Songs Carpenters Could Run Away With

[wisejester7]

There are several wonderful songs floating around that I wish I could hear Karen sing, Richard arrange, or the Carpenters cover.

I thought it would be interesting for us to list some of our favorites that we think Karen/Richard/Carpenters could make their own and just run away with the song.

I'll start with one of my favorites. The song is I'll Stand By You and it was done by the Pretenders. The song is dark, yet hopeful ... a perfect Karen vehicle. I wish I had Karen's take on this song. I'm sure she would sing the 'emotion' out of it and straight into our hearts!

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I'll Stand By You

Oh, why you look so sad?
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now.
Don't be ashamed to cry,
let me see you through
Cause I've seen the dark side too.
When the night falls on you,
you don't know what to do,
Nothing you confess
could make me love you less
I'll stand by you,
I'll stand by you,
won't let nobody hurt you,
I'll stand by you.
So, if you're mad get mad,
don't hold it all inside,
Come on and talk to me now.
And hey, what you got to hide?
I get angry too
But I'm a lot like you.
When you're standing at the crossroads,
don't know which path to choose,
Let me come along,
cause even if your wrong
I'll stand by you,
I'll stand by you,
won't let nobody hurt you,
I'll stand by you.
Take me into your darkest hour,
and I'll never desert you.
I'll stand by you.
And when, when the night falls on you baby,
you're feeling all alone,
You won't be on your own,
I'll stand by you.
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you,
won't let nobody hurt you.
I'll stand by you
Take me in into your darkest hour
and I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you.

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

What are some of your wishes for songs you wish Karen/Richard/Carpenters covered?

[YesterdayOnceMore]

One of the songs I have always wished Karen could have done is Billy Joel's gorgeous Just The Way You Are:

Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore
I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are

Don't go trying some new fashion
Don't change the color of your hair
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
What will it take till you believe in me
The way that I believe in you.

I said I love you and that's forever
And this I promise from the heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are.

Gives me chils just THINKING about how incredibly Karen could have sung this one. I would hope that Richard would keep the arrangement simple - simple, in this case, is better, in my opinion. Not too fussy - not a lot of embelishments!

Another I would like for Carpenters to have tackled would have been one we just voted for not long ago in the 70's game. Roberta Flack's wonderful Killing Me Softly.

I heard he sang a good song - I heard he had a style
And so, I went to see him to listen for a while.
And there he was, this young boy, a stranger to my eyes
Strummin my pain with his fingers - Singin my life with his words
Killing Me Softly with his song, killing me softly with his song
Tellin my whole life with his words, killing me softly with his song.

He sang as if he knew me in all my dark dispair
And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there
And he just kept on singin - singin clear and strong.
Strummin my pain with his fingers - Singin my life with his words
Killing Me Softly with his song, killing me softly with his song
Tellin my whole life with his words, killing me softly with his song.

He was strummin my pain - yeah, he was singin my life -
Kiling me softly with his song, killing me softly with his song
Tellin my whole life with his words, killin me softly with his song.

Ummmmm......Karen could have SO done this one - and with such taste, and feeling that it would be an overwhelming listen, I feel sure.

Thanks, wj7, good idea, here.
Tim

[wisejester7]

I really like your picks, Tim!

Another song:
Aerosmith's "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" would be quite interesting if Richard got a hold of it ... and Karen sang it.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While youre far away dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

Dont want to close my eyes
I dont want to fall asleep
Cause Id miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
Id still miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And Im wondering what youre dreaming
Wondering if its me youre seeing
Then I kiss your eyes
And thank God were together
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever

Dont want to close my eyes
I dont want to fall asleep
Cause Id miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
Id still miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing

I dont want to miss one smile
I dont want to miss one kiss
I just want to be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just want to hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

Dont want to close my eyes
I dont want to fall asleep
Cause Id miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
Id still miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing

Dont want to close my eyes
I dont want to fall asleep
I dont want to miss a thing

[YesterdayOnceMore]

wisejester7 said:

I really like your picks, Tim!

Another song:
Aerosmith's "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" would be quite interesting if Richard got a hold of it ... and Karen sang it.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While youre far away dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

Dont want to close my eyes
I dont want to fall asleep
Cause Id miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
Id still miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And Im wondering what youre dreaming
Wondering if its me youre seeing
Then I kiss your eyes
And thank God were together
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever

Dont want to close my eyes
I dont want to fall asleep
Cause Id miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
Id still miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing

I dont want to miss one smile
I dont want to miss one kiss
I just want to be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just want to hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

Dont want to close my eyes
I dont want to fall asleep
Cause Id miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
Id still miss you baby
And I dont want to miss a thing

Dont want to close my eyes
I dont want to fall asleep
I dont want to miss a thing

Wj7 - YES!!! I hadn't thought of this before, but you're absolutely right - Karen could have done this one so well. I'm a big fan of the movie (Armageddon) anyway, so this would have been really fun to watch at the end with Carpenters doing the song rather than Aerosmith! Woo-hoo. GREAT choice.
Tim

[ps11932]

This is a most educational discussion. With Karen's great spirit and talent she probably could have done an outstanding (and usually better than that) job with any variety of numbers of various moods. One song that Dave mentioned in a different context some time ago that I would love to hear Karen sing as part of a duet is "Somewhere Out There"; I think it's from an American Tale, and it's one of the most beautiful songs I've heard.

