MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING
THE CARPENTERS
SONGWRITERS: FRANK POOLER & RICHARD LYNN CARPENTER
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT
LABEL: A & M RECORDS
GENRE: SOFT
YEAR: 1978
The Carpenters were an American vocal
and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (b.1946). They
produced a distinct soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's harmonizing, arranging and composition skills.
During their
14-year career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles
and several television specials.
The siblings were born in New
Haven, Connecticut, and moved to Downey,
California, in 1963. Richard took piano
lessons as a child, progressing to California State University, Long Beach,
while Karen learned the drums. They first performed together as a duo in 1965
and formed the jazz-oriented
Richard Carpenter Trio followed by the middle-of-the-road group Spectrum.
Signing as Carpenters to A&M
Records in 1969, they achieved major success
the following year with the hit singles "(They Long to Be) Close to You"
and "We've
Only Just Begun". Subsequently, the duo's
brand of melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, and
they became leading sellers in the soft rock,
easy listening and adult contemporary music genres. The
Carpenters had three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen number-one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart, in
addition to twelve top-10 singles. They have sold more than 90 million
records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The duo toured continually during the 1970s, which put them under increased
strain; Richard took a year off in 1979 after he had become addicted to Quaalude,
while Karen suffered from anorexia
nervosa.
Their career together ended in 1983 when
Karen died from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia. Extensive news coverage
surrounding these circumstances increased public awareness of eating disorders.
Though the
Carpenters were criticized for their clean-cut and wholesome conservative image
in the 1970s, their music has since been re-evaluated, attracting critical
acclaim and continued commercial success.
"Merry Christmas Darling" is a
Christmas song by the Carpenters (music by Richard Carpenter, lyrics by Frank Pooler),
and originally recorded in 1970. It was first available on a 7-inch single that year (A&M
Records 1236), and was later re-issued in
1974 (A&M 1648) and again in 1977 (A&M 1991). The single went to number
one on Billboard's
Christmas singles chart in 1970 (and did so again in 1971 and 1973) and peaked
at number 41 in Cashbox.
In 1978, the Carpenters issued their Christmas
Portrait album, which contained a new version
of "Merry Christmas Darling". The original 1970 mix continued to be used for all
single releases, however. The major difference between the
1970 and 1978 versions is a newly recorded vocal by Karen Carpenter on the latter, which was done at her request. Richard Carpenter
himself calls the original recording one of his sister's very best. The
original single version of the song can be found on the compilation albums From
the Top and The Essential Collection: 1965–1997.
Greeting cards have
all been sent
The Christmas rush is through
But I still have one wish to make
A special one for you
Merry Christmas, darling
We're apart, that's true
But I can dream
And in my dreams
I'm christmasing with you
Holidays are joyful
There's always something new
But every day's a holiday
When I'm near to you
The lights on my tree
I wish you could see
I wish it every day
The logs on the fire
Fill me with desire
To see you and to say
That I wish you merry
Christmas
Happy new year too
I've just one wish
On this Christmas eve
I wish I were with you
I wish I were with you
Merry Christmas, darling.
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