50 Fun Facts About The Carpenters

Karen Carpenter passed on the songs Off the Wall and Rock with You, later hits for which singer?

Michael Jackson recorded both songs for his 1979 album after Karen declined them. Writer Rod Temperton had been brought in to help with her New York sessions.

Todd Haynes's withdrawn 1987 short film about Karen Carpenter used what in place of actors?

Barbie dolls played almost every part in Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story. Richard Carpenter sued over its unlicensed music, and the film was pulled from circulation in 1990.

The Carpenters' We've Only Just Begun began as a TV commercial for what kind of business?

A bank, California's Crocker National, ran the jingle in a 1970 commercial that followed a young couple's wedding. Richard Carpenter saw it on TV and asked for the full song.

Which theme park fired Richard Carpenter for playing pop requests, inspiring the song Mr. Guder?

Disneyland hired Richard and a college friend to play turn-of-the-century tunes at a refreshment shop. Supervisor Victor Guder fired them as too radical, so they wrote a song about him.

The Carpenters' hit Sing, recorded with a children's choir, was written for which television show?

Sesame Street staff songwriter Joe Raposo wrote Sing as the show's signature song in 1971. The Carpenters' cover reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 two years later.

Which composer wrote the Carpenters' first chart-topper, Close to You, with lyricist Hal David?

Burt Bacharach had first cut the song with actor Richard Chamberlain in 1963. He later said the Carpenters' 1970 record was so much better than his own attempt.

Which band first recorded Ticket to Ride, slowed into a ballad for the Carpenters' debut single?

The Beatles took Ticket to Ride to number one in 1965. Richard Carpenter's melancholy rearrangement peaked at number 54, giving the duo their first chart entry.

Which US president met the Carpenters in the Oval Office and hosted their White House concert?

Richard Nixon met the duo in August 1972 and had them perform at the White House the following spring. The concert came just as two of his top aides resigned over Watergate.

Which Grammy did the Carpenters win in 1971, finishing ahead of fellow nominee Elton John?

Best New Artist went to the duo in March 1971, with Elton John and Anne Murray among the other nominees. They took home a second Grammy that night for their first chart-topping single.

Karen Carpenter's death in 1983 brought wide public attention to which then little-known illness?

Anorexia nervosa had strained her heart for years, and she died of heart failure at 32. Her family set up a memorial foundation that raised money for research into eating disorders.

Which trumpeter and label co-founder signed the Carpenters after hearing Karen's voice on a demo?

Herb Alpert, the A in A&M Records, said her voice touched him. He kept faith when the duo's first album sold poorly and handed Richard the song that became their breakthrough.

Which Motown girl group took Please Mr. Postman to number one 14 years before the Carpenters did?

The Marvelettes gave Motown its first Hot 100 chart-topper with the song in 1961. The Carpenters' 1975 remake was their third and final number-one pop single.

Which British rock star called Karen Carpenter the best female voice in the world?

Paul McCartney added that her voice was melodic, tuneful and distinctive. Elton John called her one of the greatest voices of our lifetime, and Rolling Stone placed her among its 100 greatest singers.

Which Carpenters single, a tribute to oldies radio, reached number two in both the US and the UK in 1973?

Yesterday Once More was written to bookend the medley of oldies covers on the duo's 1973 album, and it became one of their biggest hits worldwide.

Which Carpenters holiday album did Richard say should have been released as a Karen solo record?

Christmas Portrait was the duo's first holiday album, released in 1978, and went platinum. Richard built a sequel, An Old-Fashioned Christmas, from its outtakes after Karen's death.

Which pop star and close friend joined Karen Carpenter on a health spa retreat in 1980?

Olivia Newton-John went with Karen to the Golden Door spa in the San Diego area that spring. She was also among the thousand mourners at Karen's funeral three years later.

Which Los Angeles suburb did the Carpenter family move to in 1963 to help Richard's music career?

Downey stayed home for years: the family's house there appears on one of the duo's album covers, and Karen's funeral was held at the town's Methodist church.

In which Connecticut city were both Karen and Richard Carpenter born before the family headed west?

New Haven was home until Richard was 16, and as a teenager he took lessons at the Yale School of Music. Their father had grown tired of New England winters.

Karen Carpenter had a three-octave range, but which voice type features on many Carpenters hits?

Contralto is the lowest female voice type, and many of the duo's hits sit in that register. Karen's own joke was that the money was in the basement.

Which songwriter and actor co-wrote the Carpenters hit Rainy Days and Mondays with Roger Nichols?

Paul Williams drew on his own mother for the song. The pair also wrote I Won't Last a Day Without You, and he later co-wrote Rainbow Connection for Kermit the Frog.

Which lyricist, a college friend of Richard Carpenter, co-wrote the hit Top of the World?

John Bettis met Richard as a fellow student and became the lyricist for his melodies. He went on to co-write Madonna's Crazy for You and the Pointer Sisters' Slow Hand.

Which country singer's hit cover of Top of the World pushed the Carpenters to issue it as a single?

Lynn Anderson took the album track to number two on the country chart in 1973. The duo then issued their own single, which became their second Hot 100 number one.

Which songwriter was behind the Carpenters tracks Superstar, A Song for You and This Masquerade?

Leon Russell co-wrote Superstar with Bonnie Bramlett and wrote the other two alone. A Song for You gave the duo's 1972 album both its title and its framing concept.

Whose Tonight Show performance of Superstar convinced Richard Carpenter to record the song?

Bette Midler sang it on the show in February 1971, before she had released an album. The Carpenters softened one suggestive line so that Top 40 radio would play it.

Goodbye to Love drew hate mail from some Carpenters fans because Richard added what to the ballad?

A fuzz guitar solo by Tony Peluso, recorded in two takes, gave the 1972 single its bite. The song has since been described as the prototypical power ballad.

