Which Carpenters songs have the most meaning to you?

[WYBIMLA]

It is hard to choose between so many gems, but these are my selections:
(You can choose solo work too)

- Leave yesterday behind

- Sometimes

- 1980 medley

This is beyond any expectation I'd have for Carpenters. We get to revisit these songs and to full effect. It's gorgeous.

- When it's gone

The last time Karen had a drumming credit on record. It's beautiful, haunting.

Lastly, I know it's not a "Carpenters" song...

- Only the angels know

I have to admit I find this one to be special since I heard it more recently. Richard did a nice job. The concept of what the lyrics and lush harmonies are quite nice.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

For me the album cuts have always meant more to me, providing more emotional connection than the hits. Here are mine.

1. From This Moment On
2. You're The One
3. Solitaire
4. I Need To Be In Love
5. Look To Your Dreams

I agree with you too the 80's medley MMM is the best of the best!!

 

[theninjarabbit]

For album cuts,"Let Me Be The One" probably ranks highest. This and other Tan Album and A Song For You tracks, such as "Road Ode", "Sometimes", and "One Love", have an intimacy bar none. I play these quite often.

Most of the singles have incredible meaning, especially "Top of the World", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Hurting Each Other", and "I Won't Last A Day..."

I agree with Rick about "Look to Your Dreams". If I had to pick a solo cut, it would be "If We Try".

 

[K.C. Jr]

Some I've found are "Look to Your Dreams", "Love Me For What I Am", "Desperado", "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You", "Leave Yesterday Behind", and "(A Place to)Hideaway."

"LMFWIA" and "Hideway" are some that I really believe are overlooked far too often. Karen really puts a lot of strength behind her meaning on these.
"Desperado" may be one of my odder choices, but I honestly feel that there is a lot of emotion in this song and can, quite honestly, find some relation in it. Makes me cry when I hear it...Same with "Goodbye and I Love You". Timeless beauty.

"Look to Your Dreams" and "Leave Yesterday Behind"..same reasons as all of you, really. I also put in a good word for anything else from Voice of the Heart and pretty much Horizon, taking out "Postman"...
EDIT: Forgot to mention "I Can't Make Music"; one of my personal favorites.

 

[K.C. Jr]

For me the album cuts have always meant more to me, providing more emotional connection than the hits. Here are mine.

1. From This Moment On
2. You're The One
3. Solitaire
4. I Need To Be In Love
5. Look To Your Dreams

I agree with you too the 80's medley MMM is the best of the best!!

"I Need to be in Love" is so beautiful to hear, especially live (as live as I can possibly hear it, anyway...). I love that you included "You're The One". Can't believe I forgot that one myself..

 

[theninjarabbit]

EDIT: Forgot to mention "I Can't Make Music"; one of my personal favorites.

Lovely

 

[Dave60640]

As for having the most meaning to me, hands down I Need To Be In Love and Look To Your Dreams. Either one of those can be written on the back of my memorial card! Trying not to be morbid...

 

[GaryAlan]

Great Thread ! Another tough choice to pin down:
#1 most meaning to me --at this point in time--is
.......Little Altar Boy........

 

[WYBIMLA]

I listen to "One love" from the "By request" album. It's very nice.
Also, I was going to mention "Crystal Lullaby". I like the "Treasures" remix.
It's relaxing with their soaring harmonies.

It's interesting to see what's been said so far. I agree with a lot of them. The tone for some are a bit stirring in a sad way, but that's part of Karen's gift to connect and does make for something quite meaningful. They had expertise in making some of those most beautiful music.
Legendary.
And speaking of legendary... how could I forget, but obviously "Now" has it's place when mentioning special songs. I think anyways.
I don't hear about "done in one take" very often.

Maybe these aren't trendy, but to us fans it sure means a lot.

 

[K.C. Jr]

Great Thread ! Another tough choice to pin down:
#1 most meaning to me --at this point in time--is
.......Little Altar Boy........

Oh, for sure! Beautiful song and a beautiful meaning.

 

[Tapdancer]

I suspect the lyrics to Intermission will take on a more profound, urgent meaning for many of us as we head into our golden years.

 

[JBee]

Rainy Days and Mondays and Yesterday Once More every time for me. My favorite Carpenters songs, I never get tired of them, and no covers of those songs by anyone else does them justice.

And I Need to Be in Love too. The arrangements from RC are a bit too much, but just KC singing "The way that people come and go through temporary lives/My chance could come and I might never know" and "I know I ask perfection of a quite imperfect world/And fool enough to think that's what I'll find" and finally "I'm wide awake at four a.m. without a friend in sight/I'm hangin' on a hope but I'm alright" just hit in the gut every time, the last line in particular (especially for those of us who have been in that place at one time in our lives, as Karen/John/Richard apparently were). I don't think Bettis ever wrote better lyrics than that, or that KC sang it with so much conviction and sadness/hope.

 

[tomswift2002]

I would have to go with

All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
Say Yeah!
Who Do You Love
Do You Hear What I Hear
The Christmas Song
The Uninvited Guest

 

[K.C. Jr]

I would have to go with

All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
Say Yeah!
Who Do You Love
Do You Hear What I Hear
The Christmas Song
The Uninvited Guest

Wow, Tom, great list! I love that you included "The Uninvited Guest"! That song is amazing! I didn't even consider the Chrsitmas songs...

