Heard Carpenters

I posted in another thread, but it seems this is a very pertinent thread to have this in.

Billboards Hot 100 holiday hits for the past week.
#61 - Merry Christmas Darling - Carpenters
#65 - Home For the Holidays - Carpenters
#82 - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Carpenters

Christmas Portrait is #59 on the hot 100 holiday albums chart

Nov-Dec are always the time of year when the Carpenters will be played on radio stations across the country, numerous times a day. As said, Merry Christmas, Darling is the 61st most played song in the entire nation. Which means many playlists probably feature that song in heavy rotation. Of the two Christmas stations here in Detroit, one station has Merry Christmas, Darling in a very heavy rotation (5-6 times a day) while the other has it in a lighter rotation (and both play the 1970 version). But one things for sure...the Carpenters are heard numerous times a day nationwide this time of year :)

Carpenters songs I have heard this Christmas on the 2 local Detroit radio stations that are all Christmas, in order of how often they play them (I check the stations playlist frequently lol)

104.3 WOMC (programmed by the station)
Merry Christmas, Darling (heavy rotation)
Carol of the Bells
Sleigh Ride
Home For the Holidays
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

100.3 WNIC (use the standard clear-channel playlist ugh)
Home For the Holidays (heavy rotation)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Carol of the Bells
Sleigh Ride
Merry Christmas, Darling
Christmas Waltz
I'll be Home for Christmas

I have heard Merry Christmas, Darling in several stores, though that is always the 1978 version. Thats the only Carpenters song Ive heard in stores.
 
On 96 WHNN in Saginaw, Michigan, the only thing that they don't play is "Carol Of The Bells". They play the David Foster's version though. Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
"Sounds Like..." --the same Carpenters songs never get played TWICE!

Took awhile for me to recognize: "Merry Christmas, Darling" getting played, at work; never heard that one, there, before...



-- Dave
 
I heard 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' twice yesterday on the exclusive all-Christmas Chicago station, 93.9FM (normally a current top 40 format).
 
Also 96 WHNN in Saginaw, Michigan doesn't play "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" or "Little Altar Boy" though. Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
Heard the 1970 version of 'Merry Christmas Darling' on Chicago's most popular oldies station yesterday, which is significant because they didn't play them at all last Christmas. Nice surprise.
 
A&M Retro said:
Heard the 1970 version of 'Merry Christmas Darling' on Chicago's most popular oldies station yesterday, which is significant because they didn't play them at all last Christmas. Nice surprise.
Click to expand...
Wow...they didnt play them last year? Thats crazy...the Carpenters, esp Merry Christmas, Darling, are a holiday staple for national airplay of Christmas music. Im really surprised how the 1970 version has blossomed over the airwaves over the years. All you used to hear was 1978. I like both, but both Christmas stations here always play 1970
 
Listening to one of the local Christmas stations, and the very last song they played of the season was Merry Christmas, Darling! Upon the melodic "Christmaaaaas, Darliiiiiing" it immediately switched to Billy Idols Mony, Mony. Another season of Carpenter-filled tunes has come to an end...but they will return next November once again when the holiday format returns.

I will be listening to Christmas cds through New Years myself.
 
Yeah, it wasn't just Karen they didn't play last year. It was virtually Christmas-free, and the same this year. So, hearing Karen was even more special. Other stations play Carpenters a LOT in Chicago at Christmas time, however.
 
8:30 am, Gold 99.7 playing "There's A Kind of Hush",
quite frankly, I still love this song.
As Terry Ellis states: "...Hush...was overkill"
as far as Carpenters' doing another 'oldie'.
Richard Carpenter expresses his misgivings about recording it,
but....Karen really liked it.
Again, I did not know of any of those opinions until long after the fact.
I simply remember when it came out in 1976, liked it then, like it now.
 
The Carpenters were spun almost 700 times in Detroit in Nov/Dec this year. WNIC went all Christmas Nov 6 and WOMC went all Christmas Nov 26. Both stations stopped at midnight Christmas night, with Merry Christmas, Darling the last holiday song played on WOMC.

TOTAL SPINS...……………………….WNIC…..WOMC…..TOTAL
MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING -- 64 ----- 130 ---- 194
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS ----- 138 ------- 6 ----- 144
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY ------ 135 ------- 6 ----- 141
CAROL OF THE BELLS ------------- 72 ------ 22 ------ 94
SLEIGH RIDE ------------------------ 66 ------ 22 ------ 88
CHRISTMAS WALTZ --------------- 21 -------- 0 ------ 21
ILL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - 15 -------- 0 ------ 15
TOTAL CARPENTERS SPINS ---- 511 ------ 186 ---- 697
 
Yesterday (Once More),
FM 99.7 Gold playing "Rainy Days and Mondays" whilst I visited family Store,
And, another customer commented upon " how special Karen Carpenter's voice was..."
 
Smooth FM in the UK play a lot of Carpenters. Today I heard three songs. "We've Only Just Begun", "Goodbye To Love" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You". Even after all these years, my heart still misses a beat when I hear a song on the radio sung by Carpenters........is that weird?
 
Chris Mills said:
Smooth FM in the UK play a lot of Carpenters. Today I heard three songs. "We've Only Just Begun", "Goodbye To Love" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You". Even after all these years, my heart still misses a beat when I hear a song on the radio sung by Carpenters........is that weird?
Click to expand...
Not weird to me. But they say it takes one to know one.
 
Ironically, on XM radio, I herd TWO Carpenter songs within 30 minutes; Only Yesterday on Channel 17 and then Yesterday Once More on Channel 7. Odd since XM radio (especially 70's on 7) is loath to play them at all (except at Christmas).
 
Just heard "Please Mr. Postman" which was # 1 on Billboard when the late Casey Kasem counted 'em down from January 25, 1975!!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
I put the Gold CD on today to listen to while puttering about the house. I'm still so knocked out by Karen's singing Superstar and Rainy Days though that I ended up sitting and listening intently instead of getting anything done. Not a new thought or post I know but wow - what an amazing talent. All these years later and she's the only singer who really has that effect on me. She's peerless.

Better put on some Corrs to get me moving!
 
I had a similar reaction as song4u did when 'It's Going To Take Some Time' (1972 mix) came on my Ipod 'shuffle' yesterday. I thought about clicking to the next song, but decided to let it play, and am glad I did.

It still sounds great! It's not the best single ever released by the C's, but the subtle performance of Karen and the keyboard work of Richard alone make it worthwhile. Took me right back to Cub Scout baseball in the Spring of '72. I bought the single then, and now I remember why.

Great record.
 
Last edited:
A&M Retro said:
I had a similar reaction as song4u did when 'It's Going To Take Some Time' (1972 mix) came on my Ipod 'shuffle' yesterday. I thought about clicking to the next song, but decided to let it play, and am glad I did.

It still sounds great! It's not the best single ever released by the C's, but the subtle performance of Karen and the keyboard work of Richard alone make it worthwhile. Took me right back to Cub Scout baseball in the Spring of '72. I bought the single then, and now I remember why.

Great record.
Click to expand...

This is one of the few songs Carpenters recorded and I found myself unable to decipher certain parts of the lyrics, Karen's phrasing on this song is very interesting!
 
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