Q Magazine's 1001 Greatest Songs

[Tony]

Q Magazine lists the 1001 Greatest Songs in their most recent issue. "We've Only Just Begun," the Carpenters' only entry, came in at #410. The brief text called the song "aural nectar" and said Karen's voice, the group's "ace in the hole," made other singers sound like Linda McCartney.

But, inexplicably, they called Richard a megalomaniac. There are two definitions of megalomania. One is having "a mania for great or grandiose performance," while the other is "a delusional mental disorder that is marked by infantile feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur." Though neither is particularly flattering, let's hope they meant the former definition.

Tony

 

[350hunny]

Whenever I find such rankings, I wonder what criteria they have for choosing you-know-what.

I don't know whether to be happy or sorry for such an oldie being chosen by someone who may not be like us and for #410.
I can't find much meaning in it.

I'm interested in knowing how younger people feel about the duo's music because I think they may be more open-minded to a variety of songs.

 

[andywithaz]

Well then I am your person since I am still in high school. Personally, I kind of like We've Only Just Begun. I think it should be in the category of the 100 greatest songs instead of just 100. I think of it not as another classic wedding song but as a CLASSIC song period I just like everything about it and I like it better with the Close to You intro. I had hoped that they would have created a new intro for the Singles 1969-1981. I really wish that they would bring it back. After all, isn't the best selling album/compilation that they have ever put out

From a young person's point of view:

My favorite song is Goodbye to Love. I could like this song because it has a guitar solo or because of it's sung by Karen. I don't know.

I like the easiest listening songs okay but I don't go out of my way to hear them.

My other favorite songs are

Hurting Each Other
I Need To Be In Love
Desperado
Superstar
Ave Maria
Merry Christmas Darling
Sandy
All of My Life
Please Mr. Postman
Tryin' To Get That Feeling Again

and a bunch of others but you get the idea of what I like.

My favorite songs from her solo album are

Making Love In the Afternoon
If I Had You
Still Crazy After All These Years
Make Believe It's Your First Time
and yes
Guess I Just Lost My Head

 

[350hunny]

Well then I am your person since I am still in high school. Personally, I kind of like We've Only Just Begun. I think it should be in the category of the 100 greatest songs instead of just 100. I think of it not as another classic wedding song but as a CLASSIC song period I just like everything about it and I like it better with the Close to You intro. I had hoped that they would have created a new intro for the Singles 1969-1981. I really wish that they would bring it back. After all, isn't the best selling album/compilation that they have ever put out

Hi, Andrew, thanks for your post.
I like the idea that more younger generation is accepting the duo's music.
I, for one, am fond of the song and imagine it could have ended up being just a jingle for a bank commercial! and how Richard and Karen changed it to a great song!

The Singles version starting Close To You through Superstar to We've Only Just begun seems to show a little humor and that serious attitude of Richard going through ups and downs of the music industry.

I don't know how many of you have or know about the shelved version of the complete Singles 1969-1981 with a long instrumental medley of the duo's hits followed by For All We know.
Richard had the idea of including this medley but he changed his mind and thought it more appropriate for opening As Time Goes By.
However, the medley eventually wound up not being included anywhere.
After hearing the edited version without the long medley, I think Richard should have released it as he originally planned it.
And to think he left out Goofus!

From a young person's point of view:

My favorite song is Goodbye to Love. I could like this song because it has a guitar solo or because of it's sung by Karen. I don't know.

I like the easiest listening songs okay but I don't go out of my way to hear them.

It's no wonder this song attracts youngsters because of that guitar solo.
For me, it was really strange to hear that ending choruses sounding like church music. maybe due to the organ?

In 1970s, here in Japan with rock music lovers dissing and getting tired of listening to such sweet music as Carpenters', Goodbye To Love and Superstar were among their favorites.

My other favorite songs are

Hurting Each Other
I Need To Be In Love
Desperado
Superstar
Ave Maria
Merry Christmas Darling
Sandy
All of My Life
Please Mr. Postman
Tryin' To Get That Feeling Again

and a bunch of others but you get the idea of what I like.

My favorite songs from her solo album are

Making Love In the Afternoon
If I Had You
Still Crazy After All These Years
Make Believe It's Your First Time
and yes
Guess I Just Lost My Head

I find it interesting for you to include Ave Maria and Still Crazy.
When I was a teenager, I wasn't so into slow ballads like Solitare or I Can't Dream, Can't I? But as I grew older keeping listenig to their records, I've learned to enjoy those beautiful compositions.
I wish I had done so much earlier on.

 

[jfiedler17]

I'm interested in knowing how younger people feel about the duo's music because I think they may be more open-minded to a variety of songs.

I'm not young as Andrew (I'm 24), but I seriously cannot remember ever NOT listening to the Carpenters, even when I was just starting school!
My dad (who first got me listening to Richard and Karen) and I used to play the heck out of "Carpenters" when I was four or five('specially "Saturday," "Let Me Be the One," and the Bacharach/David medley), and I've been a fan ever since! (I grew a very open-minded taste in music very early!)

My personal favorite Carpenters songs (as hard as it is to narrow them all down!) would have to be "(Want You) Back in My Life Again" (wore the heck out of that one in 4th grade!), "Touch Me When We're Dancing," "Yesterday Once More," "Saturday," "I Kept on Loving You," "Happy," (the last three are pretty odd choices, I know, but I play them more often than a lot of the singles!), and my favorite of all, "Only Yesterday," which I think is one of the most phenomenal pop singles of the '70s. There's just no way to improve on that record!

I agree that "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" is a pretty dynamite song, but, as much as I like the Carpenters, I will always prefer the Barry Manilow version more. Yeah, it's insanely energetic and over-the-top, but that's part of what I love about it. (I've been listening to Manilow, too, since I was five! Safe to say, I was in an enormously tiny minority at the time. Not a lot of 5-year-old Manilow fans! )