Shoulda-been Singles: "A Song For You"

[cinscorp]

This week I move on to "A Song For You". This one might be tougher for some since it yielded so many singles...and yielded them over a course of 2 years. "Official" singles were "Hurting Each Other", "It's Going To Take Some Time", "Goodbye To Love", "Top of the World", and "I Won't Last A Day Without You".

"Bless The Beasts and the Children" is written to have charted as a b-side but I'm including it since it wasn't the "official" single. I'm not including "Intermission" but if you really think it was single-worthy, you can chew me out for that! LOL. ;D

Vote for a song if you think a "single was missed" and please share thoughts below. Since there were 5 hit singles released from "A Song For You" and yet 2 stalled at #11 on Billboard's chart, would your single pick replace or be in addition to the "official" single(s)? Would you rewrite Carpenters history?

[Rick Henry]

I chose "A Song For You" and "Bless The Beasts and Children".

I'll first start out with the ones I didn't choose.

"Flat Baroque" as peppy as it is (and I do love Karen's drum work) it just is not a single.

"Piano Picker" is another which just is not a single... as a matter of fact I think had "Piano Picker" been left off of "A Song For You" it would have been the perfect album.

"Crystal Lullaby" is a very nice song and I do like the song quite a bit, but again just not material for a single.

"Road Ode" is my favorite song from the album and I feel it's one of the Carpenters' strongest songs in their entire catalog. but, I did not choose this as a single as I feel it's just too dark and although it's an impeccably well produced song it just is not a catchy pop single type song. "Road Ode" would have been more suited for FM album oriented music radio stations.

Now to my choices...

"A Song For You" is one of the album's very best songs and also one of Carpenters best all together... why they didn't release this as a single is a mystery to me. I would have put this out as the first single after "Superstar" to follow in the same line of success of "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Superstar". It was evident that these dark song with the intense musicianship featuring Karen's basement voice is what was making the super hits for Carpenters and had they chosen to keep along these lines they most likely would have been able to avoid a lot of that goody two shoes image... but as we know "Sing", "Yesterday Once More" and "Top Of The World" and the Carpenters' image was forever relegated (by some) as being lightweight and sticky sweet.

I also would have released "Bless The Beasts and Children" as a single right away when the song charted as a b-side. I would taken the opportunity and put it as an a-side right away (maybe with the instrumental version on the b-side). The song most likely would have went top ten had they done that.

My choice for singles would be as follows...

Bless The Beasts and Children
A Song For You
I Won't Last a Day Without you
Goodbye To Love
Top Of The World

[cinscorp]

As far as the limited voting goes, we're all on the same page as far as singles missed on this album.

Here are my thoughts on how it might have unfolded. First single release would have been "Bless The Beasts and Children", because like Rick said, take advantage of momentum and the obvious attention on this song. This would have immediately followed the peak of "Superstar". Carpenters might have had 2 top 20 singles at the same time.

Second, I would have kept "Hurting Each Other" as a single and released it as a quick followup to "Bless The Beasts". The song is short, grabs attention and should have still remained the smash it was.

Third, I'd ditch "It's Going To Take Some Time" as it's a great song and album cut but, to me, lacks the personality and strength to have been a single. I would pick "A Song For You" the single to have been released in concurrence with the album. This song should have been huge...probably #1.

"Goodbye To Love" would have followed "A Song For You" - wow, those would have been some intense and hard-hitting back to back singles. I think "Goodbye To Love" would have fared even better after the dramatic "A Song For You" rather than the low-key "It's Going To Take Some Time"

The re-recorded "Top of the World" would still have been a single. I think I would have had it follow "Goodbye To Love" but it's hard to argue with how well it did as a late '73 release.

At this point I'm not sure how I would have handled "I Won't Last A Day Without You" as a single in 1974 but will address that again when I move on to "Now & Then" and "The Singles "1969-1973". I'm thinking I might have had it follow "Goodbye To Love" then kept with the be-lated 1973 release of "TOTW". I'll address that later.

So, I guess in the case of "A Song For You", I would re-write Carpenters history...

[cinscorp]

Oh, I also meant to mention that, like Rick, "Road Ode" is one of my favorite tracks. I also didn't pick it for a single, though.

[Rick Henry]

Hi Cinscorp... great to hear from you. Hey where there's two there's conversation. Great to converse with you.

Anyhow, I think it's interesting that as much as both of us do like "Road Ode" neither of us chose it as a single. That pretty much goes to say that the songs released as singles don't always have to be the best songs from the album.

Such as, I feel, "Road Ode" is overall a stronger song than "Top Of The World". Yes, TOTW is a great song with a great message. But, "Road Ode" is this intense very dark and emotional tune. The song really pulls at the strings of our emotions. Karen's vocal performance is one of her finest moments. She sings every word of the song with depth. The songs was especially written about their (Carpenters) life on the road. She was able to personally relate to the song, thus her very personal and emotive performance. The same goes with "A Song For You", however the song ASFY has a bit more of a commercial edge, with it's catchy chorus. "Road Ode" is a bit more obscure in it's title and it's lyrical content.

Regardless, I still chose "Top Of The World" to be a single even though I much prefer "Road Ode" as far as songs go.

It's interesting at how you look at songs when you're considering it's commercial potential.

[cinscorp]

Rick, everything you say there about "Road Ode" is so true. It has more elements of jazz and underscores a deeper mood and more intense feelings. It's a song layered in depth way beyond the multi-tracks involved to create the masterpiece it is. "Top", however, is that catchy sing-a-long everyman's song. And I still chose it as, shall I call it, "light pop relief" to the starker and more progressive "A Song For You" and "Goodbye To Love". I'm sure in 1973/1974 millions were singing along to "Top of the World".

[Rick Henry]

Jul 20, 2009 21:18:22 GMT -5 cinscorp said:

Rick, everything you say there about "Road Ode" is so true. It has more elements of jazz and underscores a deeper mood and more intense feelings. It's a song layered in depth way beyond the multi-tracks involved to create the masterpiece it is. "Top", however, is that catchy sing-a-long everyman's song. And I still chose it as, shall I call it, "light pop relief" to the starker and more progressive "A Song For You" and "Goodbye To Love". I'm sure in 1973/1974 millions were singing along to "Top of the World".

That's one of the reasons "A Song For You" was an almost perfect album. It had a nice blend of dark emotional tunes and easy going (sometimes upbeat) pop songs.

[cinscorp]

I agree. It's too bad it took Richard so long to realize that his talents were not best utilized on lead vocals. Throw out Piano Picker and add one more great Karen tune and imagine the album then!

[Rick Henry]

Jul 21, 2009 13:16:50 GMT -5 cinscorp said:

I agree. It's too bad it took Richard so long to realize that his talents were not best utilized on lead vocals. Throw out Piano Picker and add one more great Karen tune and imagine the album then!

I agree wholeheartedly on "Piano Picker". It is an okay song... but amongst "Bless The Beasts", "Goodbye to Love" and others "Piano Picker" does take the album from perfect status to near perfect.