The Carpenters discography
The Carpenters discography | |
---|---|
Studio albums | 14 |
Live albums | 2 |
Compilation albums | 16 |
Video albums | 3 |
Singles | 49 |
B-sides | 15 |
Soundtrack albums | 3 |
Tribute albums | 1 |
The discography of the American pop group the Carpenters consists of 14 studio albums, two Christmas albums, two live albums, 49 singles, and numerous compilation albums. The duo was made up of siblings Karen (lead vocals and drums) and Richard Carpenter (keyboards and vocals).
The siblings started their musical career together in the latter half of the 1960s. In October 1969, six months after they signed a contract with A&M Records, the Carpenters released their debut album Offering (its title was later changed to Ticket to Ride). Within a year, they rose to prominence with their chart-topping single "(They Long to Be) Close to You", a Burt Bacharach and Hal David composition that had not been commercially successful when it was recorded by television star Richard Chamberlain in 1963.
The Carpenters garnered worldwide commercial success, scoring big hits mainly in the first half of the 1970s. RIAA-certified sales of their records (albums, singles and videos) have been estimated at around 34.6 million units. In the United Kingdom, they are ranked as the seventh top-selling albums artist on the official record chart of the 1970s. During their career, the duo scored 1 number one album and another 4 Top 10 albums on Billboard 200, 3 number ones singles, 12 top 10 singles and 20 top 40 hits on Billboard Hot 100. They have also been the third-best-selling international music act in the Japanese market, only behind Mariah Carey and the Beatles. By 2005, they had reportedly sold more than 100 million copies of records worldwide.
Albums
Studio albums
Throughout their career, the Carpenters released 14 original albums, including two Christmas offerings. Most recently they released As Time Goes By in 2001 in Japan, and 2004 internationally.
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US |
AUS |
CAN |
JPN |
UK | |||
1969 | Ticket to Ride (First released under the title Offering)
|
150 | 19 | — | 88 | 20 | |
1970 | Close to You
|
2 | 16 | 1 | 53 | 23 |
|
1971 | Carpenters
|
2 | 16 | 6 | 47 | 12 |
|
1972 | A Song for You
|
4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
|
1973 | Now & Then
|
2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
|
1975 | Horizon
|
13 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
|
1976 | A Kind of Hush
|
33 | 57 | 22 | 5 | 3 |
|
1977 | Passage
|
49 | 48 | 57 | 7 | 12 |
|
1978 | Christmas Portrait
|
56 | — | — | — | 104 |
|
1981 | Made in America
|
52 | 50 | — | 44 | 12 |
|
1983 | Voice of the Heart
|
46 | 54 | — | 41 | 6 |
|
1984 | An Old-Fashioned Christmas
|
190 | — | — | — | — |
|
1989 | Lovelines
|
— | — | — | — | 73 | |
2001 | As Time Goes By
|
— | — | — | 18 | — |
|
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Live albums
There are two live albums that the Carpenters have released officially, though neither of them were issued in their homeland.
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPN |
UK | |||
1975 | Live in Japan | 8 | — | |
1976 | Live at the Palladium
|
24 | 28 |
|
Solo albums
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1987 | Time |
|
1996 | Karen Carpenter |
|
1998 | Pianist • Arranger • Composer • Conductor |
|
Compilations
Following releases are "greatest-hits" albums of the Carpenters released in the United States, Canada, and/or the United Kingdom.
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US |
AUS |
JPN |
UK |
CAN | |||
1973 | The Singles: 1969–1973 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
|
1978 | The Singles: 1974–1978
|
— | — | — | 2 | — | |
1984 | Yesterday Once More
|
144 | — | 35 | 10 | — |
|
1990 | Only Yesterday
|
— | 9 | — | 1 | — |
|
1995 | Interpretations
|
— | — | — | 29 | — |
|
1997 | Love Songs
|
106 | — | — | 47 | — |
|
1998 | Reflections
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
2000 | The Singles: 1969–1981
|
45 | 19 | 73 | 65 | — | |
2003 | Carpenters Perform Carpenter
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
2004 | Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition
|
101 | — | 79 | 4 | — |
|
2006 | The Ultimate Collection
|
— | 41 | — | — | — |
|
2009 | 40/40
|
— | — | 3 | 21 | — |
|
2014 | Icon
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
2015 | The Complete Singles
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
2016 | The Nation's Favourite Songs
|
— | — | — | 2 | — |
|
2018 | Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
|
— | 29 | 25 | 8 | — |
|
^ I Album only downloadable in the UK.
