THE CARPENTERS - THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH

THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH

THE CARPENTERS

SONGWRITERS: LES REED & GEOFF STEPHENS

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: A KIND OF HUSH

LABEL: A & M RECORDS

GENRE: POP

YEAR: 1976

 

      The Carpenters(officially known as 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 10 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". 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. They had three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and 15 number-one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart, in addition to 12 top-10 singles.

      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 joint career 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. Their music continues to attract critical acclaim and commercial success. They have sold more than 90 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

       A Kind of Hush is the seventh studio album by American popular music duo Carpenters. It was released on June 11, 1976.

      By the time of the album's recording, Richard Carpenter's addiction to sleeping pills had begun to affect him professionally, and he blames this for the album being, in his opinion, sub-par. All three excerpted singles became hits. "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)", a cover of a 1960s song by Herman's Hermits, broke both the UK Top 30 and US Top 20, as well as topping the adult contemporary chart. "I Need to Be in Love" hit number 25 in the US and number 36 in the UK. "Goofus" was only a minor success, stalling at number 56 on the Billboard chart, though it did crack the adult contemporary top 10.

     John Bettis called "I Need to Be in Love" the favorite lyrics he ever wrote for Karen Carpenter. "If there was ever anything that came out of my heart straight to Karen's I would say that was it. I was very proud of it for that." Richard Carpenter recalled that the song "became Karen's favorite Carpenters song". The album was also the first not to have Karen playing drums on any tracks, which were performed by Los Angeles session drummer Jim Gordon.

       Despite being certified Gold, the album was a relative commercial disappointment in the US, where its chart peak was outside the Top 30. Like its predecessor Horizon, it performed better in the UK, reaching number three in the UK Albums Chart. The CD has been out of print since 2006 except in the Japanese market.

There's a kind of hush

All over the world tonight

All over the world you can

Hear the sound of lovers in love

You know what I mean

 

Just the two of us and nobody else

In sight there's nobody else and

I'm feeling good just holding you tight

 

So listen very carefully

Get closer now and

You will see what I mean

It isn't a dream

 

The only sound that you will hear

Is when I whisper in your ear

I love you forever and ever

 

There's a kind of hush

All over the world, tonight

All over the world, people

Just like us have fallen in love

 

So listen very carefully

Get closer now and

You will see what I mean

It isn't a dream

 

The only sound that you will hear

Is when I whisper in your ear

I love you forever and ever

 

There's a kind of hush

All over the world, tonight

All over the world, people

You can hear the sounds of lovers in love.