newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
I was reading Rick Henry’s insightful book “The Carpenters Online Interviews” and was fascinated by a description by writer Larry Herbstritt about how this song was born. I thought I’d share excerpts here. Anyone want to add their thoughts?
During a visit with Steve Dorff in his office in the 6255 Sunset Blvd. building (he had an office in Snuff Garrett's offices) I played my "chorus" for Steve. He liked it but assessed it as a "verse" that needed a chorus and went on about his business. I was disappointed that he thought it was a "verse" melody. When I got back to my apartment I decided to create a "verse" melody that would lead into what I still believed was a "chorus" in hopes that Steve would change his mind about my "chorus" being a "verse"[...] I then believed I had something to play for Steve that would convince him that my first melody was indeed a chorus. When I played it for Steve he was in agreement.
Steve sat next to me at the piano and while I played my verse chords he played a compressed variation of the chorus melody using the descending perfect 5th notes. (the first two notes of the verse "Dreamin'" are the same as the first two notes of the chorus "Oh I" played twice as fast). His melody was brilliant as it became a succession of descending perfect 5ths, upon which the words were written, "Dreamin' I must be dreamin' or am I really lying here with you-baby" and then back to my melody as I mention above. Steve was convinced we had a hit tune that needed words. I was not that convinced I must admit [...] We gave the melody to our friend and co-writer, Gary Harju. After a few days with the tune, Gary told us he could not find words for it. Gary was much more accustomed to writing lyrics first.
So Steve suggested we give the tune to one of the other writers who was signed to Snuff Garrett's company, Gloria Sklerov. Gloria was mainly a melody writer however. A few days later Gloria said she wanted to get some help from her co-writer, Harry Lloyd and so she did and the two of them came up with the lyric. I do not know who wrote what with the lyric. Steve and I did the demo using a simple piano/ string synth track. Steve sang the demo. Steve had befriended Ed Sulzer who worked closely with the Carpenters and had an office on the A&M Records lot. Steve and I had been to visit with Ed several times prior to this song and Steve had pitched songs to Ed for the Carpenters but with no luck. Ed played this new song for Richard and Richard he liked it. When Ed told us the song was on the list of songs to record for the Carpenter's next album but I admit I was skeptical. It seemed too good to be true. I had heard of other writers thinking they were going to have a song recorded by a major artist only to find it didn't happen. I was aware many of the possible pitfalls for a song making it through all the hoops. But a couple months later the Carpenters recorded the basic track.
Still I remained skeptical. It still wasn't on an actual record.... HA. Steve and I were invited to the sweetening session. It was an unusual sweetening session in that Richard was not the arranger. Instead Peter Knight had written an orchestration for the track. It was a great pleasure for Steve and me to meet Mr Knight. We sat spellbound amidst the orchestra as they recorded the orchestra and choir. Our piano introduction melody had been given to Earl Dumler, the Carpenter's constant oboe companion. The arrangement was amazing and like a flower coming to full bloom, a large vocal choir now in a new key for the last chorus, added to the unfolding of its petals. From the first two notes of the song's creation I had envisioned the song as a "big" orchestral piece and this arrangement was more than I could have asked for. It remains the definitive recording of this song. As it turned out, Carpenters recording “I Just Fall In Love Again”, really did not change my life. Because of the arrangement, with all the key changes, Richard could not edit the recording to a shorter length to make it suitable as a single. I was still living in an apartment in Glendale, CA. I remember sitting in a laundromat, when barely audible through the sound of washing machines and dryers, I heard Karen's voice singing "I Just Fall In Love Again". I guess some radio station was playing it but it wasn't a single and that was the only time I ever heard the Carpenters recording of "I Just Fall In Love Again" on the radio. I thought to myself, "What's wrong with this picture. I'm sitting here in a laundromat and the Carpenters are singing my song on the radio".
During a visit with Steve Dorff in his office in the 6255 Sunset Blvd. building (he had an office in Snuff Garrett's offices) I played my "chorus" for Steve. He liked it but assessed it as a "verse" that needed a chorus and went on about his business. I was disappointed that he thought it was a "verse" melody. When I got back to my apartment I decided to create a "verse" melody that would lead into what I still believed was a "chorus" in hopes that Steve would change his mind about my "chorus" being a "verse"[...] I then believed I had something to play for Steve that would convince him that my first melody was indeed a chorus. When I played it for Steve he was in agreement.
Steve sat next to me at the piano and while I played my verse chords he played a compressed variation of the chorus melody using the descending perfect 5th notes. (the first two notes of the verse "Dreamin'" are the same as the first two notes of the chorus "Oh I" played twice as fast). His melody was brilliant as it became a succession of descending perfect 5ths, upon which the words were written, "Dreamin' I must be dreamin' or am I really lying here with you-baby" and then back to my melody as I mention above. Steve was convinced we had a hit tune that needed words. I was not that convinced I must admit [...] We gave the melody to our friend and co-writer, Gary Harju. After a few days with the tune, Gary told us he could not find words for it. Gary was much more accustomed to writing lyrics first.
So Steve suggested we give the tune to one of the other writers who was signed to Snuff Garrett's company, Gloria Sklerov. Gloria was mainly a melody writer however. A few days later Gloria said she wanted to get some help from her co-writer, Harry Lloyd and so she did and the two of them came up with the lyric. I do not know who wrote what with the lyric. Steve and I did the demo using a simple piano/ string synth track. Steve sang the demo. Steve had befriended Ed Sulzer who worked closely with the Carpenters and had an office on the A&M Records lot. Steve and I had been to visit with Ed several times prior to this song and Steve had pitched songs to Ed for the Carpenters but with no luck. Ed played this new song for Richard and Richard he liked it. When Ed told us the song was on the list of songs to record for the Carpenter's next album but I admit I was skeptical. It seemed too good to be true. I had heard of other writers thinking they were going to have a song recorded by a major artist only to find it didn't happen. I was aware many of the possible pitfalls for a song making it through all the hoops. But a couple months later the Carpenters recorded the basic track.
Still I remained skeptical. It still wasn't on an actual record.... HA. Steve and I were invited to the sweetening session. It was an unusual sweetening session in that Richard was not the arranger. Instead Peter Knight had written an orchestration for the track. It was a great pleasure for Steve and me to meet Mr Knight. We sat spellbound amidst the orchestra as they recorded the orchestra and choir. Our piano introduction melody had been given to Earl Dumler, the Carpenter's constant oboe companion. The arrangement was amazing and like a flower coming to full bloom, a large vocal choir now in a new key for the last chorus, added to the unfolding of its petals. From the first two notes of the song's creation I had envisioned the song as a "big" orchestral piece and this arrangement was more than I could have asked for. It remains the definitive recording of this song. As it turned out, Carpenters recording “I Just Fall In Love Again”, really did not change my life. Because of the arrangement, with all the key changes, Richard could not edit the recording to a shorter length to make it suitable as a single. I was still living in an apartment in Glendale, CA. I remember sitting in a laundromat, when barely audible through the sound of washing machines and dryers, I heard Karen's voice singing "I Just Fall In Love Again". I guess some radio station was playing it but it wasn't a single and that was the only time I ever heard the Carpenters recording of "I Just Fall In Love Again" on the radio. I thought to myself, "What's wrong with this picture. I'm sitting here in a laundromat and the Carpenters are singing my song on the radio".