Episode 41: Yesterday Once More (Carpenters)

This week, we are talking about the pioneers of the power ballad, the Carpenters.

Content warning: This episode contains heavy talk about eating disorders, dieting and mentions of death.

Show Notes and Images

The Carpenters were a sibling duo made of Karen and Richard Carpenter, both musical geniuses. Unfortunately, their career was cut short with the death of Karen at the age of 32. During their career, they produced 6 multiplatinum albums, 2 additional platinum albums, and 6 additional gold albums. The band had 15 #1 hits on the Adult Contemporary charts, three #1’s, 12 top ten hits, and 19 top 40 hits on the Hot 100 over a period of more than a decade.

Karen alone was an accomplished drummer, and had hesitations about stepping out from behind the drum kit into the public spotlight. Richard is a talented composer, and is responsible for penning the group’s hits.