 

[WYBIMLA]

I agree it seems nobody ever does justice to "Yesterday once more". I've heard people try to get the notes, but even then if they can get it they don't connect in the same way Karen was able to. It's a testament to her. She left behind such a haunt factor. Untouchable and can't take that away. She was that great.

I've heard mixed things about "I need to be in love". I like it very much! Understanding where it's coming from I think it's relatable. A stripped studio mix would be lovely to hear. I appreciate the live recordings of this one to get another feel of it. The "Bruce Forsyth" performance was so beautiful. Right there is proof of one of the greatest singers ever.

Correct me if I am wrong, but "INTBIL" may have been their most updated material in their act by '76. They didn't do any of "Passage" live later on. I know some of the Christmas material was incorporated into a few live performance and of course Television appearances in late 70s. But after that there wasn't anymore live renditions of much else besides their standard hits and lip-synced mostly anyway. So when you hear "INTBIL" live that was like the last time a new single made it to be performed live... so it is a special one too when thinking of it that way.

It almost looks wrong as I am typing it. Lol I think that's right though.

And I have to say a choir is fine and all... we all know the complaints by now. Lol For some of the songs it does feel intrusive (like in 'Make believe it's your 1st time'). I wish the choir version could still be available, but an alternate version would be nice. But, I guess that's the RC portion of it and what makes it a Carpenters record with the way he envisioned it to be completed. So wishful thinking on my part.

"Uninvited guest" is good too! A rare chance to get to hear an outtake. Another sad one. Another KC delivery that stays with you.

Speaking of remixes or alternative takes... something like that for "MIA" would be satisfying.

It took some person isolating the centre channel from the SACD project to feel like you got the chance to hear not just that but other songs differently, but I'd prefer something official. Nothing too much... and not to say there aren't alternate takes/extended edits out there (Let me be the one, I believe you, Maybe it's you)...

I find it interesting that we have the demo for "Wonderful parade" for example... but I still don't see how later on they stopped having demos or other extras like that later on in their career.
I am not even talking about unheard songs (although of course that would be phenomenal). Another "Trying to get the feeling" instance would be amazing.

I suppose that's why the live recording of "Touch me" was such a great surprise because well... there's like an alternate take from those final sessions.
A rare find in Carpenterology.

 

[newvillefan]

I suppose that's why the live recording of "Touch me" was such a great surprise because well... there's like an alternate take from those final sessions.

It's true, I've never thought of it like that but that video did make it feel like we'd been given a previously unreleased vocal take

 

[CraigGA]

1. Ordinary Fool
2. Crescent Noon
3. Love Me For What I Am
4. Yesterday Once More
5. A Song For You

I chose the above for if I listen to any one of them I will get carried to listen to others! My list may be different tomorrow for I love every one of the above mentioned especially the MMM medley and From This Moment On. I also enjoy Make Believe It's Your First Time from the solo album and the version of I Need To Be In Love from the Bruce Forseyth Show.

Craig

 

[Nancy J. Limauro]

When I was taking piano lessons, I actually played Top of the World as my recital solo, and actually got a standing ovation..starting with my parents...way back in the day...

 

[WYBIMLA]

That's another good list there.

"Ordinary fool" deserves the acclaim it gets from fans. The touch of Karen's light "mmm" at the end is sweet.
I'm glad it's there. As Richard said it is a good 'vehicle' for KC. Not always an obvious choice like "Crescent noon" it's just kind of there and can surprise you.

Semi-unrelated "Road ode" is like that too under the radar and one that almost smashes whatever image problems "...just keep on wearing a smile". It's simply just a bro/sis duo soft rocking out. No more and no less. It's pretty cool. The theme of the tune provides a kind of humanity even after "Carpenter Mania" has simmered...if that makes sense.

"Love me for what I am" I haven't heard in a while. Very nice. "...what I am I have to be".

Beautiful stuff. It's quite a body of work (their discography and various projects). From time to time you go back to some of these lesser known tunes.
30 or 40 years later (however you chose to look at it) it's really a gift that keep on giving.

There's a place in my heart for their music and that's never changed for over 10 years.

 

[JBee]

That's another good list there.

"Ordinary fool" deserves the acclaim it gets from fans. The touch of Karen's light "mmm" at the end is sweet.
I'm glad it's there. As Richard said it is a good 'vehicle' for KC. Not always an obvious choice like "Crescent noon" it's just kind of there and can surprise you.

Semi-unrelated "Road ode" is like that too under the radar and one that almost smashes whatever image problems "...just keep on wearing a smile". It's simply just a bro/sis duo soft rocking out. No more and no less. It's pretty cool. The theme of the tune provides a kind of humanity even after "Carpenter Mania" has simmered...if that makes sense.

Road Ode keeps rising higher and higher in estimation each time I listen to it. When I first heard it, it didn't even register and now its one of my favorite Carpenter songs. It just has an edge to it's sound, that seemed to disappear with albums like HUSH and MIA.

Ordinary Fool is also one of the best things they ever recorded (and it's superior to Paul Wlliams' original version and that's how I judge Carpenters covers). I never tire of it. It's hard to believe it sat there with just a work lead, that Karen (according to RC) didn't like it, that they released stuff like Goofus and Man Smart, Woman Smarter with OF just sitting there, and that Richard has said that in retrospect, except for Now, nothing that ended up on Voice of the Heart would have been released (including OF) had Karen lived.