CARPENTERS - WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

Publicada: 21 d'agost de 1970  

Llistes: Regne Unit: #28   EUA: #2  

"We've Only Just Begun" és una cançó dels Carpenters, escrita per Roger Nichols i Paul Williams. Inicialment es va crear per a un anunci de televisió temàtic de casaments d'un banc a principis de 1970, dirigit a parelles joves i acabades de casar. Paul Williams va ser qui va posar la veu a l'anunci.

L'anunci mostrava una parella casant-se i marxant amb el cotxe cap al capvespre, amb el missatge: "Tens un llarg camí per recórrer, ens agradaria ajudar-te a arribar-hi." Williams i Roger Nichols van rebre l'encàrrec d'escriure la cançó, però els van demanar explícitament que no fes la sensació d'un simple jingle publicitari. Així doncs, van crear el que es convertiria en una cançó clàssica per a casaments.

Inicialment, van composar només dues estrofes i un pont per a l'anunci, sense esperar que la cançó es tornés a utilitzar. Quan Richard Carpenter va escoltar la versió de Williams a l'anunci, va preguntar si existia una cançó completa. Ja havien escrit una tercera estrofa, cosa que la va convertir en una cançó completa, i els Carpenters la van transformar en un dels seus èxits més grans. Williams va comentar humorísticament que, si no haguessin acabat la cançó quan Carpenter va trucar, l'haurien completat ràpidament.

Els Carpenters van triar "We've Only Just Begun" com el seu tercer senzill, incloent-la a l'àlbum “Close to You”. Publicada a l'estiu de 1970, el single destacava la veu principal de Karen Carpenter amb els cors harmonitzats del duo. Després de l'èxit del seu anterior hit "(They Long to Be) Close to You", la cançó va assolir el número 1 a les llistes de Cash Box i el número 2 a la Billboard Hot 100, darrere de "I'll Be There" dels Jackson 5 i "I Think I Love You" de The Partridge Family. La cançó es va convertir en el seu segon senzill d'or venent més d'un milió de còpies i va contribuir a que el duo guanyés dos premis Grammy l'any 1971.

El videoclip de "We've Only Just Begun" presentava un distintiu fons vermell amb les lletres que formaven la paraula "you". Karen Carpenter es veia asseguda dins la lletra "U", mentre que Richard estava dret al seu costat, una escena que s'allunyava del seu rol habitual tocant el piano. Aquest vídeo va ser creat com a part de la sèrie de televisió de 1971 “Make Your Own Kind of Music”.

 

CARPENTERS - WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

Released: August 21, 1970

Charts:  UK: #28    US: #2 

"We've Only Just Begun" is a song by the Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams. It was initially created for a wedding-themed television commercial for a Bank in early 1970, aimed at attracting young couples and newlyweds. Paul Williams provided the vocals for the commercial. 

The ad was meant to show a couple getting married and driving off into the sunset, with the message, "You've got a long way to go, we'd like to help you get there." Williams and Roger Nichols were tasked with writing the song, but they were specifically asked not to create a jingle. Instead, they wrote what would later become a classic wedding song.

Initially, they composed just two verses and a bridge for the commercial, with no expectation that the song would be used again. When Richard Carpenter heard Williams' version on the commercial he inquired if there was a complete song. They had already written a third verse, which made it a full song, and the Carpenters turned it into one of their biggest hits. Williams humorously noted that if they hadn’t finished the song by the time Carpenter called, they would have quickly completed it.

The Carpenters chose "We've Only Just Begun" as their third single, including it on their “Close to You” album. Released in the summer of 1970, the single showcased Karen Carpenter's lead vocals with the duo's harmonized backing. It followed the success of their previous hit "(They Long to Be) Close to You," reaching No. 1 on the Cash Box singles chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, just behind the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" and the Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You." The song became their second million-selling gold single and contributed to the duo winning two Grammy Awards in 1971.

The music video for "We've Only Just Begun" featured a distinctive red background with the letters spelling out "you." Karen Carpenter is seen sitting inside the letter "U," while Richard stands beside her, departing from his usual role of playing the piano. This video was created as part of the 1971 television series Make Your Own Kind of Music.