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Ticket to ride meaning of song3/16/2024 “(They Long to Be) Close to You” was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Two million copies sold, number two on the Billboard chart, along with eight Grammy nominations and two wins. The Carpenters’s second album, Close to You (1970) would change everything. Alpert might have been the first person to actually hear the potential of Karen’s voice when the initially heard it on their demo tape. Alpert was quoted as saying he got pushback from his own people about signing these two tragically unhip kids, who’s debut didn’t sell. ![]() The Offering album repackaged to take advantage of the success of their second album.Ĭarpenters, after some false starts with other record labels, were signed to A&M Records, Herb Alpert’s successful indie label. Richard admits they worked fast in recording the album and unfortunately did not pick the strongest material. The first single was “Ticket to Ride”, arranged as a ballad. ![]() Their first album, Offering (1969), did not set the world on fire. Nathan Weinbender, music writer for Spokane’s Inlander wrote, “her distinctive voice - as crystalline as it was crystal-clear, dripping with world-weary melancholy one moment and wide-eyed wonder the next - that became the group’s calling card.” The debut album, with the weird cover. Moreover, her emotional connection to their songs was uncanny…” Bandmates recall spotless, unerring performances in which night after night she hit notes like radar. William Hosley, writing for Connecticut Explored, described Karen’s voice as fully formed, meaning without training, her voice was warm and natural, “…pitch-perfect contralto whose low range and tonal depth is instantly recognizable. I fail at adequately describing her vocal qualities, so I found others who can. Karen Carpenter had the most amazing and unique voice. He took advantage of the standard recording process of doubling and tripling their vocals, adding layer after layer to get what Richard described as a choir of their voices. Richard seemed to “get” the recording process quickly, as the musical director for the group, who understood how to take full advantage of his and sister Karen’s voices to get that full, rich wave of vocals. Herb Alpert signed them to A&M records after hearing a tape of them, and gave them a lot of creative input in the recording process. They were a wholesome slice of middle class America – which was both an asset and a liability. Grammy Awards, Gold and Platinum records, a star on the Walk of Fame, television specials and hundred of concerts. Richard and Karen Carpenter were a big deal in the 1970s. When you sing a song, you better appreciate the splendor and emotional connection to such a wonderful musical creation. In junior high chorus class we learned several Carpenter songs. ![]() Karen’s voice was an emotional lasso and Richard’s arrangements had that amazing Bacharach/David sensitivity. Their early hits had a sound and poignancy that was sophisticated yet inviting. I read that little fact in Carpenters: The Musical Legacy, co-written by Richard Carpenter, along with Associated Press journalist Mike Cidoni Lennox and Chris May. ![]() I was, and am still, a fan of the musical duo, Carpenters.
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