The Carpenters’ Hot 100 Singles Ranked From Worst to Best: Critic’s Picks
The Carpenters may have been the most polarizing pop music act of the 1970s. Karen and Richard had millions of fans worldwide, but also their share of detractors who took delight in mocking their squeaky-clean image. (One jibe, “Goody-four-shoes,” was so clever that Richard got a kick out of it.)
They also personified AM pop music at a time when rock, as well as FM radio, was coming to dominate the music business. They were seen by some as uncool and even corny. And, yes, they released a few singles, “Sing” chief among them, that almost defied their critics to go on the attack. But image considerations fade over time. You have to be of a certain age to even remember when the Carpenters stirred such passions — on both sides of these divides.
Karen and Richard could do no wrong on the pop charts in the first half of the 1970s. They had 16 consecutive top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 at a time when you had to earn each hit one single at a time — unlike in the streaming era, when superstar acts frequently flood the top 20 with multiple hits upon the release of a new album. And they were big around the world: Their greatest hits album The Singles 1969-1973 topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart for 17 weeks, a record equaled by just two other groups or duos (The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel) in the chart’s 70-year history.
But cracks started to appear in the latter months of 1975. Richard, who produced the duo’s long string of hit, started to wear out. (Jack Daugherty was officially credited as producer in the early years, but Richard made the creative decisions.) Karen developed anorexia nervosa — a then-little-known eating disorder. Nowadays, someone with a similar problem could promptly seek help and feel the love and support of friends and fans. Then, it was held almost as a shameful secret. Karen died from complications from the disorder in 1983 at age 32.
The Carpenters’ reputation has grown immeasurably in the years since her death. Karen is now widely regarded as one of the best female singers of her time. And Richard is increasingly given credit for knowing how to frame that singular voice. Since Karen was so young when she died, it’s nice that Richard has had a good, long life. He turns 80 on Thursday (Oct. 15).
To mark the occasion, here are the Carpenters’ 27 Hot 100 hits, fearlessly ranked from worst to best by an OG Carpenters fan. We show “Superstar” and “Bless the Beasts and Children” as one double-sided single because that it how it’s listed for part of its run on the Hot 100.
We also included one non-Hot 100 hit, “Merry Christmas Darling.” Were we cheating just to get it on the list? Not really. The only reason it didn’t make the Hot 100 when it was released in 1970 is that holiday songs weren’t eligible for that chart back then. (Perhaps it will chart yet, given the annual takeover of holiday hits of all eras under the Hot 100’s current methodology.)
Here’s our ranking. There were only a couple of clunkers destined for the bottom spots, and many classics vying for the top spots.
Grein drew on his liner notes for the 1999 compilation The Singles 1969-1981, as well as fresh research and analysis, in writing this feature.
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“Beechwood 4-5789”
Hot 100 peak: No. 74 (two weeks)
Peak date: May 8, 1982
Songwriters: Marvin Gaye, George Gordy, William Stevenson
Notes: The duo’s last Hot 100 hit — Karen died nine months later — was its least-inspired. This song was initially recorded by The Marvelettes, who took it to No. 17 in 1962. The Motown girl group had also introduced “Please Mr. Postman,” which the Carpenters just happened to cover for their last No. 1 hit. The duo’s version of “Beechwood” is cloying and insipid. One insurmountable problem: Karen was 31 when this song was released on their Made in America album, way too old for such frivolous teenage concerns.
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“Solitaire”
Hot 100 peak: No. 17 (one week)
Peak date: Sept. 20, 1975
Songwriters: Phil Cody, Neil Sedaka
Notes: This was airbrushed perfectionism, minus the warmth of the best Carpenters hits. And the dirge was out of step with the quickening tempo of the hits of the time. In the year of the exuberant “Love Will Keep Us Together” (another Sedaka song, which Captain & Tennille turned into the biggest hit of 1975), this was simply the wrong record at the wrong time. Immaculate but dull. And endless: At 4:40, this was the Carpenters’ longest single to make the Hot 100.
Fun Fact: American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken took the song to No. 4 on the Hot 100 in 2004.