[Rick Henry]

Some very interesting choices here.

WJ7... I really like your choices as they're from "out of the box".

Karen would do a fantastic job with "I'll Stand By You" - what a great and beautiful song.

I always thought C's would have been able to do a marvelous recording of Moody blues' "Tuesday Afternoon" - could you just imagine Karen's deep and dark tones on this song - and Richard bringing Peter Knight in for the orchestration. (Peter Knight orchestrated the song originally for Moody Blues).

Of course we all know Peter Knight did the orchestrations for many Carpenters songs including "I Just fall In Love Again", "calling Occupants...", "Don't Cry for me Argentina" and several from "Christmas Portrait".

[wisejester7]

"Tuesday Afternoon" is another great choice. It's moody (no pun intended) and Karen could really do a number on this song.

I would love to heard Richard's lush treatment of Wet, Wet, Wet's 'Love Is All Around'.
Here are the lyrics Karen would sing ...

I feel it in my fingers
I feel it in my toes
Love is all around me
And so the feeling grows
Its written on the wind
Its everywhere I go, oh yes it is
So if you really love me
Come on and let it show
You know I love you, I always will
My minds made up by the
Way that I feel
Theres no beginning,
Therell be no end
cause on my love you can depend
I see your face before me
As I lay on my bed
I kinda get to thinking
Of all the things you said, oh yes I did
You gave your promise to me and i
Gave mine to you
I need someone beside me
In everything I do, oh yes I do
You know I love you, I always will,
My minds made up by the
Way that I feel
Theres no beginning,
Therell be no end
cause on my love you can depend
Got to keep it moving
Oh its written in the wind
Oh everywhere I go, yeah, oh well
So if you really love me, love me, love me
Come on and let it show
Come on and let it show
Come on and let it
Come on and let it (come and let it show, baby)
Come on, come on, come on let it show baby
Come on and let it show
Come on and let it show, baby
Come on and let it show

By bit (bit by bit, bit by bit)....

[wisejester7]

So far I have stayed in the pop realm. Perhaps I will come back with some other genres that I think would be enhanced by Karen/Richard/Carpenters.

[Rick Henry]

Ahhh... another great choice WJ&... Karen would add quite a lilt singing Wet, Wet, Wet's "Love Is All Around" - perfect vehicle for her - and yet another out of the box choice - it's not one that most Carpenters fans would list - though it's right in line with what would work for Karen's voice.

[wisejester7]

ps11932 said:

This is a most educational discussion. With Karen's great spirit and talent she probably could have done an outstanding (and usually better than that) job with any variety of numbers of various moods. One song that Dave mentioned in a different context some time ago that I would love to hear Karen sing as part of a duet is "Somewhere Out There"; I think it's from an American Tale, and it's one of the most beautiful songs I've heard.

"Somewhere Out There", though well done already, would take on a different glow ... maybe more layers, chords and tighter harmonies, if the Carpenters did their version of it.

I agree that Karen's great spirit and talent could have taken this beautiful song and made it that much better.

Great choice!

[wisejester7]

admin said:

Some very interesting choices here.

WJ7... I really like your choices as they're from "out of the box".

Karen would do a fantastic job with "I'll Stand By You" - what a great and beautiful song.

I always thought C's would have been able to do a marvelous recording of Moody blues' "Tuesday Afternoon" - could you just imagine Karen's deep and dark tones on this song - and Richard bringing Peter Knight in for the orchestration. (Peter Knight orchestrated the song originally for Moody Blues).

Of course we all know Peter Knight did the orchestrations for many Carpenters songs including "I Just fall In Love Again", "calling Occupants...", "Don't Cry for me Argentina" and several from "Christmas Portrait".

and ...

Ahhh... another great choice WJ&... Karen would add quite a lilt singing Wet, Wet, Wet's "Love Is All Around" - perfect vehicle for her - and yet another out of the box choice - it's not one that most Carpenters fans would list - though it's right in line with what would work for Karen's voice.


Thanks, Rick. Looking over everyone's choices, I don't think we have a bad one in the bunch. Good use of everyone's "thinking caps".

Great job!

I wonder how many more we can think of?