #1 hits). To date, The Carpenters' album and single sales total more than 100 million units.

During their fourteen-year career, The Carpenters recorded eleven albums, five of which contained top 10 singles (Close to You, Carpenters, A Song for You, Now & Then and Horizon), thirty-one singles, five television specials, and one short-lived television series. They toured in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium. Their recording career ended with Karen's death on February 4, 1983. Karen passed away after cardiac arrest due to complications of anorexia nervosa. Extensive news coverage of the circumstances surrounding her death increased public awareness of the consequences of eating disorders.

Their first recordings were not successful, and the recording studio that was recording them, dropped them. That's when their 'savior' came in. Herb Alpert of A&M records heard a couple of their songs and said that he felt that they had good potential. Thanks to him, and his ability to see/hear quality when it appears, we had the GREAT performers of The Carpenters.

Aurora
The Carpenters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Morning opens quietly
A shadow vision
Over me
I know you well
Hidden by the windows pane
And all my sadness
Gone charade
Begins to fade

How long it stayed

Patters of another day
Awaken slowly
Out of gray
A tolling bell
Rolling down the alleyway
It's calling all

My dreams away
My dreams are songs I play

Overall Meaning

The first verse of "Aurora" by The Carpenters portrays a feeling of isolation, with the singer being alone in the morning. The singer is experiencing a shadow vision, something mysterious and haunting. They know what it is, even though it's somewhat hidden from them through the window pane. However, when they see it, their sadness begins to fade away. The second verse transitions into the morning, where all the patters of the new day are slowly awakening, coming out of the gray. The tolling bell rolling down the alleyway is a sound that calls to the singer's dreams, and it's calling them away. The dreams are something strong and present, as they are the singer's songs that they play.

Overall, the song seems to be about finding hope, even in sadness, and the power of dreams. The shadows and isolation break away as the day and the morning awaken, bringing the singer's dreams to life. It's a message of hope and a belief in the power of one's own imagination.

Line by Line Meaning

Morning opens quietly
The start of the day is peaceful and calm.

A shadow vision
A vague figure or idea that is not fully formed.

Over me
Surrounding me and impacting my thoughts and feelings.

I know you well
Deeply familiar with the person or thing being referred to.

Hidden by the windows pane
Obscured or concealed behind a glass barrier.

And all my sadness
The feelings of sorrow or regret that I have been experiencing.

Gone charade
The act of pretending or deceiving has come to an end.

Begins to fade
Slowly losing its strength or influence over me.

How long it stayed
Reflecting on the length of time that the negative emotions were present.

Patters of another day
The sounds and rhythms associated with the start of a new day.

Awaken slowly
Gradually becoming alert and aware of my surroundings.