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“(Want You) Back in My Life Again”
Hot 100 peak: No. 72 (two weeks)
Peak date: Oct. 17, 1981
Songwriters: Kerry Chater, Chris Christian
Notes: This zesty single has a certain appeal, but it represents the Carpenters hopping on a trend — the synth pop sound of the early ’80s that gave us such hits as Robbie Dupree’s “Steal Away” — rather than doing their own thing. Daryl Dragon, the male half of Captain & Tennille, helped program the synthesizer.
Fun Fact: The chord near the end of the song features more harmony overdubs than appear on any other Carpenters single.
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“Goofus”
Hot 100 peak: No. 56 (two weeks)
Peak date: Sept. 25, 1976
Songwriters: William Harold, Gus Kahn, Wayne King
Notes: After watching a couple of traditional-sounding Carpenters singles face resistance at pop radio, the duo rolled the dice on a remake of this novelty song, which was a 1931 instrumental hit for its co-writer, bandleader Wayne King. The song’s storyline mirrored the pair’s origin story to a degree — the Carpenters also defied the norms with a unique sound. But the song became their first flop on the Hot 100, not even making the top 40.
Flip It Over: The superior B-side was Jackie DeShannon’s “Boat To Sail,” which had first appeared on the 1960s star’s 1975 album New Arrangement. That was the same album that included her co-write “Bette Davis Eyes,” which Kim Carnes turned into the biggest Hot 100 hit of 1981.
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“Sing”
Hot 100 peak: No. 3 (two weeks)
Hot 100 peak: April 21, 1973
Songwriter: Joe Raposo
Notes: It’s nearly impossible to objectively assess this song from Sesame Street. It was a million-selling smash (after the Carpenters’ two previous releases had stopped a little short of the million-sales mark). It brought the duo its third Grammy nod for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal and Richard his third Grammy nod for best arrangement, instruments and vocals. And it’s a very enjoyable listen — for the most part. But the presence of the resolutely chipper children’s chorus (the Jimmy Joyce Children’s Choir) amounted to throwing gasoline on the fire that was the long-running pop-culture debate about the Carpenters. Were they hopelessly uncool? When you put out a record as defiantly unhip as “Sing,” you make yourself a target.
Karen and Richard first heard the song in 1972 on the set of the ABC-TV special, Robert Young With the Young. (Young was the star of TV’s top-rated Marcus Welby, M.D.; Karen and Richard were “the young,” along with sitcom star Sandy Duncan and Laugh-In’s Arte Johnson.) The Carpenters wasted no time in recording the song. Credit to Richard for maximizing the song’s hit potential. (Barbra Streisand, no less, had stalled at No. 94 on the Hot 100 in November 1972 with a live version, in which she coupled the song with “Make Your Own Kind of Music”). But I would have preferred a duet recording by Karen and oh, let’s say, Ray Charles (who excelled on another Sesame Street song, “Bein’ Green”). They could have sent the children’s chorus packing.
Fun Fact: Arte Johnson sang “Sing” on the aforementioned TV special, with the Carpenters, Duncan and Young seen watching him and cheering him on. The Carpenters hadn’t yet recorded the song at the time of the TV taping. The long-delayed special finally aired on May 6, 1973, when their rendition of “Sing” was in its sixth week in the top 10 on the Hot 100.
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“Please Mr. Postman”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (one week)
Peak date: Jan. 25, 1975
Songwriters: Robert Bateman, Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Brian Holland
Notes: Richard’s taut, propulsive arrangement helped to update the Marvelettes classic. Karen’s playful pout and spirited drumming added to it appeal. “Postman” became the duo’s 10th Gold single in the U.S. It also became its top-selling international hit. It hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in January 1975, displacing Barry Manilow’s “Mandy.” Manilow was to the second half of the 1970s what the Carpenters had been to the first: The hottest pop/adult contemporary act in the business.
Fun Fact: When the Carpenters’ remake hit No. 1, this became just the third song in Hot 100 history to reach No. 1 for two different artists, following a pair of Goffin & King classics, “Go Away Little Girl” and “The Loco-Motion.”
Flip It Over: The far superior (if perhaps not as commercial) B-side was a classy rendition of the Leon Russell ballad “This Masquerade,” which first appeared on Russell’s 1972 album Carney (which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200) and which the Carpenters covered on their 1973 album Now & Then (which also hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200). It was the third song written by the future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer that the Carpenters cut, following “Superstar” and “A Song for You.” Richard was concerned that their version of “This Masquerade,” which ran 4:50, was too long for single release. In that case, they should have trimmed it or recut a single version. Their initial instincts that the song had the potential to be a classic were correct: George Benson’s version made the top 10 on the Hot 100 in August 1976 and won a Grammy for record of the year in February 1977.
