Richard was the musical genius behind his gorgeous sister's voice. Wrote many of their songs, arranged all of them and put them in keys that were best for her, produced their albums, sang harmonies, and played keyboards. Their mom always thought Richard's musical talent would make him the star, not Karen.
Paul Williams says Richard called him to ask if there was a full song, because the commercial had juat a couple lines. Paul said yes, then hung up and wrote the rest of the song. 😅
It started out, she was a "Throw away Drummer" so the band could practice. They got a music exec to hear a session, he was about to leave, not overly impressed, because he said does she (Karen) sing? and they were of course like, oh yea, grasping at any straw of hope, then she sang, and the music exec was like *SIGN HERE* LOL. He knew right away it was a 1 in million voice.
Clarinetist Doug Strawn is one of the two guys rocking the tambourine in this video. If you look closely, you'll see the clarinet standing on its bell next to him. It is believed that the uncredited tambourine player on the studio recording is... Karen Carpenter.
The video is taken from the final episode of the 1971 NBC-TV summer replacement series, "Make Your Own Kind of Music," on which the Carpenters were the featured headliners. The concept of the series had music and comedy segments introduced with letters of the alphabet sequentially, which is why the duo and their backup musicians appear here with "Y-O-U." Richard introduced this final musical selection of the series by thanking the TV audience (the "YOU" being the viewer). The scrolling sheet music in the intro of the video replaces Richard's introduction that appeared in the broadcast. The performance is lip-synced, with the audio taken from the 1970 hit studio recording (#2 on the Billboard Hot 100, for four consecutive weeks, in the fall of 1970).
Richard ofren said that The Beach Boys, the Beatles, and Burt Bacharach were the three Bs that inspired the Carpenters. Bach was sometimes added to that list as a "4th B."
The timeless ballad "We've Only Just Begun" was written by Roger Nichols (music) and Paul Williams (lyrics). The Carpenters' version is definitive and timeless. I am grateful for these great artists' extraordinary contributions to our culture and the way their creations forever touch our souls.
I listened to the commercial just to compare. I can see why they wanted to do more with the song. It’s such a perfectly written song and arrangement. Nice reaction. Paul Williams is amazing. They all were.
I became aware of the Carpenter siblings before Karen was "THE VOICE" (which she defiantly was). I became infatuated with jazz when The Dave Brubeck Quartet played "Take Five" for the first time at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1959. It was the first time I really heard the music changed my whole outlook on music. After that I spent most weekends in jazz clubs around Los Angeles. In 65 a brother sister with a friend started appearing in the clubs as "the Dick Carpenter Trio" Richard on keyboards Karen on drums and Wes Jacobs on Bass or Tuba sometimes they had a singer too. Karen was 15 and a master jazz drummer but did not sing. You saw very few 15-year-old female drummers and no 15-year-old jazz drummers of any gender. In 1966 They won the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands, with 2 songs. It was recorded and you can hear them with a search on Hollywood bowl battle of bands 1966 The Richard Carpenter Trio - Iced Tea or Hollywood bowl battle of bands 1966 The Richard Carpenter Trio - Girl from Ipanema. Iced Tea was written by Richard, Jacobs was on the tuba on girl from Ipanema he was on the bass. In 1968 (the year before they signed with A&M they won Your All-American College Show with Bill Sissoyev on bass. That was their first time on TV Karen was 18 and a drumming singer. You can see and hear it by a search on Your All-American College Show 1968.
Love The Carpenters. Not sure if you have reacted to Close To You yet, but that too is such a special song. Having watched The Karen Carpenter Story, it is so sad how things turned off for such a beautiful, talented woman.
