From the album
Title: “We’ve Only Just Begun”
Artist: The Carpenters
Year: 1971
Writer(s): Paul Williams/Richard Nichols
Genre: Easy-listening ballad
Highest chart position (if applicable) 28 (UK) 2 (US)
Album: Close to You
Did I own it? No
Album, single, both or neither? Neither
Opinion then: Positive
Opinion now: Positive
These days: Still one of the classic Carpenters tunes that gets played all the time and pops up on both their own compilations and love song collections
Ah, from the ridiculous to the sublime! Laugh all you want (oh, you are) but I love The Carpenters. Part of this has to do with the fact that my mam was a real fan of them, another has to do with my sister being named after Karen Carpenter, and then there’s just the pure joy of listening to songs perfectly crafted and written. Though I see they did not write this one. But the story behind it is interesting. Seems it was originally written as a commercial for a bank, but when it didn’t quite work the bank dropped it. Richard then bumped into Paul Williams and the two of them decided to create a full song (there was originally only a verse and chorus) and for The Carpenters to record it. This led to the duo’s second hit, and was a huge boon to Williams, to whom the doors to songwriting with the stars were opened.
It’s the story of a young couple, just married, starting out on their life together, and all the things they envisage going through. Hell, you surely know it, and if not you should feel appropriately ashamed of yourself. Very naive, of course, but then isn’t that what McCartney called “silly love songs”? Anyway it’s a lovely song with a delightfully fragile vocal from Karen, and while there may be those who raised eyebrows at the idea of a brother and sister singing about being married, what can I say but **** them. Such thoughts are beneath this group. Just listen to the song and maybe remember how you felt the first time you saw that special someone. I can’t: I’m still waiting for them to come along. And they had better not leave it much later or I’m going.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__VQX2Xn7tI