Download Instrumental    We did this “Carpenters” arrangement for a high school musical years ago.  It begins with only snippets of two of their songs, then finally flows into the main course – “We’ve Only Just Begun” (you have to wait for it).  It played well on a musical stage as a tribute to the “Carpenters” and I think it might work in a club atmosphere as well…. or even (choke) a wedding.

Richard and Karen Carpenter grew up with music – Richard studying piano and Karen playing the drums.  In 1965, they formed the jazz-oriented Richard Carpenter Trio (they added a stand-up bass player), later forming a middle-of-the road band called Spectrum.  Neither group went anywhere, mostly because Karen wasn’t doing any of the vocals.  She finally took a year’s worth of singing lessons and developed that soft, slightly sultry voice we all still enjoy today.  Richard rewrote a Burt Bacharach tune in 1969 called “Close to You”, which was first recorded in ’63 by Richard Chamberlain (yes, Dr. Kildare).  Richard Carpenter’s arrangement of that song was their first hit, followed by “We’ve Only Just Begun”, which was originally a bank commercial that Richard heard on TV and liked the melody and lyrics.  His arrangements were all a thing of beauty.

So, in reality,  the “Carpenters” were a cover band.  Richard borrowed other peoples’ songs that he liked, rearranged them to suit their style, then struck gold on the charts.  Quite a rascal, huh?   “For All We Know” was first done by the California soft-rock band Bread – “Superstar” was written by Leon Russell and recorded by Rita Coolidge – Paul Williams wrote and recorded “Rainy Days and Mondays” before Rick got ahold of it – and “Top of the World” was a hit for Lynn Anderson in 1973, six months before the “Carpenters” released it.  None of that matters.  Richard was the driving force behind this iconic duo and we’re all better off for it.

On another, slightly sinister, note – Karen and Richard both privately believed marijuana should be legalized.  Well, there ya go…