The correct name of the brother and sister duo is "Carpenters", not "The Carpenters". “We’ve Only Just Begun”; It Was Written to Sell Mortgages, But Became the Wedding Song for a Generation. It had been written to be a wedding song of sorts, although not for any particular event. It was created to be part of an ad campaign. Hal Riney was an advertising executive from San Francisco, California. Crocker Bank hired him to develop a new campaign. The bank was concerned its core customers were older, and thus dying-and they weren’t reaching out to younger customers to take their place. Riney convinced the bank president to invest in paying some songwriters to come up with a song that spoke to the young people and their changing lives. In explaining his vision to a bank executive, Riney said in the documentary Art and Copy that he told him, “I can’t tell you what the song is because I’m not a songwriter, and I can’t even tell you what the commercials are because I can’t tell you that until we hear the song. He said, ‘Well, that’s pretty vague.’” Songwriter Roger Nichols told the TH-cam interview show The Paul Leslie Hour, “Paul (Williams) and I got this request from Crocker Bank in California to write a song for a wedding ceremony. So, we wrote “We’ve Only Just Begun.” Just the first two verses… Crocker Bank came back and said, ‘We want a full song to give to our clientele,’ so, in the meantime, Paul and I had written the bridge and the last verse.” The ad was a big success, and the bank saw immediate results. The brother/sister soft rock outfit the Carpenters were experiencing the success of their own breakout hit, “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” The song won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus in 1971. Richard Carpenter was looking for a song to record as the follow-up to their massive hit. He had worked with Paul Williams as they were both working for A&M Records. Williams would sometimes drop by Carpenters rehearsals and sing with them. Carpenter knew it was Williams immediately, which meant it had to be a Nichols/Williams song. He knew it was a hit, and approached Williams to see if the song had more than just a couple verses. It did. “We’ve Only Just Begun” became the wedding song for a generation, as well. The advertising campaign had expanded to include other themes, such as starting a new job or buying a new home. The ads were having the exact effect the bank wanted. The fact that the ad’s music became a smash hit and was getting radio airplay all over the world? Huge bonus for the Crocker Bank. They could never have predicted such an outcome: young customers were indeed coming to the bank. People who were just starting out. These were people who didn’t have any collateral for loans, however. So the ad campaign was suspended and eventually franchised to other banks. Riney, the ad exec who conceived of the Crocker Bank promotion, went on to be involved with and provide a pivotal ad for Ronald Reagan’s presidential re-election campaign. Some people say it was ads like his famous “It’s morning again in America” spot that were responsible for Reagan’s 1984 landslide victory over Walter Mondale. Riney narrated that ad.
Hey Nick. Great reaction and review. You referenced the Beach Boys and I see the Smile album cover hanging behind you. Speaking of harmonies and Beach Boys, do you know/like the Wondermints?
Hi Nick, You have all the details down just about perfectly. There are a bunch of Carpenters songs to continue the journey down the rabbit hole. Close To You, Superstar, Goodbye To Love so many to go. Since you just watched WOJB I’m going to link the best cover of this song I’ve ever seen/heard. It released this past March 2nd, Karen’s birthday. So this is homage class. James Wilkas produced this and more (see the credits!) and Tori Holub (Ha Lubb) sang lead. If you decide to react to this, I’d advise making the video a bit larger. It’s, as you’ll see, a very complex video and will benefit from being clearly seen. I rate this a masterpiece. I can’t surprise people anymore because of the view count. Or can I? Jim says in the description, buckle your seatbelt. Good advice. Joe We’ve Only Just Begun (Cover) th-cam.com/video/J95lfJqo9VY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=3GEndsLyQqCGKyn_ .
I don't think it's quite accurate to call this a cover, although it was recorded as a bank commercial. I believe this full version by the Carpenters is the first time the full song was recorded. So, not really a cover.
Unforgettable voice of the century.
Every wedding in the 70s included this song.
A beautiful song with beautiful voices, notably Karen Carpenter, so clear, you can hear every word, leaves u smiling
Richard was the musical genius behind his gorgeous sister's voice. Wrote many of their songs, arranged all of them and put them in keys that were best for her, produced their albums, sang harmonies, and played keyboards. Their mom always thought Richard's musical talent would make him the star, not Karen.
Goosebumps from the start. Best female singer ever!!
You got it Nick. Karen's lower register is very, very special.
Paul Williams says Richard called him to ask if there was a full song, because the commercial had juat a couple lines.
Paul said yes, then hung up and wrote the rest of the song. 😅
It started out, she was a "Throw away Drummer" so the band could practice. They got a music exec to hear a session, he was about to leave, not overly impressed, because he said does she (Karen) sing? and they were of course like, oh yea, grasping at any straw of hope, then she sang, and the music exec was like *SIGN HERE* LOL. He knew right away it was a 1 in million voice.