The Carpenters' Goodbye to Love was named after a song mentioned in a film starring which crooner?

Bing Crosby's 1940 film Rhythm on the River keeps referring to a songwriter's greatest composition without ever playing it. Richard Carpenter liked the title and imagined the tune himself.

Which Carpenters hit from the film Lovers and Other Strangers won the Oscar for Best Original Song?

For All We Know took the Academy Award in 1971. The Carpenters were not allowed to perform it at the ceremony because they had not appeared in a film.

Which New York venue did the Carpenters sell out on the day their self-titled album came out?

Carnegie Hall hosted the duo on May 14, 1971. The record released that day, which fans call the Tan Album after its envelope-style sleeve, went four times platinum.

Which singer-songwriter was fired from a Carpenters tour after critics preferred his set to theirs?

Neil Sedaka drew so much attention that Richard dismissed him from the tour. The duo still had a hit later that year, 1975, with their cover of his song Solitaire.

Which British Invasion band had a hit with There's a Kind of Hush nine years before the Carpenters?

Herman's Hermits reached number four in the US with the song in 1967. The Carpenters' 1976 remake peaked at number 12 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart.

Which Canadian band wrote Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft, later a Carpenters single?

Klaatu released it on their 1976 debut album. The Carpenters' cover hit number one in Ireland, and fans wrote to the duo asking when World Contact Day would be held.

Which future country-pop star co-wrote Sweet, Sweet Smile, the Carpenters' only country chart hit?

Juice Newton wrote it with her bandleader Otha Young, but her own label passed on it. Karen heard the demo at a friend's house and brought it to Richard.

Which producer of Billy Joel's The Stranger recorded Karen Carpenter's solo album in New York?

Phil Ramone used members of Billy Joel's band on the 1979–80 sessions. The label shelved the record, and it finally came out in 1996, thirteen years after Karen's death.

Which honor did the Carpenters receive eight months after Karen's death, with Richard looking on?

A Walk of Fame star was unveiled for the duo in Los Angeles on October 12, 1983. Richard called it a sad day, but also a very special and beautiful one for his family.

Which band wrote Tunic (Song for Karen) and covered Superstar on a Carpenters tribute album?

Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon wrote Tunic about Karen's struggles with body image. Their Superstar cover later featured in the film Juno, though Richard Carpenter said he didn't care for it.

Richard Carpenter took 1979 off to enter treatment for an addiction to which prescription sedative?

Quaaludes were first given to him as a sleeping aid, and his use grew through the 1970s tours. He completed a six-week program in Topeka, Kansas, and overcame the addiction.

Which jazz great guested on the Carpenters' final television special, Music, Music, Music, in 1980?

Ella Fitzgerald was a voice Richard had grown up hearing in his father's record collection. Karen's outfit for the special earned its designer an Emmy nomination.

Which Carpenters album, the last in Karen's lifetime, includes the hit Touch Me When We're Dancing?

Made in America came out in June 1981 and closes with a song written for Karen's wedding. That hit became the duo's fifteenth and last Adult Contemporary number one.

What was the Carpenters' debut album first called, before it was repackaged as Ticket to Ride?

Offering sold only 18,000 copies on its first run in 1969, a loss for the label. Reissued under its new name after the duo broke through, it sold 250,000.

Which Wrecking Crew drummer played on (They Long to Be) Close to You instead of Karen Carpenter?

Hal Blaine was brought in after an early attempt at the song fell flat, with Karen's approval. He rated her a capable drummer who was simply used to playing loudly for live crowds.

Which session bassist recorded a teenage Karen Carpenter in his garage and signed her to his label?

Joe Osborn signed her to Magic Lamp Records after hearing her sing at a late-night session. He stayed on as the duo's regular studio bassist for their whole career.

Which instrument did Karen Carpenter play in her high school marching band before moving to drums?

Glockenspiel was the instrument the band's conductor gave her, and she disliked it. She had joined the band to get out of gym class, then fell for the drums after watching a friend play.

At which Los Angeles venue did the Richard Carpenter Trio win a 1966 Battle of the Bands?

Hollywood Bowl judges gave the jazz trio first place on June 24, 1966, with Karen on drums. RCA signed them, then decided not to release what they recorded.

Which band did Karen and Richard Carpenter form with college friends, once opening for Steppenwolf?

Spectrum's smooth harmonies were out of step with the psychedelic rock filling Los Angeles clubs, and labels passed on its demos. Two of its members later joined the duo's touring band.

Which university, where Richard studied music, is home to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center?

Cal State Long Beach is where Richard met his future lyricist and the choir director who trained Karen's voice. The center named for the siblings opened on campus in 1994.

Which friend of Karen Carpenter recorded (They Long to Be) Close to You six years before the duo?

Dionne Warwick cut the song for a 1964 album, and it later slipped out as a B-side. She also sang on Time, the album Richard released under his own name in 1987.

Which Carpenters album, titled by the duo's mother, shows the family home on its fold-out cover?

Now & Then has a three-panel sleeve showing the siblings driving past the house they bought for their parents in 1970. Its title came from a leftover song that never made the record.

Which actress played the title role in the 1989 CBS television movie The Karen Carpenter Story?

Cynthia Gibb mimed to Karen's own recordings for nearly every song. Richard Carpenter served as a producer on the film and oversaw its music.

Which brand of electric piano did Richard Carpenter overdub onto his grand piano parts?

Wurlitzer electric pianos, which Richard first bought for his college band, sat beside his grand on stage. He has described their tone as warm and beautiful.

Which Rod Stewart chart-topper kept the Carpenters' Superstar stuck at number two?

Maggie May, paired with Reason to Believe, held the top spot in autumn 1971. Superstar became the third of the duo's five singles to stall one place short.