Carpenters charts information*

Forgive my obsession with the chart positions of 'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft', but it was the only big hit that Carpenters had during the ages that I was fully into singles rankings, (from the ages of 12 to 16 or so). The song spent two or three weeks in the Top 5 in my state at the beginning of 1978. Anyway, I've had time to find out more info. I've found out that the single reached the Top 10 in at least three of the eight states and mainland territories of Australia. Further, it was the 78th most successful single in Australia during 1978, according to the Australian Record Industry Association's end-of-year chart. It spent 29 weeks on the Top 100. To put that into perspective, although it's like comparing kangaroos with grizzly bears, 'Only Yesterday' was the 94th most successful single on Billboard's end-of-year charts for 1975, after peaking at Number 4 in the USA. 'Calling Occupants' would have been higher on Australia's end-of-year charts due to its unusually long stay in the Top 100, its high peak position in some states and the amount of time it hung around in the Top 5 or Top 10 in those states. For more perspective, this time, about sales, I happen to know that the 11th biggest hit of 1978, 'Wuthering Heights', by Kate Bush, sold about 80,000 copies in Australia at the time. Obviously, with a population of only about 15 million in this period, sales weren't huge. However, artists could get lucky in Australia. For example, ABBA's single, 'Fernando', sold 400,000 copies within a year around 1976 and went on to sell 720,000. Elton John's 'Candle in the Wind' sold nearly a million upon its re-release in the late 90's. The album, 'The Best of ABBA', sold over a million copies around 1975 / 1976 and went on to sell nearly 2 million in total. The LP 'Whispering Jack', by John Farnham, sold over one and a half million around 1985 / 1986. 'ABBA Gold' has sold over two million. If you were an artist who had released ten albums and had done quite well, you might easily expect to sell a million copies here in total. ('Big' albums can easily sell around 200,000 to 300,000 copies). I have always wondered why the more successful artists bother to do promo and concert tours of Australia, with its comparitively small population, but the record sales figures make that clear. Getting back to Australia's Top 100 for 1978, if you live in the USA and are interested in our Top 15 for that year, a lot of the songs were not big hits in your territory:- 1. Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta - You're the One That I Want. 2. Wings - Mull of Kintyre. 3. Boney M - Rivers of Babylon / Brown Girl In the Ring. 4. Bee Gees - Staying Alive. 5. Belle Époque - Black is Black. 6. Village People - Macho Man. 7. Bonnie Tyler - It's a Heartache. 8. Commodores - Three Times a Lady. 9. Meatloaf - You Took the Words Right Out of my Mouth. 10. Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street. 11. Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights. 12. Leif Garrett - Surfin' USA. 13. Samantha Sang - Emotion. 14. Dragon - Are You Old Enough? 15. Eruption Featuring Precious Wilson - I Can't Stand the Rain. I should have just done a link to the chart!
 
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Again, thank you Gary for these regular chart postings. It's as tho I were listening to AMERICAN TOP 40 all over again. Delighted!
 
A couple of people have compared peak positions from their own territories with the national peaks of songs in their countries. I've never lived in New South Wales, (I think you all know of Sydney), but it's interesting to compare the NSW peaks with the national Australian highest positions.

New South Wales:-
Close to You - 2
We've Only Just Begun - 12
For All We Know - 3
Rainy Days and Monday's - 27
Superstar didn't chart!
Hurting Each Other - 3
It's Going to Take - 25
Goodbye to Love - 36
Top of the World - 1
Sing - 15
Yesterday Once More - 15
Please Mr. Postman - 2
Only Yesterday - 13
Kind of Hush - 18
Calling Occupants - 10

Australian National Peaks:-
Close to You - 1
We've Only Just Begun - 6
For All We Know - 10
Rainy Days & Monday - 35
Superstar - 35
Hurting Each Other - 4
It's Going to Take - 24
Goodbye to Love - 25
Top of the World - 1
Sing - 24
Yesterday Once More - 9
Please Mr. Postman - 1
Only Yesterday - 16.
A Kind of Hush - 33
Calling Occupants - 13

Sources:- 'The Book - Top 40 Research 1956 - 1985', by Barnes, Dyer and Scanes, 1986, ISBN 1 86252 854 3.

'Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992' compiled by David Kent, 1993, ISBN 0 646 11917 6.