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Box sets
Year | Album details |
---|---|
1991 |
|
2002 |
The Essential Collection: 1965–1997
|
Limited releases
- Golden Prize (Japan only)
- Released: September 10, 1971
- Label: A&M/King
- Format: LP, cassette
- Chart position(s): #3 (JPN)
- Golden Double Deluxe (Japan only)
- Released: February 10, 1972
- Label: A&M/King
- Format: LP
- Chart position(s): #10 (JPN)
- Great Hits of the Carpenters (Australia)
- Released: 1972
- Label: A&M/King
- Format: LP
- Chart position(s): #3 (AUS)
- GEM I (Japan only)
- Released: October 10, 1972
- Label: A&M/King
- Format: LP
- Chart position(s): #13 (JPN)
- MAX 20 (Japan only)
- Released: March 10, 1973
- Label: A&M/King
- Format: LP
- Chart position(s): #26 (JPN)
- GEM II (Japan only)
- Released: October 25, 1973
- Label: A&M/King
- Format(s): LP
- Chart position(s): #3 (JPN)
- Great Hits of the Carpenters Volume 2 (Australia)
- Released: 1972
- Label: A&M/King
- Format: LP
- Chart position(s): #24 (AUS)
- Golden Prize Volume II (Japan only)
- Released: April 10, 1974
- Label: A&M/King
- Format(s): LP, cassette
- Chart position(s): #1 (JPN)
- Big Star (Japan only)
- Released: June 1, 1974
- Label: A&M/King
- Format(s): Cassette
- Chart position(s): #20 (JPN)
- Special Series (Japan only)
- Released: November 1, 1976
- Label: A&M/King
- Format(s): Cassette
- Chart position(s): #36 (JPN)
- Ketteiban (The Definitive) (Japan only)
- Released: June 21, 1982
- Label: A&M/Alfa
- Format(s): Cassette
- Chart position(s): #61 (JPN)
- The Very Best of the Carpenters (Australia and New Zealand only)
- Released: 1982
- Label: A&M/Festival
- Format(s): LP
- Chart position(s): #1 (AUS), #2 (NZ)
- Only Yesterday (a.k.a. Their Greatest Hits)
- Released: March 1990
- Label: A&M
- Format(s): LP, cassette, CD, digital download
- Chart position(s): #1 (UK), #8 (NOR), #9 (AUS), #25 (JPN), #25 (NZ)
- Certification(s): 5× Platinum (BPI), Platinum (RIAJ), Platinum (ARIA)
- Seishun no Kagayaki: The Best of (22 Hits of the Carpenters) (Japan only)
- Released: November 10, 1995
- Label: A&M / Polydor Japan
- Format(s): CD, MD, cassette
- Chart position(s): #3 (JPN)
- Certification(s): 12× Platinum (RIAJ)
- Yesterday Once More: De Nederlandse Singles Collectie (Netherlands only)
- Released: 2001
- Label: A&M / Universal
- Format(s): CD
- Chart position(s): #22 (NVPI)
Singles
Year | Single | Chart position | B-side | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US |
US AC |
AUS |
CAN |
CAN AC |
GER |
IRE |
JPN |
NL |
NZ |
UK | |||||
1966 | "Looking for Love" (credited solely to Karen Carpenter) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "I'll Be Yours" | From the Top – The Essential Collection | |
1969 | "Ticket to Ride" | 54 | 19 | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Your Wonderful Parade" | Offering | |
1970 | "(They Long to Be) Close to You" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 71 | 30 | 9 | 6 | "I Kept on Loving You" |
|
Close to You |
"We've Only Just Begun" | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 71 | — | — | 28 | "All of My Life" |
| ||
"Merry Christmas, Darling" | — | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | "Mr. Guder" | Christmas Portrait | ||
1971 | "For All We Know" | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 18 | "Don't Be Afraid" |
|
Carpenters |
"Rainy Days and Mondays" | 2 | 1 | 35 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 72 | — | — | 53 | "Saturday" |
| ||
"Superstar" | 2 | 1 | 35 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 19 | 9 | 18 | "Bless the Beasts and Children" |
| ||
"Bless the Beasts and Children" | 16 & 67 | 26 | — | — | 25 | — | — | 85 | — | — | — | B-side of "Superstar" | A Song for You | ||
1972 | "Hurting Each Other" | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 56 | — | 7 | — | "Maybe It's You" |
