"SING"
THE CARPENTERS
SONGWRITER: JOSEPH G. RAPOSO
COUNTRY: U.S.A.
ALBUM: NOW AND THEN
LABEL:
GENRE: SOFT ROCK
YEAR: 1973
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 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.
"Sing"
is a 1971 song written by Joe Raposo for the children's television show Sesame
Street as its signature song. In 1973, it gained popularity when performed by the
Carpenters, who made it a #3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Raposo
was one of the staff songwriters on Sesame Street, and the song became one of
the most popular on the program, sung in English, Spanish, and sign language.
In its initial appearance, it was sung by adult human cast members of the show
(the most frequent lead singer was Bob McGrath) and Muppets, including Big Bird.
Barbra
Streisand's 1972 version of the song was released as a single, reaching number
28 on the Easy Listening chart and number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. Many
other versions of it have since been recorded by a variety of artists including
Trini Lopez who recorded a Spanish language version in 1972 which appeared on
his album, "Viva" (1972).
Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good
things not bad
Sing of happy
not sad.
Sing, sing a
song
Make it simple
to last
Your whole life
long
Don't worry that
it's not
Good enough for
anyone
Else to hear
Just sing, sing
a song.
Sing, sing a
song
Let the world
sing along
Sing of love
there could be
Sing for you and
for me.
Sing, sing a
song
Make it simple
to last
Your whole life
long
Don't worry that
it's not
Good enough for
anyone
Else to hear
Just sing, sing
a song.
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