• 1968-1983

  Richard Carpenter

  Karen Carpenter
• The brother-sister duo the Carpenters were one of the best-selling recording acts of the 1970s. Ten of their singles sold a million copies or more and the voice of lead singer, Karen Carpenter, was a staple on the radio airwaves throughout the decade. Karen's voice inspired legions of singers that came after her, ranging from kd lang to Madonna, who included a tribute to her with the song "Rain" on the 1992 album Erotica. However, Karen's brother, Richard, a piano player and composer, said that Karen really thought of herself as a drummer who happened to sing.
• The Carpenters broke into recording when they were signed to A&M Records in 1969. By 1970, on the strength of the title track to Close to You and the single "We've Only Just Begun," the Carpenters became a music sensation. The album earned eight Grammy nominations, with wins for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Vocal Performance. They followed that up with a Grammy award in 1971 for "Superstar" from the album Carpenters. The song was remade decades later by Sonic Youth as part of a Carpenters tribute album and was played in a key scene in the 1997 movie, Juno, in which Juno claims to prefer the original version better. So does Richard, who said he neither likes nor understands the interpretation, although the band's singer, Kim Gordon, is a big fan of Karen's work.
• During an era when rock and roll dominated radio, later followed by disco, the Carpenters offered a distinctive, softer sound that many dismissed as corny or too sweet. Hits like "There's a Kind of Hush," and "Rainy Days And Mondays" were in stark contrast to other songs of the day from the likes of the Rolling Stones or the Guess Who. Richard addressed this issue in an interview with NPR in 2009, when even interviewer Terry Gross said she used to think their music was "corny." Richard responded by saying people who think that are "ignoramuses." However, he also confessed in an interview for the Huffington Post that same year that he regretted "There's a Kind of Hush," which he called "pop fluff."
• The Carpenters recording career came to an abrupt and tragic end in 1983. Karen battled anorexia nervosa for many years, at a time when relatively little was known about the condition. She was visibly underweight and began to suffer the effects of her disease in the late 1970s. Attempts at treatment were unsuccessful and on February 4, 1983, she was discovered collapsed in her home. She died from heart failure and complications of anorexia. In 2009, 40/40 was released, featuring 40 tracks to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Carpenter's signing with A&M Records.
• A Playboy magazine readers' poll voted Karen Carpenter as Best Rock Drummer of 1975, beating Led Zeppelin's John Bonham into second place.

Comments: 3

• Sophie Jessica from UkIn response to George's comment below, Karen and Richard were siblings, not a couple! Karen was married to Tom Burris for a year plus occasional relationships with other men, none of which lasted very long. She always said she wouldn't want to be married if she was still touring, anyway.
• Patrick Jobling from Victoria Australia The carpenters gave the greatest ever performance in1974 .. BBC 4 England live medley 13:14 the best live performance fullstop ..no iffs or maybeys ..Karen you are truly missed ..god bless and go with grace ..
• George from Vancouver, CanadaKaren was 18 when they started their music career; Richard was 22. . . ahh, young love. . .

More Songfacts:

Year Of The CatAl Stewart

The title of Al Stewart's "Year Of The Cat" comes from Vietnamese astrology. The Year of the Cat comes every 12 Years: 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023...

Head FirstAerosmith

Geffen Records made history on June 27, 1994 when Aerosmith's "Head First" became the first major label song made available for exclusive digital download. Download speeds at the time were so slow it took around 75 minutes to download the track.

All ApologiesNirvana

When the Christian band DC Talk covered Nirvana's "All Apologies" at concerts, they would change the line "Everyone is gay" to "Jesus is the Way."

Two TribesFrankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Two Tribes" features British actor Patrick Allen reading extracts from a government civil defense leaflet.

The Safety DanceMen Without Hats

The Men Without Hats lead singer wrote "The Safety Dance" after getting kicked out of a bar for dancing too aggressively. The song is literally about being safe to dance if you want to.

Mr. Tambourine ManThe Byrds

"Mr. Tambourine Man" is the only song Bob Dylan wrote that became a #1 hit on the Hot 100. The Byrds' cover topped the chart in 1965.

Editor's Picks

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.