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“There’s a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)”
Hot 100 peak: No. 12 (one week)
Peak date: April 24, 1976
Songwriters: Les Reed, Geoff Stephens
Notes: This was the third remake of a 1960s smash that Karen and Richard released as a single, following The Beatles’ “Ticket To Ride” and The Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman.” Herman’s Hermits had a No. 4 hit on the Hot 100 with the sprightly song in 1967. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, Karen and Richard should have pocketed their No. 1 hit with “Postman” and said, “Let’s not go to the well too many times: No more oldies.”
Fun Fact: Herman’s Hermits’ recording was also a cover version. The song was first recorded by the New Vaudeville Band, which was organized by the song’s co-writer Geoff Stephens. It was featured on their hit 1966 album, Winchester Cathedral.
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“Sweet, Sweet Smile”
Hot 100 peak: No. 44 (one week)
Peak date: April 15, 1978
Songwriters: Juice Newton, Otha Young
Notes: Karen and Richard had a pleasant surprise in April 1978 when this became a top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Karen’s flip, off-handed approach is just right for the sassy square dance. Richard’s arrangement, which features fiddle, banjo and tack piano, has the spirit of an old-time country jam. Juice Newton, who co-wrote the song, went on to have a string of pop, country and adult contemporary hits as an artist in the early 1980s, including “Queen of Hearts” and “Angel of the Morning.”
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“Touch Me When We’re Dancing”
Hot 100 peak: No. 16 (four weeks)
Peak date: Aug. 8, 1981
Songwriters: Ken Bell, Terry Skinner, J.L. Wallace
Notes: Karen and Richard ended a long hiatus in 1981 with this sultry ballad. For a few weeks, it teetered on the edge of becoming a major hit, as is suggested by its four-week run at No. 16. The sleek single features Tom Scott on tenor sax. Richard’s arrangement and production are excellent, but Karen wasn’t at her best. She probably shouldn’t have been recording at all at that point. Ideally, her focus would have been on getting well.
Fun Fact: This song had reached No. 86 on the Hot 100 in 1979 for Bama, a session group from Muscle Shoals, Ala., that was headed by two of the song’s writers. Country supergroup Alabama (no relation to Bama) had a No. 1 hit on Hot Country Songs with this song in November 1986.
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“I Believe You”
Hot 100 peak: No. 68 (two weeks)
Peak date: Dec. 23, 1978
Songwriters: Dick Addrisi, Don Addrissi
Notes: The Carpenters recorded this lush ballad during a break from their Christmas Portrait sessions, which may explain its old-fashioned sensibility. The song had been a major R&B hit in 1977 for Dorothy Moore, who is best known for the soulful 1976 ballad “Misty Blue.”
Fun Facts: The song was written by another pair of pop siblings, The Addrisi Brothers, who wrote The Association’s 1967 smash “Never My Love” (No. 2 on the Hot 100) and had a pair of top 30 hits on the Hot 100 as recording artists, “We’ve Got To Get it on Again” (No. 25 in 1972) and “Slow Dancin’ Don’t Turn Me On” (No. 20 in 1977). How many songs that were written by one pair of siblings have become Hot 100 hits for another pair of siblings? Somewhere, a Chart Beat reader is digging into this right now.
The song was arranged by Gene Page, who won a Grammy for his work on The Temptations’ 1972 classic “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and was nominated for another for co-arranging Stevie Wonder’s marvelous, jazz-tinged 1982 hit “Do I Do.”
Flip It Over: The B-side was a gender-flipped version of Michael Franks’ “B’wana-He No Home.” The smooth jazz artist had landed his only Hot 100 hit as an artist in 1976 with “Popsicle Toes.”
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“Those Good Old Dreams”
Hot 100 peak: No. 63 (one week)
Peak date: Jan. 16, 1982
Songwriters: John Bettis, Richard Carpenter
Notes: This was the sixth Carpenter/Bettis song to be released as a single. Here, they fuse elements of two of their biggest hits — the nostalgic theme of “Yesterday Once More” and the cozy, country-tinged accessibility of “Top of the World.” Karen sings in her alluring lower register. Many of the duo’s hits feature her lower contralto singing, which led her to dryly quip, “The money’s in the basement.”
