A Song for You

Studio album by The Carpenters
Released	June 13, 1972
Recorded	1971-1972
Genre	Pop
Length	37:17
Label	A&M
Producer	Jack Daugherty Productions
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Rolling Stone (Not Rated) link
The Carpenters chronology
Carpenters (1971) A Song for You (1972) Now & Then (1973)
Singles from A Song for You
"Bless the Beasts and Children" Released: August 12, 1971 "Hurting Each Other" Released: December 23, 1971 "It's Going to Take Some Time" Released: April 13, 1972 "Goodbye to Love" Released: June 19, 1972 "Top of the World" Released: September 17, 1973 "I Won't Last a Day Without You" Released: March 25, 1974

A Song for You is the fourth album released by the Carpenters. It was released on June 13, 1972. According to Richard Carpenter, "A Song for You was intended to be a concept album (of sorts) with the title tune opening and closing the set and the bookended selections comprising the 'song'."^[1] In Cash Box's Top 100 Albums of 1972, A Song for You was ranked #26.^[2] A special gold-plated disc CD of A Song for You was later sold to the general public.

The recording is generally considered the finest original release by the Carpenters.^{[weasel words]} Six songs were released as A-side singles internationally: "Hurting Each Other," "It's Going to Take Some Time," "Goodbye to Love," "Top of the World," "I Won't Last a Day Without You," and "Bless the Beasts and Children."

Original LP track listing

Side A

1. "A Song for You" - 4:42 (Leon Russell)
2. "Top of the World" - 2:56 (Richard Carpenter, John Bettis)*

• "Top of the World" became the Carpenters' second #1 single on December 1 (& 8th) of 1973, and was released around the same time of Lynn Anderson's version.

3. "Hurting Each Other" - 2:46 (Peter Udell, Gary Geld)*
4. "It's Going to Take Some Time" - 2:55 (Carole King, Toni Stern)*
5. "Goodbye to Love" - 3:50 (Richard Carpenter, John Bettis)*

• "Goodbye to Love" became the first soft ballad to have a hard-rock style electric guitar solo in it.

6. "Intermission" - 0:22 (Richard Carpenter)

Side B

1. "Bless the Beasts and Children" - 3:07 (Barry De Vorzon, Perry Botkin, Jr.)

• "Bless the Beasts and Children" was originally the theme song to the film of the same name in 1971.

2. "Flat Baroque" - 1:45 (Richard Carpenter)

• "Flat Baroque" was written in 1966 for the original RCA recording sessions. It was revived in 1970 for the "Your Navy Presents" radio show, but wasn't officially released until this album was released.

3. "Piano Picker" - 1:59 (Randy Edelman)
4. "I Won't Last a Day Without You" - 3:46 (Paul Williams, Roger Nichols)*
5. "Crystal Lullaby" - 3:58 (Richard Carpenter, John Bettis)
6. "Road Ode" - 3:50 (Gary Sims, Dan Woodhams)
7. "A Song for You" (Reprise) - 0:53 (Leon Russell)

"*" denotes song was released as a single in the United States.

Stereo tape listing

The stereo tape for A Song for You had songs in a different order.

Side 1

1. "A Song for You"
2. "Top of the World"
3. "Piano Picker"
4. "Flat Baroque"
5. "I Won't Last a Day Without You"
6. "Goodbye to Love"
7. "Intermission"

Side 2

1. "Hurting Each Other"
2. "Crystal Lullaby"
3. "It's Going to Take Some Time"
4. "Bless the Beasts and Children" (Soundtrack version)
5. "Flat Baroque"
6. "Road Ode"
7. "A Song for You (Reprise)"
8. "Intermission" (same version as side one)

Singles

• Hurting Each Other

US 7" single (1971)  A&M 1322
1.Hurting Each Other
2.Maybe It's You

• Bless The Beasts And Children

JP 7" single (1972)  AM-114
1.Bless The Beasts And Children
2.Help

• It's Going To Take Some Time

US 7" single (1972)  A&M 1351
1.It's Going To Take Some Time
2.Flat Baroque

• Goodbye To Love

US 7" single (1972)  A&M 1367
1.Goodbye To Love
2.Crystal Lullaby

• Top Of The World

US 7" single (1973)  A&M 1468
1.Top Of The World
2.Heather

• I Won't Last A Day Without You

US 7" single (1974)  A&M 1521
1.I Won't Last A Day Without You
2.One Love

Information on the Songs

"Hurting Each Other," a cover of an obscure Ruby & the Romantics tune, was the first single issued from A Song for You in early 1972, and reached number two, becoming the Carpenters' sixth straight gold single. A cover of Carole King's "It's Going to Take Some Time" followed and peaked at number 12, and was followed by the number seven hit "Goodbye to Love," which was refused airplay on some easy listening radio stations because of a fuzz-guitar solo by Tony Peluso. The song had a significant impact on the power ballad songs which followed. The album also included the Carpenters' version of the Academy Award nominated title song from the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children, which had already charted at number 67 on the Hot 100 as the flip side of the duo's version of "Superstar."

The album's biggest hit single, the number one smash "Top of the World," was not issued until over a year after the album's release. According to Richard Carpenter, who co-wrote the song with John Bettis, the reason for the song's late release in the U.S. was that he had misjudged the song's commercial appeal, but was proven wrong when the Carpenters' "Top of the World" became a hit in Japan in 1972 and Lynn Anderson's cover reached #2 on the U.S. country charts in 1973. The song went through a few minor revisions, including a slight remix, before it was finally released as a single in the U.S. The Carpenters' treatment of the much-covered Paul Williams/Roger Nichols composition "I Won't Last a Day Without You" also got a belated single release in 1974, and peaked at number eleven on the Hot 100.

With the exception of "Bless the Beasts..." which peaked at number 26 on the AC chart, all of the album's charted singles made either number one ("Hurting Each Other," "I Won't Last a Day Without You") or number two on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album and its singles were also successful internationally; "Goodbye to Love" and "I Won't Last a Day..." made the top ten on the UK singles chart as a double A-side, and "Top of the World" made the Oricon singles chart in Japan on three separate occasions (#21 in 1972, #52 in 1973, and #83 in 1996).

References

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