Carpenters' Musical Influence and Legacy

[GoodOldDreams]

I always stop in my tracks and listen whenever the music of the Carpenters come up as a topic of discussion or gets performed by others in various media. The breadth and depth of the Carpenters' musical influence and legacy in more recent context cannot be underestimated. Some examples of how their music is still very much alive in the media are:

• Will Truman and Jack McFarland sang "Close to You" on an episode of "Will and Grace"

• The cast of "Friends" sang "Top of the World" in one episode

• Young Homer and Marge Simpson romanced to "Close to You" in several episodes of "The Simpsons"

• Madonna said her song "Rain" was inspired by "Rainy Days and Mondays"

• Cybill Shepard and her co-star sang "Close to You" in the movie "The Heartbreak Kid"

• k. d. lang described Karen's voice as "chocolate-y"

• "Yesterday Once More" was translated and sung on a Chinese TV show broadcasted in the San Francisco Bay Area

... you get the idea...

Please free free to add to the list of interesting ways that the Carpenters' music has cropped up. Maybe we can keep our eyes and ears out for them in TV re-runs and movie rentals!

[Rick Henry]

Excellent topic GoodOldDreams

One of the best uses of a Carpenters song was in the movie "Tommy Boy" where Chris Farley and David Spade are driving in their car channel surfing on the radio. They come across "Superstar" shake their haeds "no" and change the station. But they end up back on "Superstar" crying their eyes out as they sing along. Then hit a deer on the road.

"Superstar" was also in the movie "Wayne's World 2"

In the movie "Anger Management" with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, Nicholson's character sites the Carpenters as being an "angry'" band.

The punk rock group Redd Kross recorded "Yesterday Once More" in 1984 as a tribute to Karen shortly after her passing.

Other punk rock group Sonic Youth recorded a song named "Tunic (Song For Karen)" in 1990 which was written about Karen Carpenter and the hardships she must have endured with anorexia.

[Dave]

Hello, GoodOldDreams:
I have it on good authority that "Top Of The World" has been a "wakeup" song on many Space Shuttle missions.

[GoodOldDreams]

Hi Dave,

Cool!

In my mind I have often associated "Top of the World" with images of an exhilarating hike up a verdant mountain peak on a clear sunny day, but never a space mission (or even a plane ride). Anyhow, I suppose it can be appropriate in terms of "... I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation..."

I think "Calling Occupants" would work for space missions also. After all, its lyrics are relevant to outer space encounters and the majestic orchestration is reminiscent of the "Star Wars" movie music by John Williams.

[Moe]

I loved that scene in Tommy Boy. Even the toughest of people are Carpenters fans at heart!

[GoodOldDreams]

Thanks Rick and Moe for the tips.

I see a growing list of things I want to check out at the video store --- and soon!

[Rick Henry]

One of the earliest testimonies to the Carpenters' legacy was Lynn anderson's (Rose Garden) 1972 recording of "Top Of The World" which reached #2 on the country charts.

In 1984 Luther Vandross did a beautiful rendition of "Superstar"

In 1981 the Spinners charted with "Yesterday Once More" which was paired with "Nothing Remains The Same" for a medley.

Another really interesting recording is "Top Of The World" done by the Sugarcubes (an 80's-90's group featuring Bjork). This recording also featured the group singing a brief snippet of "Yesterday Once More". It's easy to say that even the Icelandic Bjork and Sigur Ros love Karen also.

[JIM]

This may be a bit off topic but back in the day when I was a purser for a charter airline and had control over the boarding music, I would play the Carpenters and listen to the reaction of passengers. They were always positive and I felt as if I had, even if in a small way, done my part to promote the legacy of the Carpenters

Jim

[Rick Henry]

jgh said:

This may be a bit off topic but back in the day when I was a purser for a charter airline and had control over the boarding music, I would play the Carpenters and listen to the reaction of passengers. They were always positive and I felt as if I had, even if in a small way, done my part to promote the legacy of the Carpenters

Jim

That is neat Jim, that you were able to do that. It's just so obvious that the music of the Carpenters and Karen's voice has really touched our lives and made a lasting impression.

[JIM]

This was back in the late 90's and we operated a fleet of 727's previously owned by Eastern which had a cassette type player built into the cabin lighting and PA system. I would usually play a lot of the more obscure upbeat toons. The most interesting reactions came from Karen's solo recordings! Like most of us already know, because the album was barely promoted, the style was quite foreign to most ears. I was often asked what album the songs were from and I was always delighted to give out all the details and where they could buy the album. That album was beyond a dought Karen's crowning jewel of achievment, proving she could take any style of music and make it shine like the sun!!!!!

Jim

[Rick Henry]

jgh said:

The most interesting reactions came from Karen's solo recordings! Like most of us already know, because the album was barely promoted, the style was quite foreign to most ears. I was often asked what album the songs were from and I was always delighted to give out all the details and where they could buy the album. That album was beyond a dought Karen's crowning jewel of achievment, proving she could take any style of music and make it shine like the sun!!!!!

Jim

It really is a shame that Karen's solo album wasn't promoted better when it was finally released in 1996. There are several outstanding tracks which should have made it to the radio. "If I Had You", "Guess I Just Lost My Head" and "Making Love In The Afternoon" seem to be the most radio friendly of her solo songs.