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.
Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft
The Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alright, you're listening to All Hit Radio
And it's 53 degrees at 30 minutes past the hour
And right now on our all request line
I've got Mike Ledgerwood on the phone
Hey, babe, what would you like to hear?
We've been observing your Earth
Hey babe, I'm sorry, I can't hear you too well
Okay, babe? What would you like to hear again?
We are observing your Earth
Hey Mike, I'm sorry babe, but that's not on our playlist
And by the way, you sound great over the phone
Anyway, if you'd give us your request
We'll be glad to play it for ya, babe
So let's hear it!
We are observing your Earth
Uh, listen Mike, I'm sorry babe but we can't
And we'd like to make
I'm sorry Mike, we there's
A contact (uh)
With you, baby
In your mind you have capacities, you know
To telepath messages through the vast unknown
Please close your eyes and concentrate
With every thought you think
Upon the recitation we're about to sing
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
You've been observing our Earth
And we'd like to make
A contact with you
We are your friends
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, ultra emissaries
We've been observing your Earth
And one night we'll make
A contact with you
We are your friends
Calling occupants of interplanetary, quite extraordinary craft
And please come in peace, we beseech you
Only our love we will teach them
Our Earth may never survive
So do come, we beg you
Please, interstellar policeman
Oh won't you give us a sign
Give us a sign
That we've reached you
Oh
With your mind you have ability to form
And transmit thought energy far beyond the norm
You close your eyes, you concentrate
Together, that's the way
To send the message we declare World Contact Day
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
Ah ah ah ahh
Ah ah ah ahh
Ah ah ah ahh
Calling occupants
Calling occupants
Calling occupants of interplanetary, anti-adversary craft
The Carpenters released the song "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" in 1977. The song's lyrics are about making contact with aliens through telepathy. It starts with a radio show host who talks to a listener named Mike Ledgerwood, who claims that he has been observed by aliens. The listeners then instructed to close their eyes and concentrate on calling the extraterrestrial beings through their thoughts. The repetition of "calling occupants of interplanetary craft" throughout the song serves as a mantra to communicate with the aliens.
The lyrics suggest that humans are looking for assistance from outer space. The song conveys a message of peace and love, calling for the extraterrestrial beings to come in peace and help humanity survive. It's interesting to note that the song was not written by The Carpenters but by Klaatu within a concept album called 3:47 EST released the year before. The name Klaatu comes from the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still. It's also interesting that numerous UFO groups, such as the Aetherius Society, have used the song as a way to connect with aliens.
Additionally, the song was one of the first to use sampled sounds from NASA's Apollo 11 mission. The Carpenters' version of the song was a more commercial version of Klaatu’s original, which was longer and had a more diverse instrumentation. The Carpenters' version reached number 32 on the US charts and number 9 in the UK.
Line by Line Meaning
All Hit Radio!
We are interrupting our regular programming to bring you this important message
Alright, you're listening to All Hit Radio
We are a radio station and you are currently tuned in
And it's 53 degrees at 30 minutes past the hour
We are providing a weather update
And right now on our all request line
We are accepting requests from our listeners
I've got Mike Ledgerwood on the phone
We have a caller on the line
Hey, babe, what would you like to hear?
What song would you like us to play for you?
We've been observing your Earth
We are extraterrestrial beings who have been watching Earth
Hey babe, I'm sorry, I can't hear you too well
We are having difficulty hearing our caller
You're gonna have to speak a little closer into the phone
Please speak louder or closer to the phone for us to hear you better
Okay, babe? What would you like to hear again?
Can you please repeat your song request?
Uh, listen Mike, I'm sorry babe but we can't
We are unable to play your requested song
And we'd like to make
We wish to establish
I'm sorry Mike, we there's
We are having trouble understanding you
A contact (uh)
Communication between our two worlds
With you, baby
With Earth and its inhabitants
In your mind you have capacities, you know
As a human being, you possess special abilities
To telepath messages through the vast unknown
You are able to communicate with other beings through mental telepathy
Please close your eyes and concentrate
We are asking you to focus your thoughts
With every thought you think
Your thoughts have the power to send a message
Upon the recitation we're about to sing
Listen closely to the words we are about to sing
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
We are attempting to communicate with other beings who are traveling in space
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
We are addressing those who are piloting the most unique spacecraft
We are your friends
We come in peace and with friendly intentions
Calling occupants of interplanetary, ultra emissaries
We are attempting to reach the most advanced beings in space
And one night we'll make
At some point in the future, we will attempt to establish
A contact with you
Communication between our two worlds
Calling occupants of interplanetary, quite extraordinary craft
We are addressing those who are piloting the most extraordinary and unique spacecraft
And please come in peace, we beseech you
We are requesting that any beings who receive our message arrive in peace
Only our love we will teach them
We want to share a message of love with any beings who may receive our communication
Our Earth may never survive
We are concerned for the future of our planet
So do come, we beg you
We implore you to visit us
Please, interstellar policeman
We are asking any law enforcement agents in space to contact us
Oh won't you give us a sign
Can you please acknowledge our message and respond?
Give us a sign
Please provide some indication of your presence
That we've reached you
That our message has been received
With your mind you have ability to form
Humans have the ability to create using their thoughts
And transmit thought energy far beyond the norm
Our thoughts have the power to reach great distances
Together, that's the way
Working together is the best way to achieve results
To send the message we declare World Contact Day
We have designated a special day to make contact with beings in space
Calling occupants of interplanetary, anti-adversary craft
We are attempting to reach any beings who are traveling in spacecraft that are not hostile
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOHN WOLOSCHUK, TERRY DRAPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind