Songs that grew on you

WYBIMLA

Well-Known Member
What songs did finally came around to liking when at first you did not (perhaps years after first listen?
or which songs do you find you do not listen to as often anymore (maybe out grew the initial adoration for it)?
And can you pinpoint the reasoning why.

I thought of this question while listening to "Midnight". The solo work isn't a great example cause I go back and fourth... But, lately, I've been digging KC solo again! I think it could be as time goes by you appreciate the lesser known stuff more.
"Two Sides" is a better example for this purpose. At first it didn't hit me, but it's almost like a prototype for "When it's gone" which I think is also great. The guitar backing for Karen's voice blends quite nicely. She nails the ending "goodbye".
"Now a days Clancy..." is interesting too because it's a bit underrated just the harmony on the "sing" is what does it. Before it was easy to kinda write off.
"Breaking up is hard to do" isn't so bad either in my opinion now. Oddly, I find it kinda fun, upbeat and complimentary to the "Hush" album.
On the other side, "All you get from love is a love song" was one I find I haven't listened to in a long time. Maybe causeI wish it got the remix treatment (not that it really needs it) or I played it so much years ago. Lol
 
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Solitaire was one I never liked all that much until I heard the single mix, which is a great example of how very subtle changes can make a lot of difference.

Make Believe It's Your First Time (Carpenters' version) was another that I was never keen on (it definitely shouldn't have been a single), but as the years have gone by, I've come to really appreciate it more. The string patterns towards the end of the chorus are just gorgeous. It also works much better with the bridge added but is another one of the 1980 tracks that suffers from Karen singing in too high a key.

Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft is another that I thought was a great novelty when I first heard it but then never listened to because of its length and the fact that there's so much going on in the song. But I heard it the other day for the first time in years and was blown away by how majestic it sounds now.
 
I never cared ---initially--for
Because We Are In Love.....

Now...I love it.....
color me crazy....
 
Funny though, eh?
With differing moods, with age or life circumstances it colours what you're listening to sometimes.

It goes in phases like "Somebody's been lyin'" I liked and go through times of renewed enjoyment because it's lesser known. I also see the parts where the production takes over. Similar with "Because we are in love"... that has to do with Karen because she was obviously taken with that one for obvious reasons at the time.

The early work, "Offering/Ticket" or the non singles of the "Close to you" album often get overlooked...
But yeah the entire catalogue kinda grows on you. As a fan, you end up knowing the material quite thoroughly.

I don't know about "Man Smart" though... always been for me and many fans after a certain point the charm of it wears off quite quickly. "You're the one" may as well have taken it's place. That'd be something if that were reversed and it ended up on "Lovelines".
Probably the only track that you can't refute that how it's less favourable.

"Occupants" is interesting because it is the most 'out there' song they did.
From the original by Klaatu it seems there's a bit of over pronunciation going on, but yeah they worked very hard on that one for sure.
 
Not so much that I didn't like them - but lately, when I hear an older song, I am appreciating it much more.
In other words, I have gravitated - most of my adult life - to the later recorded product. Practically ignoring the Tan album and CTY. Even A Song for You has been back-burnered on my play-lists.
And now that I am writing this - I am realizing that the compilations may have diluted my interest in many of the album cuts throughout the last many years.
I have THIS SITE to thank for igniting my intrigue on albums as they were initially conceived, thus causing me to download albums in their entirety and giving them a fresh listen.
So - THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC! Or at least re-introducing me to much of it! :)
 
I kind of dismissed "I Kept on Loving You" when I first heard it on the Close to You LP due to Richard on lead vocals. But as the years go by, I really love this upbeat song and feel it may have had hit potential similar to "Let Me Be the One" if it had been released early in their career. Don't laugh, but Richard's cover of "Daddy's Home" along with "Saturday" has also grown on me!
 
^No laughter here.

I can appreciate a lot of it in the context their crazy touring schedule.
Would we rather some cuts be different than they are? Sure after hearing posthumous albums...

