Carpenters' Top 20 Hits Worldwide

[Rick Henry]

In this first post of this thread is a collection of all the worldwide singles charrts I have been able to compile. The next post will havea listing of the Carpenters' Twenty Most Popular Hits of the World.

I devised a point system to compile the Top 20 World List - I will come back tomorrow and share the point system - as it's pretty late right now and I will go to bed after i post the charts.

First here are the World Charts I have collected.

U.S.
1970 TICKET TO RIDE #54
1970 CLOSE TO YOU #1 (4 WEEKS)
1970 WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN #2 (4 WKS)
1971 FOR ALL WE KNOW #3
1971 RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS #2 (2 WKS)
1971 SUPERSTAR #2 (2 WKS)
1971 BLESS THE BEASTS AND CHILDREN #67
1972 HURTING EACH OTHER #2 (2 WKS)
1972 IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOMETIME #12
1972 GOODBYE TO LOVE #7
1973 SING #3
1973 YESTERDAY ONCE MORE #2 (1 WK)
1973 TOP OF THE WORLD #1 (2 WKS)
1974 I WON'T LAST A DAY WITHOUT YOU #11
1975 PLEASE MOR POSTMAN #1 (1 WK)
1975 ONLY YESTERDAY #4
1975 SOLITAIRE #17
1976 THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH #12
1976 I NEED TO BE IN LOVE #25
1976 GOOFUS #56
1977 ALL YOU GET FROM LOVE IS A LOVE SONG #35
1977 CALLING OCCUPANTS OF INTERPLANETARY CRAFT #32
1978 SWEET SWEET SMILE #44
1978 I BELIEVE YOU #68
1981 TOUCH ME WHEN WE'RE DANCING #16
1981 (WANT YOU) BACK IN MY LIFE AGAIN #72
1982 THOSE GOOD OLD DREAMS #63
1982 BEECHWOOD 4-5789 #74

Ireland
1970 Close To You #6
1972 Goodbye To Love #12
1973 Yesterday Once More #8
1973 Top Of The World #3
1974 Jambalaya #12
1975 Please Mr. Postman #2
1975 Only Yesterday #5
1976 There's A Kind Of Hush #7
1976 I Need To Be In Love #14
1977 Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft #1 (Carpenters' biggest Irish hit)
1983 Make Believe It's Your First Time #20
1990 Close To You/Merry Christmas Darling #18

Japan
(They Long To Be) Close To You - # 71
We've Only Just Begun - 71
Rainy Days and Mondays - 72
Superstar - 7
Bless The Beasts and The Children - 85
Hurting Each Other - 56
It's Going To Take Some Time - 48
Goodbye To Love - 55
Top Of The World (first issue) - 21
Sing - 18
Yesterday Once More - 5
Jambalaya - 28
Top Of The World (reissue) - 52
I Won't Last A Day Without You - 40
Please Mister Postman - 11
Only Yesterday - 12
Solitaire - 44
There's a Kind of Hush - 27
I Need To Be In Love - 62
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do - 71
All You Get From Love is a Love Song - 68
Sweet Sweet Smile - 59
I Need To Be In Love (1995 Reissue - Top Ten)

UK
1970 Close To You (#6)
1971 We've Only Just Begun (#28)
1971 Superstar / For All We Know (#18)
1972 Merry Christmas Darling (#45)
1972 Goodbye To Love / I Won't Last A Day Without You (#9)
1973 Yesterday Once More (#2)
1973 Top Of The World (#5)
1974 Jambalaya (#12)
1974 I Won't Last A Day Without You (#32)
1975 Please Mr. Postman (#2)
1975 Only Yesterday (#7)
1975 Solitaire (#32)
1975 Santa Claus Is Coming To town (#37)
1976 There's A Kind Of Hush (#22)
1976 I Need To Be In Love (#36)
1977 Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (#9)
1978 Sweet Sweet Smile (#40)
1983 Make Believe It's Your First ime (#60)
1990 Close To You / Merry Christmas Darling (#25)
1993 Rainy Days And Mondays (#63)
1994 Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again (#44)

Norway
Yesterday Once More #6
Please Mr. Postman #9

Netherlands
Close To You #33
Superstar #21
Yesterday Once More #7
Top Of The World #14
Jambalya #3
Please Mr. Postman #33

Switzerland
Please Mr. Postman (#5 for 2weeks)

South Africa
Hurting Each Other (#18)
Please Mr. Postman (#1)

Germany
Yesterday Once More (#21)
Top Of The World (#38)
Jambalaya (#50)
Only Yesterday (#43)
Please Mr. Postman (#10)
Sweet Sweet Smile (#22)

