Rainy Days and Mondays…

It was a warm spring evening in my native Maryland in 1971. I was at a carnival like so many of us attended in those days – hanging with my buddies – seeing what kind of mischief we could get into between rides.

It was a fabulous time to be alive.

I was 15…

On the P.A. system was Karen Carpenter’s angelic voice and “Rainy Days and Mondays”— yet another Top 40 Carpenters hit that touched my soul like so many others. So many of us were touched by her voice and Richard’s incredible keyboard work. Although this song was bluesy and symbolic of rainy days and Mondays, it offered a sense of optimism and promise. It was refreshing to hear.

I was young, healthy, and very much alive. There was the aroma of fresh clover in the air, fresh-cut grass, and the feel of a fresh spring rain the night before. Warm weather and the end of school were just ahead.

It was impossible to go anywhere and not hear The Carpenters – yet they nearly never rose to fame. After several failed attempts to sign on with the record companies, they came into their own with a musician and record producer, Herb Alpert of A&M Records (Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss), who saw genius in their talent and signed them on in April of 1969.

Karen and Richard were involved in a Long Beach band known as Spectrum, which enabled them to refine their technique. When Spectrum folded, they worked feverishly with multi-layer (overdubbing) at a sound studio in Santa Ana. That was when they formed The Carpenters. A&M Records and huge fame swiftly followed.

Alpert quickly recognized The Carpenters’ abilities, especially Karen’s angelic voice, which was inspiring. He was so inspired that he gave them complete access to the A&M studio and the freedom to create their first record album. This opened the floodgates to an amazing run of hits, albums, and singles.

“For All We Know,” “Close To You,” “We’ve Only Just Begun,” and a string of others followed throughout the 1970s – great love songs that became of us as baby boomers coming of age. My mother kept walking through the door with a succession of Carpenters singles she’d play on our Magnavox AstroSonic console, which remains with me to this day in California. I recall the first time I heard “For All We Know” on her Magnavox amid a stack of 45s on the turntable. It inspired me to hear a chorus of Karen Carpenters from the Maggie’s tweeters and woofers in one of the most incredible overdubs I’ve ever heard.

To hear The Carpenters today triggers so many memories from our youth. I get such a rush of euphoria from their work – then return to the here and now at nearly 70, reflecting over the lifetime that has passed since.

Karen’s untimely death in 1983 was a huge shock for those of us who loved her and embraced her work. She really was an angel on loan to the planet for such a short time who will forever be missed.