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“Top of the World”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks)
Peak date: Dec. 1, 1973
Songwriters: John Bettis, Richard Carpenter
Notes: This was the No. 1 smash that almost got away. Richard and John Bettis wrote the lilting ballad for the A Song for You album in 1972, but the consensus at A&M and in the Carpenters camp was that it wasn’t quite strong enough for single release. When Karen and Richard moved on to their next album (and its hits “Sing” and “Yesterday Once More”), Lynn Anderson recorded the song and landed a No. 2 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart (No. 74 on the Hot 100). There were other signs the Carpenters had underrated the song: It made radio station playlists on request alone; it went Gold in Japan.
The Carpenters finally got the message and put out a modestly retooled version of the song to coincide with the release of their greatest hits compilation, The Singles 1969-1973. The smash reached No. 1 and went Gold in December 1973 – 18 months after it had first appeared on A Song for You. It was their first No. 1 since “(They Long To Be) Close to You” – after five (five!) subsequent singles had stalled at No. 2.
In 2023, accepting a best original song Oscar for “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, the song’s co-writer M.M. Keeravaani said: “Thank you, Academy. I grew up listening to the Carpenters, and now here I am with the Oscars.” He sang the rest of his acceptance speech to the tune of “Top of the World.” Fifty years after the song was a hit, the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood immediately knew the song and was charmed by the moment.
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“It’s Going to Take Some Time”
Hot 100 peak: No. 12 (two weeks)
Peak date: June 10, 1972
Songwriters: Carole King, Toni Stern
Notes: The Carpenters’ stylish rendition of Carole King and Toni Stern’s “It’s Going to Take Some Time” was released just four months after King introduced the song on her Billboard 200-topping Music album. As the singer-songwriter graciously noted in congratulating the Carpenters on their recording: “You make my version sound like a demo!” The song stalled at No. 12, breaking a string of six consecutive top three hits. Richard now wishes the song had remained what it was probably always meant to be — a nice album cut.
King and Stern’s most famous collaboration was “It’s Too Late,” the song that kept “Rainy Days and Mondays” out of the No. 1 spot. We’ll get to that.
Flip It Over: The B-side was an instrumental titled “Flat Baroque.” It brought Richard a Grammy nod for best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella. Incredibly, it was the only nomination that the duo’s hit-studded A Song for You album received. Each of the duo’s two previous studio albums had received multiple nominations, including album of the year. Why did this album get so little Grammy love? That’s still a mystery.
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“Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft”
Hot 100 peak: No. 32 (one week)
Peak date: Nov. 26, 1977
Songwriters: Terry Draper, Dee Long, John Woloschuck
Notes: The Carpenters did some of their most imaginative work on their mad, majestic recording of a song by Klaatu, a group of Canadian studio musicians who were heavily influenced by The Beatles and named after the alien in the sci-fi thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still. If, at the time, the space fantasy came across as a clever stunt, it now seems like a grand pop extravaganza. The fun was hearing an act that was usually understated go so completely over-the-top.
Richard, a long-time sci-fi fan, heard this song on Klaatu’s debut album, which reached No. 164 on the Billboard 200 in 1976. Klaatu’s version made the Hot 100 as the B-side of “Sub-rosa Subway” (No. 62 in April 1977). The Carpenters’ opus, which utilized 160 musicians and singers, is the biggest single recording they ever attempted. Richard teamed with Peter Knight, best known for his work on The Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin,” to arrange this track. The track brought Richard a Grammy nod for best arrangement, instruments and vocals. (Why was Knight not nominated? Another Grammy mystery.) This was the only Grammy nod the duo’s adventurous Passage album received.
British fans showed “Occupants” more love than American fans did. The song became the act’s seventh top 10 hit on the Official U.K. Singles Chart. It was the duo’s only top 10 U.K. hit that didn’t also make the top 10 in their home country.
Flip It Over: The B-side was a mellow version of “Can’t Smile Without You,” which Barry Manilow would cover in 1978 and turn into a No. 3 Hot 100 smash. Manilow found the key to landing a pop hit with the song. “I decided that I would treat it with a big smile; like a vaudeville piece, with lots of key changes, a whistle in the intro and a real take-home ending,” he wrote in the liner notes for his 1992 box set A Complete Collection and Then Some…
Fun Fact: “Calling Occupants” ran 7:09 on Passage. The single edit brought it down to 3:59.
