Carpenters songs you disliked that suddenly grew on You

[Dave]

Yes, I remember not being so fond of "Rainy Days & Mondays" at first, and often found myself "walking around..., some kind of lonely clown..." and having "nothing to do but frown...", much like Karen's "role" in that song...

And somehow the saxophone solo to me, was what should'a been one of the worst...

Don't know how things changed as I've grown to like it more, though admittedly it was on the strength of discovering the Paul Williams and Andy Williams versions of that song (or at least remember hearing them, then, too)...

"Sing" is another notable one, but I have rediscovered fond memories I've had, long ago, in my youth, that "Sing" was a part of...

So, over time I grew to like those two...


Any carpenters songs that any of you didn't like right away, that you do now?



Dave

 

[Dave60640]

For me it was "ordinary Fool." Hard to describe (perhaps top close to home) but the more I heard it the more I appreciated all the "effortless" perfection.

 

[Harry]

"Solitaire"

When I first heard it, I thought it was so slow and plodding. It was a nice song, and I was happy to hear Carpenters on the radio with it, but it didn't push any of the buttons of which I knew they were capable. In the intervening time, whenever it came on in a compilation, I'd tend to hit the skip button.

Since its appearance however as a "single mix" on the US GOLD compilation, I've given it a bit more listening time. At first it was tough to spot the differences (and they're not many, and not very dramatic), and by listening more, I started warming up to the whole thing. While it remains far from a favorite, it has grown on me.

Harry

 

[JAZZ4JEFF]

Great topic!

I'll go off the beaten path and pick "Say yeah" from Richard's solo album. I was so shocked when I first heard it. I thought "That can't be Richard". But, the more I played it, the more I liked it.

I used to play it for friends and see if they could guess the artist. No one could.

 

[Harry]

Our Dave does come up with a good one once in a while...

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Some of the lesser-known slow songs have grown on me over the years, in particular the ballads from TICKET TO RIDE and CARPENTERS.

I also remember when I first heard the whole CLOSE TO YOU album (courtesy of my sister, who had a tape of it) I was pretty disinterested in the whole thing except the title track, but nowadays I think there's not a bad track on it.

 

[newvillefan]

"Solitaire"

When I first heard it, I thought it was so slow and plodding. It was a nice song, and I was happy to hear Carpenters on the radio with it, but it didn't push any of the buttons of which I knew they were capable. In the intervening time, whenever it came on in a compilation, I'd tend to hit the skip button.

Since its appearance however as a "single mix" on the US GOLD compilation, I've given it a bit more listening time. At first it was tough to spot the differences (and they're not many, and not very dramatic), and by listening more, I started warming up to the whole thing. While it remains far from a favorite, it has grown on me.

Harry

I'm right with you there Harry, that's exactly what happened to me! Used to ALWAYS skip it til the revised Gold CD came out, and took a listen to see what the differences were and loved the added guitar twists and church organ overdubs

 

[Mike Blakesley]

"Solitaire" is on my list of Carpenters 'take it or leave it' songs, but I like their version way better than Neil Sedaka's.

 

[Jeff]

I have two. I HAVE YOU from AKOH and SOMETIMES from CarpenterS. The more I listen the less disturbing I find these cuts.

Jeff

 

[Daniel Perales]

Great topic!

I'll go off the beaten path and pick "Say yeah" from Richard's solo album. I was so shocked when I first heard it. I thought "That can't be Richard". But, the more I played it, the more I liked it.

It was almost the same with me. There was 3 songs from the "Time" album that was kind of "meh" for me at first, but I have grown to like them, anyway.

Those songs were:

"When Time Was All We Had".

The flugelhorn part felt more like a major distraction for the type of song that it was. I eventually got used to it.

"In Love Alone".

It felt like if Dionne Warwick was trying to imitate Karen (an impossible feat, I know). But the more I listened to it, the more it sounded just like any other Dionne Warwick songs, but with Richard's production and vocals that made the difference.

"Remind Me To Tell You".

It sounded like a generic album filler to me at first, but it growned on me the more I listened.

Now I can listen to the entire CD from begining to end without skiping a track.