If you think of it they actually recorded a lot in the 70s.
Good thing Richard already had ideas before they started recording. A lot of the early albums had material he'd worked on in the late 60s, right? Both their love of music and having an open ear made something like "Daddy's Home" come about I assume. After a while you can tell how immersed in music both of them were.

You do grow to appreciate stuff like "I kept on loving you". Maybe not at first, but of course "Close to you (album)" is listed as one of the greatest albums of all time (rolling stone). You treasure the album tracks especially from that album because it was from a great, happy time for both of them.
With their sound they could get away with maybe a bit more than other artists. I mean, there's even some kind of appeal to "Drusilla Penny" because of their unique sound. That's what I listen for if I do get around to that one. Lol
 
Three come to mind for me;

Bwana She No Home - The first time I played "Passage" and heard this I was like "WHAT??!" However, upon multiple plays it has become one of my favorites. This was a song where I believe Karen really let her hair down and just had a good time. The whole funky/sexy/humorous vibe of the song is very enchanting. I don't see why it wasn't played in discos or nightclubs back in the day. Maybe it was, I just don't remember. And I absolutely love that line delivered so coyly by Karen; "I don't care if you drive my 350 honey"!

Another Song - Didn't know where they were going when I first heard it. Richard channeling Sgt Pepper no doubt. With Karen belting out the lyrics on that first part and then breaking into that 60s dream sequence instrumental; I must admit it has grown on me. Makes me want to break out my black light and posters again!

Crystal Lullaby - At first to syrupy sweet even for The Carpenters, I thought. But upon further review, I realize just how magnificent it is. The way the whole track is produced, the whirling swirling dreamlike fantasy of a little girl's childhood. It tells a story. Having 4 daughters, I wish I could've played it to them before they went to bed. But that was back in my HTC (Hate The Carpenters) phase. And of course, Miss Karen delivering the lead (exquisite). Richard did a good job on the vocals as well.
 
"I Believe You". Thought it was excruciatingly slow at the time it was initially released. Over the years I've grown to like it quite a bit, especially the lead vocal and arrangement in the verses. There's a soulfulness there that I totally missed as a kid.
 
Yes, "I Believe You" didn't gel with me right away, and it took until the alternate take of the SACD to really hammer home how much I liked it.
 
"Intermission" from A SONG FOR YOU.

"We'll be back...after we go to the bathroom!" :D

Richard and Karen had delightfully quirky senses of humor. :)
 
"I Believe You". Thought it was excruciatingly slow at the time it was initially released. Over the years I've grown to like it quite a bit, especially the lead vocal and arrangement in the verses. There's a soulfulness there that I totally missed as a kid.

"Soul" appears courtesy of Paul Riser - Motown arranger extraordinaire.
 
I now so love Karen's reading and sassy delivery on What Do You Get When You Fall in Love on CTY. I was so entranced by other songs on the album at the time, that I failed to appreciate it. Later I really thought it was fun.
 
BUMP: I think this thread is a really good concept and it could use some more love..........

1) It's Going To take Some Time (1972) After I heard this song on the "Original Master Recording" CD from 1989, it finally got my intention!
I always thought the song really was the misfit of The Singles: 1969-1973, which is the definitive collection of the Carpenters early work.

2) Someday (1969) One of two tracks I knew Karen could sing better, one of them "Ticket to Ride" is the highlight of the above "singles" album.
Music, Music, Music medley provided that snippet that made me wish she had re-recorded the (Someday) vocal for the entire song. But I've learned to like the original........despite it's flaws.

3) Touch Me When We're Dancing (1981) Something about this slick production and overbearing background vocals, just never excited me. It was almost pretentious, in it screaming this is a radio hit!
However since it's been tinkered with on the 2019 RPO digital files, I feel it's finally been unburdened of it pretentiousness, hearing Karen's vocals a bit more, which is exactly what was missing from the original production. It's screams less hit single, but it's a fine album track now!
 
BUMP: I think this thread is a really good concept and it could use some more love..........

Great idea, John Adam, for "more love" to this thread! I certainly understand your feelings on the songs you mentioned.