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“All You Get From Love Is a Love Song”
Hot 100 peak: No. 35 (one week)
Peak date: July 2, 1977
Songwriter: Steve Eaton
Notes: This vibrant single has traces of big-band, Latin and dance music. Richard’s production is sleek and assured; Karen’s vocal is warm and inviting. Tom Scott played the tenor sax solo.
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“Ticket to Ride”
Hot 100 peak: No. 54
Peak date: May 9, 1970 (one week)
Songwriters: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Notes: It’s fitting that the Carpenters, who were big Beatles fans, chose a Lennon/McCartney song as their first single. It’s also characteristic of them that they didn’t just record a soundalike version to get a quick hit. Instead, Richard transformed the song from an up-tempo rocker to a melancholy ballad. His baroque piano introduction adds to the listener’s surprise upon realizing it’s a Beatles tune.
Fun Fact: The single initially peaked at No. 66 on the Hot 100 in March 1970 and dropped off the chart two weeks later following a respectable seven-week run. It came back stronger than ever following the April 10 announcement of The Beatles’ breakup. It reentered the chart at No. 81, earning a bullet for the first time. The duo’s melancholy interpretation of the Fab Four fave seemed to set just the right mood for bummed-out Beatlemaniacs. The song laid the groundwork for the Carpenters’ breakthrough: Just 11 weeks after this sleeper near-hit peaked at No. 54 in May, they were sitting at No. 1 with “(They Long To Be) Close to You.”
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“For All We Know”
Hot 100 peak: No. 3 (two weeks)
Peak date: March 13, 1971
Songwriters: James Griffin, Fred Karlin, Robb Wilson (Robb Royer)
Notes: The Carpenters followed “We’ve Only Just Begun” with another wedding song, but there was a difference: Where “Begun” expresses romantic certainty, “For All We Know” conveys some ambivalence. Karen’s reading captures both the devotion and the doubt. Richard wrote the descending bass line which was played by legendary studio musician Joe Osborn.
This was the Carpenters’ shortest single, running just 2:33. “For All We Know” was in the top five when the song (from the film Lovers and Other Strangers) won an Oscar for best original song in March 1971. The Carpenters weren’t invited to perform it on the telecast because they weren’t film personalities. Petula Clark performed it in their stead. (The rule was relaxed the following year and they were allowed to perform their next film song hit, “Bless the Beasts and Children.”)
Fred Karlin, one of the writers of “For All We Know,” acknowledged them in his acceptance speech. “I also would like to thank two other very special friends, Karen and Richard Carpenter, for their very moving interpretation of ‘For All We Know.’ ”
Fun Fact: James Griffin and Robb Wilson (the latter a pseudonym used by Robb Royer), the song’s other co-writers, were founding members of Bread. That soft-rock group’s “Make It With You” displaced “(They Long To Be) Close to You” from the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 in August 1970.
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“Goodbye to Love”
Hot 100 peak: No. 7 (two weeks)
Peak date: Aug. 26, 1972
Songwriters: John Bettis, Richard Carpenter
Notes: Tony Peluso’s fuzz-guitar solo turned a lot of heads in the summer of ’72. It also brought the Carpenters some irate letters from easy-listening traditionalists who accused them of going “hard rock.” (They needn’t have worried.) The long guitar-and-vocals fade gives “Goodbye to Love” an epic quality — making it the “Hey Jude” of unrequited love songs.
This was the first Richard Carpenter-John Bettis original to be released as a single. The lyric is maudlin in spots, but no moreso than Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally),” which opens with lyrics about suicidal ideation and still wound up as Billboard’s No. 1 song of the summer that year. This was Karen’s favorite of the duo’s first dozen hits.
And who is this John Bettis whose name keeps popping up here? In addition to co-writing four top 10 hits for Carpenters, Bettis went on to co-write top 10 hits for three of the foremost pop icons of the 1980s: Michael Jackson (“Human Nature”), Madonna (“Crazy for You”) and Whitney Houston (“One Moment in Time”). He also co-wrote “Slow Hand,” which became a No. 2 Hot 100 hit for The Pointer Sisters and a No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit when covered by Conway Twitty.
