RAINY
DAYS AND MONDAYS
THE
CARPENTERS
SONGWRITERS: PAUL H. WILLIAMS & ROGER S. NICHOLAS
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: CARPENTERS
LABEL: A
& M
GENRE: SOFT
ROCK
YEAR: 1971
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.
"Rainy Days and Mondays" is a 1971
song by the Carpenters, with
instrumental backing by L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew,
that went to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's Too Late/I Feel the
Earth Move by Carole King kept it
from number 1. "Rainy Days and Mondays" was the duo's fourth number 1
song on the Adult
Contemporary singles chart. However, the song
failed to chart in the United Kingdom until it went to number 63 in a reissue there in 1993. "Rainy
Days and Mondays" was certified Gold by the RIAA.
The song was composed in 1971 by the then
fairly unknown composers Roger Nichols and Paul Williams.
It was released as the first track on the álbum Carpenters,
popularly known as the Tan Album, and the B-side on the single is
"Saturday", written and sung by Richard
Carpenter.
Talkin' to myself and
feelin' old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothin' ever seems to fit
Hangin' around
Nothin' to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
What I've got they
used to call the blues
Nothin' is really wrong
Feelin' like I don't belong
Walkin' around
Some kind of lonely clown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
Funny, but it seems I
always wind up here with you
Nice to know somebody loves me
Funny, but it seems that it's the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me (the one who loves me)
What I feel has come
and gone before
No need to talk it out (talk it out)
We know what it's all about
Hangin' around (hangin' around)
Nothin' to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
Funny, but it seems
that it's the only thing to do (only thing to do)
Run and find the one who loves me (ooh)
What I feel has come
and gone before
No need to talk it out (to talk it out)
We know what it's all about
Hangin' around (hangin' around)
Nothin' to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
Hangin' around (hangin' around)
Nothin' to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get
Me down.