Favorite Carpenters Song 2

[tomswift2002]

Again, just at random what's your favorite Carpenters song out of this list?

 

[newvillefan]

I voted for Who Do You Love. Very 80s and very catchy with a great guitar solo. Some people have said they don't like how Richard jumps from low chest voice in the verses to high head voice in the choruses. I like it and think it makes the song more quirky. Great summer tune. I think it could have garnered a lot of radio play had it been released as a 45.

 

[K.C. Jr]

It was very hard to choose between "Carol of the Bells" (strong Christmas nostalgia) and "Make Believe It's Your First Time" (a very meaningful song to me when done by Carpenters, but not Karen solo). I finally went with the Christmas tune due to it being one of the first songs I associated with the Carpenters and the holiday. It's a beautiful work, for sure.

 

[GaryAlan]

Well, I had to go for
Two Sides,
for a number of reasons.
First: It is not a solo song by either Carpenter.
Second: It not only features Karen's vocals, but
hints at Richard's arranging creativity.
Third: That ending sends shivers up my spine....

 

[tomswift2002]

I voted for Who Do You Love. Very 80s and very catchy with a great guitar solo. Some people have said they don't like how Richard jumps from low chest voice in the verses to high head voice in the choruses. I like it and think it makes the song more quirky. Great summer tune. I think it could have garnered a lot of radio play had it been released as a 45.

Who Do You Love? was released as a 45 in Japan. You might've seen the cover online somewhere. Someone on this forum mentioned once that they thought that it looked more like a photo that you would find in grocery store check-out magazine than on a 45, since Richard is just standing, by some parking meters on a street somewhere (downtown LA?) with his hands in his jeans pockets.

But, yeah I'm surprised that it didn't get a release here in the US. Something In Your Eyes was nice, but in the 80's it was really a fallback on the Carpenters 70's hits. But its to bad that Richard has never included this track on a Carpenters compilation, considering how many of Karen's solo tracks he's included.

 

[CraigGA]

MBIYFT: an intimate potrial-pure heart and soul at its best with just Karen and the piano (and a little percussion.)

 

[newvillefan]

Who Do You Love? was released as a 45 in Japan

But, yeah I'm surprised that it didn't get a release here in the US. Something In Your Eyes was nice, but in the 80's it was really a fallback on the Carpenters 70's hits.

Yeah I meant in the US or perhaps more so the UK where I think it would have done well on radio. Something In Your Eyes got lots of radio play in the UK when it came out.

 

[tomswift2002]

Bump

 

[theninjarabbit]

I voted (a while ago) "Clancy". I love this production so much -- so ambitious, yet masterful. Two complete unknowns (at the time) turning a great folk song into a great pop song. I love its overall feel: the overdubbed "sing" lines, the horn sections, the organ/piano, the drumming. Can't forget the organ coda at the end, either. Perhaps it is best an album track, a treasure waiting to be discovered and appreciated...

 

[tomswift2002]

Right now it seems that most people prefer "Two Sides". It's funny how on both polls 1 & 2, the leading track comes from "Passage".

 

[Jeff]

solo MAKE BELIEVE IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME. Magical, sensitive, a perfect reading with stark instrumentation thereby featuring Karen's heartfelt vocals.