He also did extensive work for TV, which includes the theme to the hit ABC sitcom Growing Pains; the song, which he co-wrote with Steve Dorff, reached No. 7 on Adult Contemporary in 1989. In 1991, Bettis received an Oscar nod for co-writing a song from The Godfather Part III. In 2011, he was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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“I Won’t Last a Day Without You”
Hot 100 peak: No. 11 (one week)
Peak date: May 25, 1974
Songwriters: Roger Nichols, Paul Williams
Notes: Though nearly two years had gone by since Karen and Richard introduced this ballad on their A Song for You album, their single release of the song became a big hit in the spring of 1974. The poignant pop hymn was ideal for Karen’s style and persona. And Paul Williams’ lyrics are first-rate: “If all my friends have forgotten half their promises/ They’re not unkind, just hard to find.”
As with “Top of the World,” the Carpenters had probably underrated the song. Diana Ross and Barbra Streisand also recorded it on hit albums in 1973 and 1974, respectively.
This was the Carpenters’ third major hit that was written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols. The combination of the Carpenters and Williams/Nichols was in some ways to the early ’70s what the Dionne Warwick/Bacharach/David tandem had been to the ’60s — in quality, if not in quantity, of hits.
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“Hurting Each Other”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2 (two weeks)
Peak date: Feb. 26, 1972
Songwriters: Gary Geld, Peter Udell
Notes: Though “Hurting Each Other” was one of the Carpenters’ shortest singles (at just 2:47) it has a big dynamic range. After a cold opening of just Karen and piano, the single builds to a big chorus, only to drop back down and repeat the process. Richard modeled the recording after the hyper-emotional 1960s hits of Little Anthony & the Imperials.
“Hurting Each Other” was a remake of a 1969 release by Ruby and the Romantics. Karen and Richard went on to record two other songs that had been introduced by that Ohio-based R&B quintet: the Hot 100-topping 1963 classic “Our Day Will Come” and a 1965 release, “Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore.” (Ruby and the Romantics had bubbled under the Hot 100 with “Your Baby…” and “Hurting Each Other.”)
No. 2 Blues: As noted, the Carpenters had five No. 2 hits in between their first and second No. 1 hits. This one was kept out of the top spot by Nilsson’s power ballad “Without You.”
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“I Need to Be in Love”
Hot 100 peak: No. 25 (two weeks)
Peak date: July 24, 1976
Songwriters: John Bettis, Richard Carpenter, Albert Hammond
Notes: This was Karen’s favorite of all the Carpenters’ hits. Richard and John Bettis co-wrote the soul-searching ballad with Albert Hammond. The song’s hymn-like quality is accentuated by the choir and harp. Karen teeters between disillusionment and hope on the 1976 release, which was the closest thing to “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” in the year of “More, More, More.”
Fun Fact: Hammond had a top five hit on the Hot 100 as an artist in 1972 with the bouncy, but bittersweet “It Never Rains in Southern California.” He has also co-written many hits for others, including two that reached No. 1: Leo Sayer’s “When I Need You” and Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”
Not So Fun Fact: This broke the Carpenters’ string of 16 consecutive top 20 hits on the Hot 100.
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“Yesterday Once More”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2 (one week)
Peak date: July 28, 1973
Songwriters: John Bettis, Richard Carpenter
Notes: Richard and John Bettis wrote this wistful ballad to set up an oldies medley that filled out side two of the Now & Then album. It wound up being a higher-charting hit than all but a few of the songs in that medley. The Spinners covered it in 1981 and took it to No. 52 on the Hot 100 in a coupling with “Nothing Remains the Same,” a new song written by Michael Zager. A double-disc Carpenters hits compilation titled Yesterday Once More rode the Billboard 200 for two months in 1985.
No. 2 blues: This No. 2 hit was kept out of the top spot by Jim Croce’s “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.” Tragically, Croce died in a plane crash three months later. The two acts would meet on the charts “once more”: In February 1974, his You Don’t Mess Around With Jim displaced the Carpenters’ The Singles: 1969-73 from the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200.
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“Only Yesterday”
Hot 100 peak: No. 4 (two weeks)
Peak date: May 24, 1975
Songwriters: John Bettis, Richard Carpenter
Notes: This is really two songs in one, with a poignant opening verse giving way to a densely-arranged, uptempo chorus. The sleek single became the Carpenters’ 12th and last top 10 hit in May 1975. A compilation titled Only Yesterday: Richard and Karen Carpenter’s Greatest Hits topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart for seven weeks in 1990.