Interesting fact - 'Calling Occupants' was Carpenters' sixth biggest hit in New South Wales.
It was their eighth biggest hit in Australia.
In South Australia it peaked at 5. In Victoria, it reached 8.
I'm still obsessed with 'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft' and its charts. Seems the aliens possessed me back in 1977.

Carpenters' Australian tour took place when 'Hurting Each Other' was released, hence the rise back up the charts after steadily slipping with every release since 'Close to You' on the National Top 40. Albums were all Top 20 though, (apart from 'Ticket to Ride'). An album released to coincide with their tour, 'Great Hits of the Carpenters', (1972), became their biggest seller up to that point, reaching Number 3 nationally and staying on the Top 100 for nine months. Their next two albums were Number 6 and No. 3. Because of 'Great Hits', 'The Singles' wasn't released here. Instead:- 'Great Hits Vol 2 1969 - 1973'.
 
These really surprised me!
Yes, two great songs and great recordings. Surprised me, too! I found out why 'Superstar ' wasn't a big hit here, though. Australian Colleen Hewett had a hit with the song just five months before Carpenters' version charted. Hewett's version charted in New South Wales whereas Carpenters' version didn't. Hers was a slightly bigger hit nationally. Also, Joe Cocker's 'Mad Dogs and Englishmen', (Top 3), including Rita Coolidge's version, was on the charts for over a year, beginning a full eleven months before Carpenters' version hit, so record buyers were possibly suffering from 'Superstar' overkill. On top of that, Murray Head had a Top 5 hit with 'Superstar', (different song, from 'JC Superstar'), the year before.

I can't explain why 'Rainy Days and Mondays' wasn't a bigger hit, though!
 
With a little luck, this link should take you to a pic I just took of the South Australian Top 40 singles chart from 20th January 1978 to 26th of January, 1978, with 'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft' at Number 5. (It stayed at that position for a while).

The song was the perfect summer hit here, (clear, starry summer night skies).
 
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Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet See the above message. Here's a link to 'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft' at Number 5 in South Australia, January, 1978. Sorry - I'm just learning how to post links on here.
 
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TlR8X
Carpenters album Number One, 1983 I just took this pic of the national Australian Top 40 albums charts from February 25th, 1983, showing 'The Very Best of The Carpenters' at Number One.

Carpenters' record company here, Festival Records, released this album and started promoting it with a TV and poster campaign only a couple of months before Karen died.

Perhaps we might have seen a promo tour or TV appearances if not for what transpired. A selfish thought, maybe.....
 
Someone has probably already done this, but I thought it would be interesting to list some of Carpenters' biggest hits in Japan. This list includes re-issues and just uses peak positions for ranking. (Sales haven't been compared and weeks on the chart haven't been taken into account). I've listed Carpenters' twelve highest chart placings instead of their Top 10, because I thought that Numbers 11 and 12 were interesting. I have used as a reference that highly reliable and never incorrect (!) source, Wikipedia.

(PEAK POSITIONS):-
I Need to Be In Love - 5
Yesterday Once More - 5
Superstar - 7
Please Mr. Postman - 11
Only Yesterday - 12
Sing - 18
Top of the World - 21
There's A Kind of Hush - 27
Jambalaya - 28
I Won't Last A Day Without You - 40
The Rainbow Connection - 47
It's Going to Take Some Time - 48
 
Someone has probably already done this, but I thought it would be interesting to list some of Carpenters' biggest hits in Japan. This list includes re-issues and just uses peak positions for ranking. (Sales haven't been compared and weeks on the chart haven't been taken into account). I've listed Carpenters' twelve highest chart placings instead of their Top 10, because I thought that Numbers 11 and 12 were interesting. I have used as a reference that highly reliable and never incorrect (!) source, Wikipedia.

(PEAK POSITIONS):-
I Need to Be In Love - 5
Yesterday Once More - 5
Superstar - 7
Please Mr. Postman - 11
Only Yesterday - 12
Sing - 18
Top of the World - 21
There's A Kind of Hush - 27
Jambalaya - 28
I Won't Last A Day Without You - 40
The Rainbow Connection - 47
It's Going to Take Some Time - 48

So, the Carpenters never had a #1 hit song in Japan? Wow, that surprises me, as popular as they were there.

This from 2013 - Carpenters the 4th most popular western act in Japan:

Survey to find Japan’s 50 favorite Western musical acts now on

EDIT: Just noticed this wasn't the final vote tally, but I'm guessing they were in the top 5 regardless.
 
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