⭐ Official Review [Single]: 3. "WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN"/"ALL OF MY LIFE" (1217)

Which side is your favorite?

  • Side A: "WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN"

    Votes: 48 85.7%
  • Side B: "ALL OF MY LIFE"

    Votes: 8 14.3%

  • Total voters
    56
I was watching the PBS special on the Carpenters last night and something Paul Williams said about "We've Only Just Begun" sounded a little strange. He said that when Richard called him to ask about the song, "he (Paul) would have lied through his teeth because getting a Carpenters record would have been a big deal." According to "Little Girl Blue", this conversation happened before the release of the single "Close To You". Were Richard and Karen that highly regarded in the Spring of 1970 based only on the results of "Offering" and "Ticket To Ride"? Was Paul more confident than Richard was that "Close To You" would be a monster hit?
 
Richard Carpenter 2009:
Right around the time we finished recording “Close To You,”
I heard “We’ve Only Just Begun,” and created the arrangement.
We were now putting together the album, and I was having serious thoughts about holding up “Close To You” and putting out “We’ve Only Just Begun.”
Close To You” was just so different and understated for Top Forty radio that I worried.
That track...we had to revert to a “click” because it was just so deliberate. (Bassist) Joe Osborn and Karen were like metronomes,
(drummer) Hal Blaine and I tended to rush a little.
But I remember Hal Blaine saying, “That’s the one,” about “We’ve Only Just Begun.”
It turns out both of them were the ones."

Source:
HuffPost Exclusive: The 40th Anniversary of Carpenters / Interview with Richard Carpenter »
 
"The Carpenters hit song that was originally written for a bank commercial"
Big Joe Henry
October 8, 2016 10:12 AM

"Thirty-six years ago this week, The Carpenters were at No. 2 on the singles chart with
“We’ve Only Just Begun.”
Sure, lots of people remember that, but did you know that song was originally written for a bank advertisement?"

"The story doesn’t end here, in fact It comes full circle as it was used this year in a commercial for
Lowes Home Improvement. Featuring a cover by Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter Joanna Wang."

WATCH THIS: The Carpenters hit song that was originally written for a bank commercial |
WATCH THIS: The Carpenters hit song that was originally written for a bank commercial »
 
When I pause to ponder the brilliance of Richard Carpenter,
this is the song that cements it for me !
Everything is here:
Vocal arrangement and harmonies,
Instrumental arrangement and placement,
Karen's lead vocals up front, powerful,
the tempo, the rhythm, the lyric.....
Everything.
 
Thanks for digging up this thread! Since I am here, I vote for Side A. One of the "definitive" Carpenters songs. I love how Karen sings the lyrics "we fly" coming out of that first stanza. Goosebumps! Beautiful arrangement from Richard. I like Side B also. A lovely little song, beautiful vocals from KC. When I hear it I think of that scene in The Karen Carpenter Story where the character who plays Joe Osborn realizes he has discovered "The Voice".
 
Forgot to mention, each time I listen to (one of my favorites)
All Of My Life,
that darn snippet of music used on The CBS-TV Karen Carpenter Story
creeps into my head.....that sequence where actress Gibb starts singing
in the very high-off-key performance following which is the
Karen Carpenter performance we all know and love.

I wonder who sang that off-key/high note part ?
 
[SNIP]
I know it's a song about optimism, starting a new life with someone, etc. But is it just me or does anyone else detect a touch of sadness in Karen's voice in some parts of the song?[/SNIP]

That "touch of sadness" is one of the things that in my view, defines Karen's singing. It's part of what Herb felt from day one, when he first heard her voice (as he has publicly stated). There's a rich melancholy in many of her vocal performances, and yet it is subtle enough that the songs don't become depressing or outright "sad". I think this is why many people describe listening to Karen's vocal performances as "as if she was singing to me personally".

Hats off to Richard for song selections and framing her voice musically in a way that accentuated that strength.