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“(They Long to Be) Close to You”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (four weeks)
Peak date: July 25, 1970
Songwriters: Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Notes: You may think of this as one of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s most famous compositions. It is, but it certainly wasn’t in 1970 when the Carpenters covered it. Richard Chamberlain (TV’s Doctor Kildare) was the first to record it (Bacharach conducted). Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield each took a stab at it, but nothing much happened.
After Herb Alpert topped the Hot 100 in 1968 with Bacharach and David’s “This Guy’s in Love With You,” the trumpeter and sometime vocalist asked David if they had any songs that hadn’t quite gotten the right recording that he might revisit. David suggested “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” Alpert decided he wouldn’t be comfortable singing the line “so they sprinkled moondust in your hair of gold,” but he thought it might be right for the Carpenters, who he had signed to his (and Jerry Moss’) A&M Records in April 1969.
Richard, a longtime Bacharach devotee, didn’t even know the song when Alpert suggested it for a medley of Bacharach songs the duo was working up for a performance at a benefit at which Bacharach was being honored in February 1970. Richard didn’t think the song was right for the medley, but Alpert had a feeling about this tune and wouldn’t let it go. He urged them to record the song for their next album. Alpert was on to something. The Carpenters’ light touch on “Close to You” was just right for the romantic creampuff. Karen’s lead vocal is engagingly coquettish. Richard’ slow-shuffle arrangement features a warm trumpet solo and a splash of mellow California harmonies.
Bacharach, who arranged Warwick’s 1964 recording of the song, was impressed. “I think Richard Carpenter really nailed the essence of the song,” the pop titan once said. “I never had it. We do that song (in concert) and I’m very aware as we do it, ‘Boy, I blew this one.’ ” The facts speak for themselves: Of the hundreds of outside cover versions of Bacharach songs to be released over the past seven decades, this is the only one to reach No. 1. It was Billboard’s top song of the summer for 1970.The Carpenters won a Grammy for best contemporary vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus for this smash. It was also nominated for record of the year, while Richard received his first nod for best arrangement, instruments and vocals. (The latter two awards both went to Simon & Garfunkel’s power ballad for the ages, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”)
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“Merry Christmas Darling”
Holiday Songs peak: No. 1 (three nonconsecutive weeks)
Peak dates: Dec. 19, 1970, Dec. 18, 1971, Dec. 8, 1973
Songwriters: Richard Carpenter, Frank Pooler
Notes: Richard composed this ballad in 1966, while a student at California State University at Long Beach. Frank Pooler, Richard’s (and later Karen’s) choir director at the school, had written the lyrics in 1946 (when, apparently, “Christmasing” could be used as a verb.) Pooler gave the lyric sheet to his prize pupil, who came up with an appropriately cozy melody. Karen’s voice was deep and husky on the 1970 original. She chose to recut her vocal in 1978, when she sang softer and with greater ease.
The song ranked No. 41 on Billboard’s 2024 ranking “The 100 Best Christmas Songs of All Time: Staff List.” Melinda Newman called Karen’s vocal “pure, sublime perfection,” adding, “she conveys the perfect mix of yearning, sadness and hope since she knows, even though it’s unspoken, they will be joyfully reunited after the holidays.”
“Merry Christmas Darling” is a highlight of the Carpenters’ 1978 album Christmas Portrait, which has logged 69 weeks on the Billboard 200, second only to Close to You (87 weeks) among Carpenters albums.
Listen here (1970 version)
Listen here (1978 version)
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“We’ve Only Just Begun”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2 (four weeks)
Peak date: Oct. 31, 1970
Songwriters: Roger Nichols, Paul Williams
Notes: This quickly supplanted “(They Long to Be) Close to You” as the Carpenters’ signature song — no small feat. The idyllic ballad could have easily seemed precious, but the Carpenters gave it blood and guts. Karen’s lead vocal conveys strength, optimism and a deep contentment. Richard’s arrangement blends the romanticism of easy listening with the pulse of pop/rock. Richard had spotted the song on Los Angeles television — as a bank commercial. The Carpenters’ recording turned it from a jingle into a standard. It received Grammy nominations for song of the year and best contemporary song, both won by “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
No. 2 blues: It took two No. 1 hits to keep this out of the top spot. “Begun” trailed the Jackson Five’s “I’ll Be There” for three weeks and then The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You” for one.