Now as for a "Carpenters" song, the first thing that comes to mind was "Goodbye To Love". That guitar part felt like someone just poured some ice-water down my back when I first heard it.


Danny

 

[Dave]

The B-Side of my "Close To You" '45', "I Kept On Loving You"... The multi-tracked Richard Carpenter vocal, which takes the chorus of "We've Only Just Begun" to such an extreme, extreme...! (Almost as though he's doing a Partridge Family imitation...!)

And augmented with the horns and the breezy acoustic guitar make it sound more of what you would hear on Offering/Ticket To Ride...

Yes, this song took me a while to warm-up to and although it was written by Paul Williams/Roger Nichols, no version (least to my knowledge) by either exists...

Through hard times, easy times, thick and thin, I guess the narrator "kept on loving her", so I learned to "keep on loving The Carp's" and more and more becoming more fond of this Richard Carpenter solo piece, so handsomely crafted...

Just played it on YouTube, too... An ideal video would surly include a shot of their house on Neville Street...



Dave

 

[Mark-T]

"Reason to Believe" now one of my favorites- but as a young teen, it was SO uncool to like country! Of course, it was uncool to like the Carps, too, so what did I know!

 

[Dave]

The "Uncool to like Country and Carpenters" title should probably go to "Goofus" and "Sweet, Sweet Smile"...

However, the former, there's absolutely NO getting me to like, while the latter I've really never had any dislike towards, and is one I actually enjoy...



Dave

 

[Actorman]

"Man Smart, Woman Smarter" is a song that used to make me instinctively reach for the skip button but has grown on me in recent years. It's still far from being a favorite, but I at least let it play through now.

Hopefully I will get to that point someday with "B'wana She No Home."

 

[Mark-T]

I really LOVE B'wana!

 

[SakuraSYayoi]

"I Believe You"
"Man Smart, Woman Smarter"
"Little Girl Blue"

For those who have satellite radio,
or try online trial

Playing Favorites with Richard Carpenter
Today 12:00 pm ET
This week, the brilliant composer and arranger Richard Carpenter plays a stack of the Sinatra records he loves the most along with songs by other artists he admires like Bing Crosby, Johnny Mercer, Perry Como and, of course, his sister, Karen Carpenter. (1 hr)

http://www.sirius.com/siriuslysinatra

Sakura

 

[ullalume]

For me it's "Strength of a Woman".

I hated the song at first. . .then after a few years grew to hate it for different reasons (i.e. the trite patronising "women's anthem" feel in the lyric. . .I mean if he's that much of an idiot why fight for him. . .cut the loser loose.)

Anyway, a few years ago I started to appreciate the melody, arrangement and Karen's vocal. (the lyrics still stick in the throat).

However I feel it would have made a good single choice instead of Those Good Old Dreams (in my all time top5 Carps tracks). . .trite and patronising seem to go down well with the record buying public.

Still far from the best, but like it way more than at first.


Neil

 

[song4u]

Hey thanks for the tip about the satellite radio broadcast Sakura. I was able to hear the second half. Some of Richard Carpenter's favorite classics are mine also. And it was nice that he finished it off with his favorite female vocalist of all time - Karen Carpenter.

 

[SakuraSYayoi]

Hey thanks for the tip about the satellite radio broadcast Sakura. I was able to hear the second half. Some of Richard Carpenter's favorite classics are mine also. And it was nice that he finished it off with his favorite female vocalist of all time - Karen Carpenter.

You're welcome, Sharon.

I have posted this information to other groups. You are the first one who let me know that you heard Karen's song that Richard played.

Sakura

 

[Rumbahbah]

I too have never much cared for Solitaire – it always felt so dense and leaden to me – but the single version on the Gold compilation has made me appreciate it a little more. The extra guitar and organ just lightens the song a bit and gives it a bit more life. It’s still not a top drawer song (and still strikes me as an odd choice for a single – its flipside, Love Me For What I Am, would have been a better choice) but it’s grown on me somewhat.

There a quite a number of songs that took a while to grow on me. It took me years to really enjoy Goodbye to Love, which I initially also felt suffered from a rather plodding start, but I can now see why it’s considered such an iconic track: maybe the song’s just too much to take in when you’re young.

