THE CARPENTERS - I NEED TO BE IN LOVE

I NEED TO BE IN LOVE

THE CARPENTERS

SONGWRITERS: JOHN BETTIS; RICHARD CARPENTER & ALBERT LOUIS HAMMOND

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: A KIND OF HUSH

LABEL: A & M RECORDS

GENRE: POP

YEAR: 1976

 

        The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 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.

          "I Need to Be in Love" is a song written by Richard Carpenter, Albert Hammond and John Bettis. It was released as a single on May 21, 1976. It was featured on the A Kind of Hush album, which was released on June 11 of the same year. The single featured a version without the piano lead-in and starts immediately with a flute introduction by David Shostac. Richard recalled that it was Karen's favorite Carpenters song.

          The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 12 at number 55 and peaked at number 25. It peaked at number 36 on the UK charts. In 1995, it was released as a CD single in Japan, after being chosen for the theme song of the drama Miseinen. It was taken from the best-selling compilation 22 Hits of the Carpenters (promoted as a double A-side with "Top of the World"). Richard Carpenter claims that "It became one of the biggest sellers of 1995, ultimately going quadruple platinum. In more ways than one, Karen would have loved that!" "I Need to Be in Love" was also the Carpenters' fourteenth number one on the Easy Listening chart.

The hardest thing I've ever done is keep believing

There's someone in this crazy world for me

The way that people come and go through temporary lives

My chance could come and I might never know

 

I used to say "No promises, let's keep it simple"

But freedom only helps you say goodbye

It took a while for me to learn that nothing comes for free

The price I paid is high enough for me

 

[*] I know I need to be in love

I know I've wasted too much time

I know I ask perfection of a quite imperfect world

 

And fool enough to think that's what I'll find

[**] So here I am with pockets full of good intentions

But none of them will comfort me tonight

I'm wide awake at 4 a.m. without a friend in sight

I'm hanging on a hope but I'm all right

 

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