There is something inherently corny about the Carpenters. Many of their easy listening peers have been reappraised by critics, but the ornate arrangements of Richard Carpenter and his sister Karen rarely get mentioned. Perhaps because you couldn’t go to a wedding in the 1970s without hearing one of their songs. But when was the last time you actually listened to “We’ve Only Just Begun?” It might be the most misunderstood wedding staple of all time.
For the first listen, I want you to take the song at face value.
There isn’t much there. The arrangement is ornate, Karen’s voice is lovely as always, and the lyrics are full of treacle. The couple depicted in the narrative are obviously going to be together for a long time.
For the second listen, concentrate on Karen.
The meaning changes completely. Her voice is so fragile, especially on the first line. She says that they have only just begun, but her delivery tells a different story. When she sings “together,” at the end of the bridge, she is trying to convince herself that everything is going to work out. If you look at her body language, she rarely makes eye contact with the camera. Even her smile seems tentative.
For the third listen, concentrate on Richard.
Richard’s smooth backing vocals are confident and self-assured. When Karen is at her most vulnerable, he helps her along. Karen is unsure about being together, but Richard has a lot more faith in her fiance. Look at his body language compared to Karen’s. He stands up straight and loos right at camera. His little sister is going to be OK, and even if she stumbles, he has her back.
Without the dynamics between Richard and Karen, “We’ve Only Just Begun” would be an absolutely wretched song. There is nothing special about it on paper, but Karen’s performance elevates it to great art. That could be said for pretty much every great Carpenters song, except for “Superstar.”
She breaks my heart, which is why she is my favorite female singer of all time.
What do you think?