I used to find I Believe You a bit sweet and sentimental, but over time, although it’s less dramatic than say Superstar or Rainy Days and Mondays, there’s a real warmth in Karen’s singing and in the arrangement, and I love the false ending, which still catches me out occasionally.

The same in true of Slow Dance on the Lovelines album – given that the main draw of Lovelines for me was the inclusion of some of Karen’s solo tracks, I didn’t pay so much attention to the “Carpenters” tracks and this seemed no more than pleasant but inconsequential fluff. However, it’s a song that really shows off its strengths after multiple plays: Karen’s vocal is lovely, the background vocals are terrific (no dreaded OK Chorale thankfully!) and it really conjures up a romantic mood that fits its title like a glove. Solo tracks aside, for me it’s now my favourite track on Lovelines.

 

[newvillefan]

However, it’s a song that really shows off its strengths after multiple plays: Karen’s vocal is lovely, the background vocals are terrific (no dreaded OK Chorale thankfully!) and it really conjures up a romantic mood that fits its title like a glove. Solo tracks aside, for me it’s now my favourite track on Lovelines.

This is probably my favourite Carpenters song on the album, the solo tracks aside. I love the old fashioned sentiment of the lyrics, almost reminiscent of your first love or high school prom dance or something.

The harmonies are sublime, and had they used their own vocals on 'Honolulu City Lights', I think it would have made it a much better song.

 

[John from Aus]

Crescent Noon. It was definitely a "skip over" track ( I was so glad when they invented CDs!). But now I love the ethereal arrangement and the obscure but intriguing lyrics (I should post a topic about the meaning of the song). Still wondering if I'll ever do more than endure a listen to "Turn Away", though.

 

[toeknee4bz]

I personally don't understand all the dislike of "Solitaire", even in the past. I loved it the first time I heard it. Maybe it's because I don't allow the lyric of a song to overpower the arrangement, engineering and overall performance. "Solitaire" was, IMHO, one of Richard and Karen's finest performances ever.

As for the one I initially found so bad that it was just downright embarrassing to come out of my speakers, I would have to agree with Jazz4Jeff that Richard's solo debut track "Say Yeah" just sounded stupid. Sounded like a middle-aged man trying to sound hip. It has, however, grown on me over time, at least from a musical standpoint. But it still doesn't qualify as a standout classic, even now.

Lyrics can dictate my opinion negatively only when they get into the ridiculous - whether it be silly jingles (though somehow they were tolerable when the Carpenters did them), socialist political statements (which they were smart enough to stay away from), or compositions with nothing but metaphors which one would have to be stoned in order to comprehend (thankfully, Karen didn't fit that style either).

Sorry for the mouthful. Just trying to be accurate. And succinct.

Tony

 

[Dave]

I agree, "Solitaire" really is a good song, and The Carpenters' version, to me, I think is preferable over versions by Andy Williams, The Ray Conniff Singers and even the composer, himself, Neil Sedaka--though I like their versions of it, too, just not as much as Karen giving it her sound of wistful, longing and woe...

Another one I think had to grow on me more was "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do"... Nice that they did a remake of yet another Neil Sedaka song and one from back from earlier in his career, but I think it was too offset by Neil doing a slower version of it that same year...

Maybe earlier on, it might'a worked, (although David Cassidy also covered it, I think on his Live album; had it on a '45'and a few years later, The Carpenters helped avoid potential competition) perhaps in Now And Then's "Oldies Medley", but I think there are too many connections to Neil's newer, slower version...

However, Richard & Karen demonstrate a faithfulness to the original, bringing back the happy, bouncy beat of the original tempo... I do appreciate it more greatly and a shame that somehow it missed out on being a bigger hit for them, as well...



Dave

 

[newvillefan]

Nice that they did a remake of yet another Neil Sedaka song and one from back from earlier in his career, but I think it was too offset by Neil doing a slower version of it that same year...

I think had they done a slow bluesy version of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, in the same vein as Ordinary Fool and with the same arrangement as Richard did for Neil himself, they would have had a surefire hit on their hands. I'd LOVE to hear Karen sing a version like that!