Jump to content

Top of the World (The Carpenters song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Hill93 (talk | contribs) at 00:53, 3 November 2018. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Top of the World"
Artwork for U.S. vinyl single
Single by Carpenters
from the album A Song for You
B-side"Heather"
Released17 September 1973[1]
Recorded1972
GenreCountry pop
Length2:56
LabelA&M
1468
Songwriter(s)Richard Carpenter, John Bettis
Producer(s)Jack Daugherty
Carpenters singles chronology
"Yesterday Once More"
(1973)
"Top of the World"
(1973)
"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"
(1974)

"Top of the World" is a 1972 song written and composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis and first recorded by American pop duo the Carpenters. It was a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit for the duo for two consecutive weeks in 1973.

The Carpenters originally intended the song to be only an album cut. However, after country singer Lynn Anderson covered the song and it became a number two hit on the country charts, they reconsidered.

The Carpenters version

Background

Originally recorded for and released on the duo's 1972 studio album A Song for You, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in late 1973, becoming the duo's second of three No. 1 singles, following "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and preceding "Please Mr. Postman." Karen Carpenter re-recorded it for the band's first compilation as she was not quite satisfied with the original.

In Japan, it was used as the opening theme song for the 1995 Japanese drama Miseinen. In 2003, another drama, Beginner, had it as its ending theme song. It is heard in Shrek Forever After as Shrek enjoys being a "real ogre" and terrifying the villagers, as well as in a prominent scene of the 2012 film Dark Shadows, where a performance by the Carpenters is seen on a television screen.

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1972–73) Peak
position
Australia 1
Canadian RPM Singles 1
Dutch Mega Single Top 100[2] 12
German Media Control Charts[3] 38
Irish Singles Charts 3
Japanese Oricon Singles 21
New Zealand [4] 14
UK Singles Chart 5
Ultratop Flanders[5] 27
US Billboard Hot 100 1
US Billboard Easy Listening 2
US Record World 3

Lynn Anderson version

"Top of the World"
Side label of U.S. vinyl single
Single by Lynn Anderson
from the album Top of the World
A-side"Top of the World"
ReleasedJune 1973
Recorded1973
GenreCountry pop
Length2:55
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Richard Carpenter, John Bettis
Producer(s)Glenn Sutton, Clive Davis
Lynn Anderson singles chronology
"Keep Me in Mind"
(1973)
"Top of the World"
(1973)
"Sing About Love"
(1973)

Background

Country music singer Lynn Anderson covered the song in 1973 for her studio album Top of the World, released on Columbia Records. It was the first single released from her album and her version became the first hit. Anderson's cover reached No. 2 on the US country singles chart and No. 74 on Billboard Hot 100 in mid-1973. The success of Anderson's version prompted the Carpenters to release a new version as a single, where it topped the US pop singles chart for two weeks in December 1973.[6] Anderson's cover was produced by her husband Glenn Sutton and Clive Davis. She later re-recorded the song for her 2004 album, The Bluegrass Sessions.

Chart performance

Chart (1973) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot Country Singles 2
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 34
US Billboard Hot 100 74
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 30

Other versions

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.45cat.com/record/am1468
  2. ^ Steffen Hung. "Carpenters - Top Of The World". Dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-10-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Home - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Officialcharts.de. 2016-09-30. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  4. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  5. ^ "Carpenters - Top Of The World". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  6. ^ Randy L. Schmidt. Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. p. 122. Retrieved 2016-10-08. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  7. ^ NZ Top 20 1973
  8. ^ "** SVENSKTOPPEN **" (TXT). Sr.se. 1974-01-06. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  9. ^ "CLAUDE VALADE Biographie". Biographiesartistesquebecois.com. 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  10. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-12-12. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "Countrypärlor" (in Swedish). Svensk mediedatabas. 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2011.