Fun Fact: The Partridge Family’s Shirley Jones and David Cassidy presented the Carpenters with a Grammy on the first live Grammy telecast in March 1971. That’s the least they could do after blocking them from No. 1.
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“Superstar”/“Bless the Beasts and Children”
Hot 100 peaks: “Superstar” No. 2 (two weeks); “Bless the Beasts and Children” No. 16 (one week)
Peak dates: “Superstar” Oct. 16, 1971; “Bless” Nov. 20, 1971
Songwriters: Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell (“Superstar”); Perry Botkin Jr., Barry DeVorzon (“Bless”)
(On the Hot 100, “Superstar” was listed by itself during its first 11 weeks; and was double-sided with “Bless” in its next two weeks, including the week we show “Bless” peaking at No. 16. “Bless” was listed by itself during the next eight weeks.)Songwriters: Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell (“Superstar”); Perry Botkin Jr., Barry DeVorzon (“Bless the Beasts and Children”)
Notes: If the Carpenters’ version of “Close to You” is a sunny day at the beach, their rendition of “Superstar” is a cold, dark night. Karen’s husky vocal exudes power. Richard’s haunting arrangement creates a chilling sense of foreboding. Richard’s arrangement brought him a second consecutive Grammy nomination for best arrangement, instruments and vocals.
This song first appeared, under the title “Groupie (Superstar),” as the B-side of “Comin’ Home” by Delaney & Bonnie and Friends featuring Eric Clapton, which reached No. 84 on the Hot 100 in February 1970. Rita Coolidge sang the song on Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in October 1970. The Carpenters first heard it when Bette Midler sang it on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, about 18 months before she included it on her debut album, The Divine Miss M. It has since been recorded by artists as diverse as Luther Vandross and Sonic Youth (on the 1994 tribute album If I Were a Carpenter), but the Carpenters’ version has never been topped.
The Carpenters had such a wealth of great material to choose from in this time frame that “Bless the Beasts and Children” was relegated to the B-side of “Superstar.” Karen and Richard performed the ballad, from the Stanley Kramer film of the same name, on the Oscar telecast in April 1972, where it was nominated for best original song. It lost to Isaac Hayes’ eternally funky “Theme From Shaft,” which made history as the first song written by a Black songwriter to win an Oscar. Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin Jr., the writers of “Bless the Beasts,” went on to land a top 10 hit of their own in 1976 with “Nadia’s Theme.” That instrumental had first appeared on the Bless the Beasts soundtrack under a different title, “Cotton’s Dream.” DeVorzon and Botkin followed that smash with a cover of “Bless the Beasts,” which also made the Hot 100 at No. 82.
Fun Fact: One side or the other (or both) of this smash was listed on the Hot 100 for 21 consecutive weeks, the longest chart run of any Carpenters single. “Top of the World” is in second place, with 20 weeks on the chart.
No. 2 Blues: This No. 2 hit was kept out of the top spot by Rod Stewart’s rock classic “Maggie May.”
Listen here (“Superstar”)
Listen here (“Bless the Beasts and Children“)
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“Rainy Days and Mondays”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2 (two weeks)
Peak date: June 19, 1971
Songwriters: Roger Nichols, Paul Williams
Notes: This is one of the most nakedly emotional ballads ever to become a pop hit. Karen’s bluesy vocal is a study in control, as she builds effortlessly from a conversational opening to a searing finish. Bob Messenger’s sax solo enhances the recording’s jazz-tinged sophistication. “Rainy Days and Mondays” is the opening track on the Carpenters album, which brought Karen and Richard their second straight Grammy Award for best pop performance by a group. The album was also nominated for album of the year but lost to Carole King’s era-defining Tapestry.
No. 2 blues: This classy ballad had everything going for it except timing: It rose from No. 3 to No. 2 the week that King’s “It’s Too Late”/ “I Feel the Earth Move” soared from No. 6 to No. 1, where it reigned for five straight weeks.
Fun Fact: John Bettis made a sly allusion to “Rainy Days” in his lyric for “Sandy,” a 1976 Carpenters album track: “You know how rainy weather gets me down when I’m alone.”
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.