20 Number One Singles

Simon KC1950

Well-Known Member
With the Carpenters anniversary coming up tomorrow, I thought we should all reflect upon how successful this timeless duo from Downey, California have been during their career. So I thought I'd kick it off with this:

The Carpenters had 20 of their single's reach the Number One spot on at least one chart.

Here are those Number One 'oldies but goodies' Carpenters singles:

1~ They Long To Be) Close To You
2~ We've Only Just Begun
3~ Merry Christmas Darling
4~ For All We Know
5~ Rainy Days And Mondays
6~ Superstar
7~ Hurting Each Other
8~ It's Going To Take Some Time
9~ Goodbye To Love
10~ Top Of The World
11~ Yesterday Once More
12~ Sing
13~ I Won't Last A Day Without You
14~ Please Mr. Postman
15~ Only Yesterday
16~ Solitaire
17~ There's A Kind Of Hush
18~ I Need To Be In Love
19~ Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft
20~ Touch Me When We're Dancing

That is impressive !
Does anybody know of anymore ?
 
Nice research Simon, am always aware of the 15 AC and 3 Top 40 number ones in the USA, but tend to forget about their chart success overseas. Wasn't "Calling Occupants" #1 in Ireland or some out of the way country? Not sure about "It's Going to Take Some Time" and "Goodbye to Love" which did not reach #1 on the AC Charts and were #12 and #7 on Top 40? I assume "Merry Christmas Darling" must have topped a Billboard holiday chart?
 
Nice research Simon, am always aware of the 15 AC and 3 Top 40 number ones in the USA, but tend to forget about their chart success overseas. Wasn't "Calling Occupants" #1 in Ireland or some out of the way country? Not sure about "It's Going to Take Some Time" and "Goodbye to Love" which did not reach #1 on the AC Charts and were #12 and #7 on Top 40? I assume "Merry Christmas Darling" must have topped a Billboard holiday chart?

Yes your right, 'Occupants' was #1 in Ireland. "It's Going To Take Some Time" and "Goodbye To Love" was #1 on the Canadian easy listening chart. Whilst "Merry Christmas Darling" was the Christmas number One of the billboard Christmas chart for 3 years, 1970,71,73
 
I like this concept. The only one I miss on that list is All You Get From Love Is A Love Song. Did it chart anywhere as number 1 on a list around the world?

In fact, I'll make an iTunes list of these and use Harry's mock up as my cover!

Craig
 
For what it's worth, a VERY close approximation to this above compilation was issued within the past year. It's that British CARPENTERS NATION'S FAVOURITE disc. 19 of the 20 songs listed here were on that. The different track was "Merry Christmas Darling" which was replaced on the actual disc by "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)".
 
I read somewhere a few years ago that the Carpenters are the #1 (international) artist of all-time in the Philippines and I think "Yesterday Once More" is the most played/popular english song in China. Where is GaryAlan when I need him?
 
I posed a question to Richard well over a decade ago in the "Fans Ask" section of the dormant Carpenter site on how the famous logo came to be and why wasn't it on the "Passage" album. He said that Craig Braun and Associates came up with the design and they knew it was a winner right away and decided to initiate it on their third (Tan) album. The response to my question still remains on the Carpenter Wikipedia page under logo!
 
Simon, you may want to add to your list. Carpenters actually had 5 number ones on Canada's version of our Top 100 chart which I would assume is different than their Easy Listening chart. Songs are "Close to You", "We've Only Just Begun", "Yesterday Once More", "Top of the World" and "Mr Postman".
 
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