Clarinetist Doug Strawn is one of the two guys rocking the tambourine in this video. If you look closely, you'll see the clarinet standing on its bell next to him. It is believed that the uncredited tambourine player on the studio recording is... Karen Carpenter.
Oh, I've heard of her!
@@InsignificantNick lol
Her voice is complete heaven and this is one of my favourite songs of theirs. Perfection. I love your reactions as well.
Perfection
Exactly 💯
What a voice she has,one of a kind, and her brother was great too!!
The video is taken from the final episode of the 1971 NBC-TV summer replacement series, "Make Your Own Kind of Music," on which the Carpenters were the featured headliners. The concept of the series had music and comedy segments introduced with letters of the alphabet sequentially, which is why the duo and their backup musicians appear here with "Y-O-U." Richard introduced this final musical selection of the series by thanking the TV audience (the "YOU" being the viewer). The scrolling sheet music in the intro of the video replaces Richard's introduction that appeared in the broadcast. The performance is lip-synced, with the audio taken from the 1970 hit studio recording (#2 on the Billboard Hot 100, for four consecutive weeks, in the fall of 1970).
Thank you for your reaction to this Carpenters song. I hope you also react to their song, "Close To You". Thank you - peace.
A delight for the ears. But Karen's fate is so sad.😢
Richard ofren said that The Beach Boys, the Beatles, and Burt Bacharach were the three Bs that inspired the Carpenters. Bach was sometimes added to that list as a "4th B."
The timeless ballad "We've Only Just Begun" was written by Roger Nichols (music) and Paul Williams (lyrics). The Carpenters' version is definitive and timeless. I am grateful for these great artists' extraordinary contributions to our culture and the way their creations forever touch our souls.
I listened to the commercial just to compare. I can see why they wanted to do more with the song. It’s such a perfectly written song and arrangement. Nice reaction. Paul Williams is amazing. They all were.
I became aware of the Carpenter siblings before Karen was "THE VOICE" (which she defiantly was). I became infatuated with jazz when The Dave Brubeck Quartet played "Take Five" for the first time at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1959. It was the first time I really heard the music changed my whole outlook on music. After that I spent most weekends in jazz clubs around Los Angeles. In 65 a brother sister with a friend started appearing in the clubs as "the Dick Carpenter Trio" Richard on keyboards Karen on drums and Wes Jacobs on Bass or Tuba sometimes they had a singer too. Karen was 15 and a master jazz drummer but did not sing. You saw very few 15-year-old female drummers and no 15-year-old jazz drummers of any gender. In 1966 They won the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands, with 2 songs. It was recorded and you can hear them with a search on Hollywood bowl battle of bands 1966 The Richard Carpenter Trio - Iced Tea or Hollywood bowl battle of bands 1966 The Richard Carpenter Trio - Girl from Ipanema. Iced Tea was written by Richard, Jacobs was on the tuba on girl from Ipanema he was on the bass. In 1968 (the year before they signed with A&M they won Your All-American College Show with Bill Sissoyev on bass. That was their first time on TV Karen was 18 and a drumming singer. You can see and hear it by a search on Your All-American College Show 1968.
Voice to die for
Love The Carpenters. Not sure if you have reacted to Close To You yet, but that too is such a special song. Having watched The Karen Carpenter Story, it is so sad how things turned off for such a beautiful, talented woman.
I think it was written by Paul Williams (Little Enos from Smokey and the Bandit). Karen's voice is STELLAR. Perpetually PERFECT.
The correct name of the brother and sister duo is "Carpenters", not "The Carpenters". “We’ve Only Just Begun”; It Was Written to Sell Mortgages, But Became the Wedding Song for a Generation. It had been written to be a wedding song of sorts, although not for any particular event. It was created to be part of an ad campaign.
Hal Riney was an advertising executive from San Francisco, California. Crocker Bank hired him to develop a new campaign. The bank was concerned its core customers were older, and thus dying-and they weren’t reaching out to younger customers to take their place. Riney convinced the bank president to invest in paying some songwriters to come up with a song that spoke to the young people and their changing lives.