For me, two songs in particular fit this largely because I found them initially to be depressing in lyric and tone: "Crescent Noon" and "One More Time." "Crescent Noon" held little appeal to me in the early years, but during my brief foray into piano playing, I learned the basic chords and found it more intriguing. "One More Time" became more palatable to me over time because I was able to feel the lyrics and appreciate Karen's delivery.

The beauty of Karen's vocals transcends even the most depressing lyric (e.g., "One More Time") or so-called "plodding" tempo (as has been described for "Solitaire," for instance). And "Solitaire" "grew" on me instantly!
 
My grammar was atrocious. :razz:
I'm glad you understood what I was trying to say in the OP. haha
I forgot I wrote this. Lol

I still go back and fourth on the solo work. *sigh* but when I'm away from the boards or social media I'll put it on and forget any of the negativity associated with it. KC's album is like a guilty pleasure really... the only novelty item of it's kind that never seems to get old.

I agree with a lot of The Carpenters titles mentioned here... sometimes a song will suddenly hit you when it hadn't before.
...could be a function of maturity or the format you're listening to it on.

I grew up listening to the 20th century masters compilation---loving so much of what I heard.
More and more of their songs grew on me as I ended up hearing their entire discography.
Strange how you think you've heard everything or made your mind up on what you like and don't like, but then your taste can change depending on mood or subjective lyrical interpretation.

Karen's voice transcends time, so you can love it as a kid, teenager, adult or elderly person. Re-discovering bits and pieces as the years go by.

She left behind so many great moments buried in those lesser known tunes too.
RPO treatment reveals this is very true.
 
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When It’s Gone is one I hated when I first heard the album, but now it’s a top 10 favourite album track. Beautiful, complicated arrangement and stunning lead by Karen.

Solitaire has also grown on me since Richard released the single mix on CD. The added parts breathe new life into the choruses somehow, a bit like the single mix of I Won’t Last A Day Without You, with the added guitar parts.
 
Sometimes it's not so much the song not grabbing you as the setting that it's in not serving it well. I've really grown to love 'Boat to Sail' and 'Love Me for What I Am', but had originally rather overlooked both because the former was on an album on which it rather got lost among all the other sleepy cuts, and the latter was included on a too-ballad-heavy album directly after the similar-sounding (albeit inferior) 'Goodbye and I Love You'.

As neither track tended to appear on compilations, it took years for me to really take notice of them in their original setting and realise how good they were.
 
Sometimes it's not so much the song not grabbing you as the setting that it's in not serving it well. I've really grown to love 'Boat to Sail' and 'Love Me for What I Am', but had originally rather overlooked both because the former was on an album on which it rather got lost among all the other sleepy cuts, and the latter was included on a too-ballad-heavy album directly after the similar-sounding (albeit inferior) 'Goodbye and I Love You'.

As neither track tended to appear on compilations, it took years for me to really take notice of them in their original setting and realise how good they were.

What do you mean by the setting?

It was a mistake putting those two Horizon songs side by side but I actually much prefer Goodbye and ILY over the other by a good deal. A great lyric, performance, the arrangement isn’t too original but solid, and the “deep blue seaaaaaaa...” line is crazy.
 
The first listen to the Song For You album, Goodbye To Love was just wrong. How could they do that? That awful guitar solo. Lol. Now it’s my favorite song of all time. I didn’t care for Cresent Noon or Another Song either. Now 2 of my favorite tracks they recorded. Pretty much most of Offering. Now I think it’s awesome. So glad they were allowed to release it, ever. I have 6 copies!!!!! Before they were so sought after, before Karen passed. Such a fun an interesting album, before Karen was a Superstar. The songs are very unique.
 
^^ Another Song is fantastic! Any arguments that Karen was not up to snuff as a drummer, are put to rest very quickly on that track.

That’s a track that didn’t need time to grow on me. I loved it from the first time I heard it. It’s very dramatic and moody, with all the minor chords and the lovely, dark arrangement, not to mention the impressive vocal overdubs. I think the only reason it doesn’t get more coverage on compilations is that it has that extended instrumental which is almost half the length of the entire song. But what a showcase for their musical talents.
 
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