For me, A-side in a landslide. WOJB has it's rightful place as one of the best songs the Carpenters ever recorded.
 
If more of these 'live' performances were circulating--instead of lip-synching performances--
it would be of inestimable help to the duo's legacy...
Here, 1973, and a stellar performance of We've Only Just Begun:
 
I think it's the number 1 song adapted from a television commercial with I Like to Teach The World to Sing as number 2. At least that was once the record, not sure if it still stands, but I would think it does. It did cover the 70's as a top wedding song of choice. Each time I hear it, I get warm fuzzies inside-especially on the last verse. Again, it's a song no one can duplicate. If anyone thinks this song is easy to sing, give it a try. It will never top this version. It's a work of art that this song found this group for the perfect receipe of musical sensation.
I heard this hit on the radio just this morning and once again was struck what a magnificent recording it truly is for all the reasons described. I stopped to wonder if the Carpenters' hot streak would've been ignited so strongly after "Close to You" if Richard had not found "WOJB" and worked his magic to release as a follow-up single? Just wondering...
 
I heard this hit on the radio just this morning and once again was struck what a magnificent recording it truly is for all the reasons described. I stopped to wonder if the Carpenters' hot streak would've been ignited so strongly after "Close to You" if Richard had not found "WOJB" and worked his magic to release as a follow-up single? Just wondering...

Many say that the second big hit is as important as the first, as it carries the artist away from the dreaded "one-hit-wonder" fear, and builds legitimacy. No doubt WOJB was a great choice by Richard, and he worked his magic with it, as you say.
 
They hit a magic streak of songs and through the next five years they were in sync with each other making golden records and breaking all kinds of chart history. It wasn’t just a few hits, but they created a winning streak that surpassed most achievements in the record book. The TV show Make Your Own Kind Of Music helped put them in every home in 1971 and most likely helped the sales of the ‘envelope” album titled Carpenters. Possibly the constant touring helped mold the dependence they seemed to have in each other as their own life was set aside in order to ride the wave. With the exception of the Christmas project, Horizon seemed to cement Karen as an world renown vocalist opening horizons of song venues yet untouched in their career. It seemed that everything they could have done together was accomplished by 1975. Then, they surprised us with television and concerts of musical conquests, as well as, the Christmas album. So much recording happened after 1975 that we celebrated the next group of albums and heard newly discovered songs up to 2003 with a few more still to be heard, if they are still preserved. Even though we may have already heard all the golden nuggets, we can never forget the first two. A wedding song that shaped pop culture and endured through the decade and song that still gives starlight!
 
Listening to
We've Only Just Begun,
as heard on the 1975 3-LP UK Compilation: Carpenters Collection (CARP-1000).
(Enclosed in Black Box).

Does anyone else have this so-called "limited-edition" ?
If so, does this 'mix' of WOJB sound as if the drums are muted on the song ?
Also,
Top Of The World sounds as if the 1972 Lead Vocal is surrounded by 1973 background vocals.
 
The song "All Of My Life" was also done by Roger Whittaker but that's a different song!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
"Begun" is my #6 song for the singles by the Carpenters. To me this is also their signature song, as it is to many. I don't think it is their best single, the best was yet to come. But I think this is more radio-friendly than Close To You, and a stronger song. It was the right song to cement the beginning of their career. The vocals are great and arranged perfectly, and their Grammy win for "song of the year" was well earned by the duo. They didn't need a kiss for luck, as they were on their way!

10/10
 
Weve only just begun.chart facts

Australia 6
Brazil. 3
Canada,1
Malaysia .6
Spain. 26
UK. 28
USA.2
 
For some unknown reason I had to see this video today;


What a great live performance by our beloved Karen. To see her little dance is good for the soul! I especially love the way she stylizes the lyric "comes" at 2:14. Those little nuances... 21 yr old mega-talent!:love:
 
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