Small parts of Carpenters songs that hook you
- Thread starter Tony
- Start date
natureaker
Active Member
While, listening to Goofus last night, one line seemed to really grab me for some reason. The line "I like rustic harmonies" grabbed me and I kept rewinding the whole song just to listen to that 1 line!
BarryT60
Well-Known Member
and the last line... the trains and the BOATS and planes.... - - really just beautiful... we've said it hundreds of times - but I'll say it one more... the maturity and finesse Karen incorporated in those intimate interpretations are so beyond her years - it really just continues to demonstrate her true inborn and clearly brilliant artistry...I've always loved the way she sings the word "Rome" on the song Trains and Boats and Planes
theninjarabbit
Well-Known Member
Don't believe I know the song, there.
GATourist
Member
Thanks, Harry. I inadvertently left out the "You" part.....as I did the "yond" in "beyond." My brain was moving a bit quicker than my fingers (a rare phenomenon these days!)
natureaker
Active Member
Oooo, I can definitely second that!
(Hopefully I put in the quotes correctly...)As for another addition to this thread, the very beginning of Ticket To Ride gets me every time. Especially the "He's got a ticket to ride, and he don't care" part
BarryT60
Well-Known Member
That darned song, ABSOLUTELY should have been a single. Talk about changing history. It would have put them right back in the top ten on my humble opinion. Every time I hear it - I just love it even more.
natureaker
Active Member
The backing vocals at the start of the song "Breakin' Up Is Hard To Do". If those weren't there, I probably would've listened to the song less honestly.
natureaker
Active Member
In Bachard/David Medley (not even gonna bother typing out the whole title) towards the end, the "woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah" part I absolutely love! Grabs me every time!
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
I love the song but I don't think it would have been a success as a single...I guess I'm in the minority on that one. It's too slow and ploddy for me and the melody in the verses see-saws up and down too much.
One song that I always obsess over is Boat To Sail. Karen's vocals in the instrumental break are absolute heaven. I'd love to hear them a capella with all the instrumentation stripped back.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
The phrase "and me" is so tender...there's a tiny break in her voice towards the end of the note she holds that is just so sweet.
natureaker
Active Member
The chorus of "Two Lives" is so gosh darn beautiful, along with the very ending! I'm surprised that I didn't find that song earlier.
natureaker
Active Member
Listening to "The Rainbow Connection" for the first time since I've heard so much about it. The instrumental opening at the beginning instantly caught my attention. So amazing!
natureaker
Active Member
Same here. Karen's vocals absolutely amaze me in the song!
I've been listening (again) to the karaoke album on the drive to and from work lately, and I realize anew that so many of the Carpenters' songs are just filled with little hooks, especially those harmonies, that captivate me. I've said it before, but the background vocals in "Close to You" around the 2:15 mark grab me every time and always get repeated plays.
And another thread about "(A Place to) Hideaway" prompted me to revisit that song and I was taken, as I always am, with those exquisite harmonies—"Save them for a rainy day"—which are ear candy of the sweetest kind.
And another thread about "(A Place to) Hideaway" prompted me to revisit that song and I was taken, as I always am, with those exquisite harmonies—"Save them for a rainy day"—which are ear candy of the sweetest kind.
I always marvel at Richard's attention to detail in the arrangements. It's sometimes the tiniest things he does that make a world of difference, with my latest "discovery" found in the chorus of Superstar. Cleverly interposing the lyric's "shuffle" rhythm with the "syncopated" rhythm of the brass, we hear:
"Don't you remember you told me you loved me Ba-a-by(Da)-da-da-da. Da. Da. Da-da-da. Da(You)-Said you'd be coming...
That last 'Da' - a long, drawn-out note sounding a mere fraction before the 'Said...' - both underscores and ties-in the following lyric line rhythmically to the brass, critical to maintaining the listener's interest.
"Don't you remember you told me you loved me Ba-a-by(Da)-da-da-da. Da. Da. Da-da-da. Da(You)-Said you'd be coming...
That last 'Da' - a long, drawn-out note sounding a mere fraction before the 'Said...' - both underscores and ties-in the following lyric line rhythmically to the brass, critical to maintaining the listener's interest.
theninjarabbit
Well-Known Member
I never tire of the brass section in the chorus of "Superstar". I especially play the album version over and over to hear it. "Superstar" is one of the songs in the Carpenters' repertoire where I fully appreciate Richard's attention to detail: the arrangement always excites me.
Another one of those moments is in "Yesterday Once More" -- the digital electric piano during the second stanza (in the remix, more prominent in '85).
natureaker
Active Member
Today, I was listening to Crescent Noon on my phone (I know, how predictable) and the piano intro caught my ear, but there was something that I felt was a little different. I'm not 100% sure what exactly was different, but it definitely got me to repeat the beginning part of the song.
natureaker
Active Member
Found their cover of Nowhere Man last nighty on YouTube, So amazing!
