We've Only Just Begun
| "We've Only Just Begun" | |||||||
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| Single by The Carpenters | |||||||
| from the album Close to You | |||||||
| A-side | "We've Only Just Begun" | ||||||
| B-side | "All of My Life" | ||||||
| Released | August 21, 1970 | ||||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||||
| Recorded | 1970 | ||||||
| Genre | Soft rock, Traditional Pop | ||||||
| Length | 03:05 | ||||||
| Label | A&M 1217 |
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| Writer(s) | Paul Williams; Roger Nichols | ||||||
| Producer | Jack Daugherty | ||||||
| The Carpenters singles chronology | |||||||
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"We've Only Just Begun" is the signature song of The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols (music) and Paul Williams (lyrics), and is often used as a wedding song. The song was ranked at #405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
The song was recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend of Nichols, under the name Freddie Allen. It debuted in a wedding-themed television commercial for Crocker National Bank in California in the winter of 1970, with Williams on vocals. The bank didn't want a conventional jingle, and planned the song to play over footage of a couple, in a format similar to the modern day music video. Direct reference to the bank was left out, in part to make the song more marketable.
Richard Carpenter saw the commercial and guessed correctly that it was Paul Williams (both of them were under contract to A&M records). Carpenter ran into Williams on the record company's lot and asked if a full-length version was available. Although it only had two verses and no bridge, Williams confirmed that there was a bridge and an additional verse, forming a complete song; he and Nichols went on to write them. Carpenter selected the composition for the duo's third single and included it on the LP Close to You.
Released in the late summer of 1970, the single featured Karen's lead vocals and the overdubbed harmonies of both siblings. Following their hit "(They Long To Be) Close to You" onto the charts, "We've Only Just Begun" reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming the pair's second gold single and was considered by both Karen and Richard to be their signature song.[1] According to The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (6th edition), on the U.S. Adult Contemporary singles chart, it was the duo's best-performing tune, lasting seven weeks at #1 (beating the six-week stay at the top of "Close To You"). The song helped them to win two Grammy Awards in 1971. One was for the Best New Artist (The Carpenters), and the other was for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus (Close to You).
For Williams, the song was a personal victory...it was the first collaboration between him and Nichols that resulted in a hit single, and opened the door to many more thereafter.
In 1998, the recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for recordings of lasting quality or historical significance.[2]
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart | 71 |
| UK Singles Chart | 28 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 1 |
Contents |
[edit] Paul Williams version
| "We've Only Just Begun" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Paul Williams | |
| from the album Just An Old Fashioned Love Song | |
| B-side | "Waking Up Alone" |
| Released | 1971 |
| Format | 7" single |
| Genre | Pop |
Songwriter Paul Williams recorded the song for his 1971 album An Old Fashioned Love Song. }
[edit] El Chicano version
| "We've Only Just Begun" | |
|---|---|
| Single by El Chicano | |
| from the album El Chicano Self Titled | |
| Released | 1973 |
| Format | 12" Album |
| Genre | Rock/Jazz/Latin Rock |
El Chicano recorded the song for their 1973 album El Chicano. }
[edit] Carpenters compilation appearances
- 1973 - The Singles: 1969-1973 (1973 remix)
- 1980 - Beautiful Moments
- 1985 - Yesterday Once More: Their Greatest Hits (1985 remix)
- 1989 - Anthology
- 1991 - From The Top (1991 remix)
- 1995 - Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Edition
- 1997 - Carpenters: Their Greatest Hits And Finest Performances
- 1998 - Love Songs
- 2000 - The Singles: 1969-1981
- 2002 - The Essential Collection
- 2004 - Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition
- 2009 - 40/40
[edit] Notable cover versions
In 1994, Grant Lee Buffalo covered this song on the tribute album If I Were a Carpenter.
- Other covers
- Perry Como (1970)
- Dionne Warwick (1970)
- Mark Lindsay (1970)
- Ray Conniff (1970)
- Andy Williams (1971)
- Claudine Longet (1971)
- Grant Green (1971)
- Curtis Mayfield (1971)
- Johnny Mathis (1971)
- Barbra Streisand (1971), unreleased until 1991
- Henry Mancini (1972)
- Seija Simola (as "Nyt Alun Uuden Nään") (1972)
- The Temprees (1972)
- El Chicano (1973)
- Lea Laven (as "Niin Paljon") (1974)
- Liberace (1989)
- Richard Clayderman (1986)
- Grant Lee Buffalo (1994)
- Kate Ceberano (for the soundtrack of Australian movie The Castle, 1997)
- Bradley Joseph (2005)
[edit] In cinema
The song was used in a rather unusual context in the film 1408, adapted from an short story by Stephen King, marking a beginning of a horrible experience the protagonist had to come through. It was also used as the closing song in the 2000 gay ensemble The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, performed by Mary Beth Maziarz. This song was featured as the end of the Australian film, The Castle, which was sung by Kate Ceberano. The song was also played in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness, heard when the protagonist has been committed to an insane asylum. The song can be heard playing through the speakers in the halls of the asylum. The song was also sung by Carl Weathers in the motion picture Happy Gilmore, and was featured in the film version of Starsky & Hutch.