CANADA
Close To You (#1 for 2 weeks)
We've Only Just Begun (#1 for 1 week)
Mr. Guder #50
For All We Know (#5)
Rainy Days And Mondays (#3 for 2 weeks)
Superstar (#3 for 3 weeks)
Hurting Each Other (#2)
It's Going To Take Sometime (#13 for 4 weeks)
Goodbye To Love (#4 for 1 week)
Sing (#4 for 2 weeks)
Yesterday Once More (#2 for 2 weeks)
Top Of The World (#1 for 2 weeks)
I Won't Last a Day Without You (#7)
Please Mr. Postman (#1 for 1 week)
Only Yesterday (#2)
Solitaire #12
There's A Kind Of Hush (#8)
I Need To Be In Love (#24)
All You Get From Love Is A Love Song (#38)
Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (#9)
Sweet Sweet Smile (#33)

AUSTRALIA
1970 Close To You (#1 for 3 weeks)
1972 Hurting Each Other (#4)
1973 Top Of The World (#1 for 4 weeks)
1975 Please Mr. Postman (#1 for 5 weeks)

Austria
Jambalaya #2

[Rick Henry]

Here is the list I have compiled of the Carpenters Twenty Biggest Hits Worldwide.

Carpenters charted a total of 35 different songs worldwide (according to the charts I have collected. I am always searching for new charts from around the world - and will add more as i find them. The chart listing for Austria is a new addition with the advent of this thread.

Here is the Carpenters Worldwide Top 20 Hits:

20. For All We Know (27.5 pts / 3 charts)
19. Sweet Sweet Smile (43 pts / 5 charts)
18. It's Going To Take Sometime (48 pts / 3 charts)
17. Solitaire (51 pts / 4 charts)
16. I Won't Last A Day Without you (65 pts / 4 charts)
15. Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (66 pts / 4 charts)
14. I Need To Be In Love (67 pts / 5 charts)
13. Sing (68 pts / 3 charts)
12. Goodbye To Love (72 pts / 5 charts)
11. There's A Kind Of Hush (75 pts / 5 charts)
10. Jambalaya (77 pts / 6 charts)
9. Rainy Days And Mondays (78 pts / 4 charts)
8. Hurting Each Other (83 pts / 4 charts)
7. We've Only Just Begun (94 pts / 4 charts)
6. Superstar (102.5 pts / 5 charts)
5. Only Yesterday (106 pts / 6 charts)
4. Top Of The World (147 pts / 7 charts)
3. Yesterday Once More (156 pts / 8 charts)
2. Close To You (159 pts / 6 charts)
1. Please Mr. Postman (193 pts / 10 charts)

[wisejester7]

Wow! You have really done your homework on this, Rick. It is quite interesting to see the world view of Carpenters popularity. I wonder how much Carpenters promotion each country received to attain these numbers. The A&M people weren't so sure on the approach to use for the Carpenters for state side promotions ... I was just wondering if other countries had better promotional materials.

[Carps1000]

Dont look to A & M in the UK for proms....after my fave promo gal left in 1980 it went right down the pan. & Im unanimuss in that..just ask all the other fans that used to ring the A & M pub dept to enq.!!! Well done Rick a lot of hard graft went into that charts compils thanks. Good old Irish I never knew Occupants went 2 no 1 there. Top of the moning to you. Ken carps1000

[karl]

hi
GOOD JOB RICK RAGARDING CHARTS,NEVER KNEW CALLING OCCUPANTS WENT TO NO 1 IN IRELAND,ALSO TRYING TO FIND ANY CHART INFORMATION ON HOW THE CARPENTERS PERFORMED ON SOUTH AMERICAN CHARTS.I REMBER READING SOMEWHERE THAT YESTERDAY ONCE MORE WENT TO NO 1 IN VENEZUELA AND ALSO ISRAEL.IF I FIND OUT ANY MORE CHART STATISTICS ILL LET YOU KNOW.

KARL
UK

[Rick Henry]

karl said:

hi
GOOD JOB RICK RAGARDING CHARTS,NEVER KNEW CALLING OCCUPANTS WENT TO NO 1 IN IRELAND,ALSO TRYING TO FIND ANY CHART INFORMATION ON HOW THE CARPENTERS PERFORMED ON SOUTH AMERICAN CHARTS.I REMBER READING SOMEWHERE THAT YESTERDAY ONCE MORE WENT TO NO 1 IN VENEZUELA AND ALSO ISRAEL.IF I FIND OUT ANY MORE CHART STATISTICS ILL LET YOU KNOW.

KARL
UK

Hi Karl... yes, I am actively searching for Mexican and South American charts. I've also heard that both "Jambalaya" and "Please Mr. Postman" were huge hits in Mexico and many parts of South America. That "Postman" was such a huge hit - I don't think there's a continent in the world where it didn't hit.