In explaining his vision to a bank executive, Riney said in the documentary Art and Copy that he told him, “I can’t tell you what the song is because I’m not a songwriter, and I can’t even tell you what the commercials are because I can’t tell you that until we hear the song. He said, ‘Well, that’s pretty vague.’” Songwriter Roger Nichols told the TH-cam interview show The Paul Leslie Hour, “Paul (Williams) and I got this request from Crocker Bank in California to write a song for a wedding ceremony. So, we wrote “We’ve Only Just Begun.” Just the first two verses… Crocker Bank came back and said, ‘We want a full song to give to our clientele,’ so, in the meantime, Paul and I had written the bridge and the last verse.”
The ad was a big success, and the bank saw immediate results. The brother/sister soft rock outfit the Carpenters were experiencing the success of their own breakout hit, “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” The song won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus in 1971. Richard Carpenter was looking for a song to record as the follow-up to their massive hit. He had worked with Paul Williams as they were both working for A&M Records. Williams would sometimes drop by Carpenters rehearsals and sing with them. Carpenter knew it was Williams immediately, which meant it had to be a Nichols/Williams song. He knew it was a hit, and approached Williams to see if the song had more than just a couple verses. It did.
“We’ve Only Just Begun” became the wedding song for a generation, as well. The advertising campaign had expanded to include other themes, such as starting a new job or buying a new home. The ads were having the exact effect the bank wanted. The fact that the ad’s music became a smash hit and was getting radio airplay all over the world? Huge bonus for the Crocker Bank. They could never have predicted such an outcome: young customers were indeed coming to the bank. People who were just starting out.
These were people who didn’t have any collateral for loans, however. So the ad campaign was suspended and eventually franchised to other banks. Riney, the ad exec who conceived of the Crocker Bank promotion, went on to be involved with and provide a pivotal ad for Ronald Reagan’s presidential re-election campaign. Some people say it was ads like his famous “It’s morning again in America” spot that were responsible for Reagan’s 1984 landslide victory over Walter Mondale. Riney narrated that ad.
Amazing... such a wonderful voice and harmonies - unfortunately what a sad life for Karen 😥Such a waste of a beautiful talented person
Hey Nick. Great reaction and review. You referenced the Beach Boys and I see the Smile album cover hanging behind you. Speaking of harmonies and Beach Boys, do you know/like the Wondermints?
I do not!
When you get the chance, check out Tori Holub's cover of this song.
Hi Nick,
You have all the details down just about perfectly. There are a bunch of Carpenters songs to continue the journey down the rabbit hole. Close To You, Superstar, Goodbye To Love so many to go.
Since you just watched WOJB I’m going to link the best cover of this song I’ve ever seen/heard. It released this past March 2nd, Karen’s birthday. So this is homage class. James Wilkas produced this and more (see the credits!) and Tori Holub (Ha Lubb) sang lead. If you decide to react to this, I’d advise making the video a bit larger. It’s, as you’ll see, a very complex video and will benefit from being clearly seen. I rate this a masterpiece. I can’t surprise people anymore because of the view count. Or can I? Jim says in the description, buckle your seatbelt. Good advice.
Joe
We’ve Only Just Begun (Cover)
th-cam.com/video/J95lfJqo9VY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=3GEndsLyQqCGKyn_
.
Hi Joe.
@@Perfect_Blend❤
Great song. I like the cover from the horror movie 1408 even more than the original.
Karen’s voice is the sonic equivalent of seeing you.
Oh COME ON NOW!
If you get a chance listen to a version by Tori Holob and Jim Wilkas, they are not Carpenters but did an amazing job nevertheless
Would that were only true. :(
I don't think it's quite accurate to call this a cover, although it was recorded as a bank commercial. I believe this full version by the Carpenters is the first time the full song was recorded. So, not really a cover.
Yes, you're right about that. I forgot to say something about that.
The movie 1408 changed this song for me. 😐
I find most of the carpenters music that I've heard really boring which is a shame because karen carpenter had a fantastic singing voice
To me her voice makes a song that would be boring sung by anyone else interesting. Everyone has a different take.
The queen 1970 thru 75 ❤️