عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Entertainment

It's 'Yesterday Once More' as Richard Carpenter Recalls 1970s Pop Duo

Musician and song writer Richard Carpenter poses for a portrait at his home in Westlake Village, California, US, September 10, 2021. Picture taken September 10, 2021. (Reuters)
Musician and song writer Richard Carpenter poses for a portrait at his home in Westlake Village, California, US, September 10, 2021. Picture taken September 10, 2021. (Reuters)
TT
TT

It's 'Yesterday Once More' as Richard Carpenter Recalls 1970s Pop Duo

Musician and song writer Richard Carpenter poses for a portrait at his home in Westlake Village, California, US, September 10, 2021. Picture taken September 10, 2021. (Reuters)
Musician and song writer Richard Carpenter poses for a portrait at his home in Westlake Village, California, US, September 10, 2021. Picture taken September 10, 2021. (Reuters)

More than 50 years after "We've Only Just Begun" and "Yesterday Once More," Richard Carpenter is looking back on the California soft pop duo with his sister Karen that ruled the charts but got a rough ride from music critics.

Now he is telling the story his way for the first time in "Carpenters: The Musical Legacy," a book based on hundreds of hours of interviews Richard gave to authors Mike Cidoni Lennox and Chris May. Crammed with photos, posters, programs, reviews and work schedules, it is intended as the definitive story of the 1970s recording stars.

"It covers really from our childhood all the way through our years together, Karen and I, making music, and the legacy. It concentrates more on the music that we made than the personal," said Carpenter from his home near Los Angeles that is packed with gold discs and Carpenters memorabilia.

"Many times, right from the time that Karen and I first hit with 'Close to You,' there was so many beyond nasty, vicious things written about us," said Carpenter, 75, recalling how the music press derided their mellow ballads as square at a time when rock was the dominant force.

After their breakout single "(They Long to Be) Close to You" in 1970, the Carpenters had a run of hits including "Top of the World" and "Rainy Days and Mondays," won three Grammy Awards and had their own TV show. They turned out 10 albums, winning fans as far afield as Japan, Norway and Zimbabwe.

Their career came to a tragic end when Karen died in 1983 of heart failure attributed to complications from anorexia nervosa. She was 32.

Richard Carpenter, who did all the musical arrangements and harmonies, is reluctant to dwell on Karen's death and prefers to focus on her talent.

"She just had a timeless voice, ... Karen was a natural. She didn't have to practice, ... she just sang instantly, impeccably whether it was live or on record," he said. "She was my sister, she was my professional partner, and she was my best friend."

The book will be published on Nov. 16.

It will be followed in January by a new album, "Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook" in which Carpenter plays classical arrangements on solo piano of some of the duo's hits.

Carpenter, who once had dreams of being a concert pianist but hated practicing, said he was "immensely flattered" to be asked to make the record.

Most Viewed

 
 
Entertainment

‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator’ Make Gravity-Defying Theater Debuts

People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT

‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator’ Make Gravity-Defying Theater Debuts

People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)

With a combined $270 million in worldwide ticket sales, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately, leading to one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year.

Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates Sunday. That made it the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2.” It’s also a record for a Broadway musical adaptation.

Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original, launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. With a price tag of around $250 million to produce it, “Gladiator II” was a big bet by Paramount Pictures to return to the Coliseum with a largely new cast, led by Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal. While it opened with a touch less than the $60 million predicted in domestic ticket sales, “Gladiator II” has performed well overseas. It added $50.5 million internationally.

Going into the weekend, box office was down about 11% from last year and some 25% from pre-pandemic times. That meant this week's two headline films led a much-needed resurgence for theaters. With “Moana 2” releasing Wednesday, Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“This weekend’s two strong openers are invigorating a box office that fell apart after a good summer,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment.

The collision of the two movies led to some echoes of the “Barbenheimer” effect of last year, when “Barbie" and “Oppenheimer” launched simultaneously. The nickname this time, “Glicked,” wasn’t quite as catchy and the cultural imprint was also notably less. Few people sought out a double feature this time. The domestic grosses in 2023 – $162 million for “Barbie” and $82 million for “Oppenheimer” – were also higher.

But the counter-programming effect was still potent for “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” which likewise split broadly along gender lines. And it was again the female-leaning release – “Wicked,” like “Barbie” before it – that easily won the weekend. About 72% of ticket buyers for “Wicked” were female, while 61% of those seeing “Gladiator II” were male.

And while “Barbenheimer” benefitted enormously from meme-spread word-of-mouth, both “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” leaned on all-out marketing blitzes.

Both movies pulled out all the stops in global advertising campaigns that spanned everything from “Wicked” Mattel dolls (some of which led to an awkward recall) to an Airbnb cross-promotion with the actual Colosseum in Rome. For “Gladiator II,” Paramount even took the unusual step of simultaneously running a one-minute trailer on more than 4,000 TV networks, radio station and digital platforms.

Though “Wicked” will face some direct competition from “Moana 2,” it would seem to be better set up for a long and lucrative run in theaters. Even at 2 hours and 40 minutes, the film has had mostly stellar reviews. Audiences gave it an “A” on CinemaScore. The reception for “Wicked” has been strong enough that Oscar prognosticators expect it to be a contender for best picture at the Academy Awards, among other categories.

Producers, perhaps sensing a hit, also took the step of splitting “Wicked” in two. Part two, already filmed, is due out next November. Each “Wicked” installation cost around $150 million to make.

“Gladiator II” has also enjoyed good reviews, particularly for Washington's charismatic performance. Audience scores, though, were weaker, with ticket buyers giving it a “B” on CinemaScore. “Gladiator II” will make up for some of that, however, with robust international sales. It launched in many overseas markets a week ago, earning $87 million before landing in North America.