| |
"It's Going to Take Some Time" | 12 | 2 | 24 | 14 | 1 | — | — | 48 | — | — | — | "Flat Baroque" | |||
"Goodbye to Love" | 7 | 2 | 25 | 4 | 1 | — | 12 | 55 | — | 5 | 9 | "Crystal Lullaby" | |||
1973 | "Sing" | 3 | 1 | 24 | 4 | 5 | — | — | 18 | — | 7 | 55 | "Druscilla Penny" |
|
Now & Then |
"Yesterday Once More" | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 5 | — | 2 | "Road Ode" |
| ||
"Top of the World" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 38 | 3 | 21 | 12 | 14 | 5 | "Heather" |
|
A Song for You | |
1974 | "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" | — | — | 95 | — | — | 50 | 12 | 28 | 3 | 13 | 12 | "Mr. Guder" | Now & Then | |
"I Won't Last a Day Without You" | 11 | 1 | 63 | 7 | 1 | — | — | 40 | — | — | 32 | "One Love" | A Song for You | ||
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37 | "Merry Christmas, Darling" | An Old Fashioned Christmas | ||
"Please Mr. Postman" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 29 | 4 | 2 | "This Masquerade" |
|
Horizon | |
1975 | "Only Yesterday" | 4 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 5 | 12 | — | 10 | 7 | "Happy" | ||
"Solitaire" | 17 | 1 | 61 | 12 | 3 | — | 44 | — | — | 6 | 32 | "Love Me for What I Am" | |||
1976 | "There's a Kind of Hush" | 12 | 1 | 33 | 8 | 1 | — | 7 | 27 | — | 5 | 22 | "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You" | A Kind of Hush | |
"I Need to Be in Love" | 25 | 1 | 47 | 24 | 1 | — | 14 | 62 | — | — | 36 | "Sandy" | |||
"Goofus" | 56 | 4 | — | 82 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Boat to Sail" | |||
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 71 | — | — | — | "I Have You" | |||
1977 | "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" | 35 | 4 | 89 | 38 | 5 | — | — | 68 | — | — | 54 | "I Have You" | Passage | |
"Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" | 32 | 18 | 13 | 18 | 10 | — | 1 | — | — | 19 | 9 | "Can't Smile Without You" | |||
1978 | "Sweet, Sweet Smile" | 44 | 7 | 100 | 43 | 7 | 22 | — | 59 | 22 | — | 40 | "I Have You" | ||
"I Believe You" | 68 | 9 | — | 81 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | "B'wana, She No Home" | Made in America | ||
1981 | "Touch Me When We're Dancing" | 16 | 1 | 78 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | "Because We Are in Love (The Wedding Song)" | ||
"(Want You) Back in My Life Again" | 72 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Somebody's Been Lyin'" | |||
"Those Good Old Dreams" | 63 | 21 | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | "When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)" | |||
1982 | "Beechwood 4-5789" | 74 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | "Two Sides" | ||
1983 | "Make Believe It's Your First Time" | 101 | 7 | 80 | — | 2 | — | 20 | — | — | — | 60 | "Look to Your Dreams" | Voice of the Heart | |
1984 | "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" | — | 12 | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Sailing on the Tide" | ||
"Now" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Look to Your Dreams" | |||
"Little Altar Boy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Do You Hear What I Hear?" | An Old Fashioned Christmas | ||
1986 | "Honolulu City Lights" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "I Just Fall in Love Again" | Lovelines | |
1987 | "Something in Your Eyes" (Richard Carpenter featuring Dusty Springfield) |
— | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Time" | Time | |
1989 | "If I Had You" (Karen Carpenter) | — | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "The Uninvited Guest" | Lovelines | |
1990 | "Merry Christmas, Darling" (re-issue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | — | 25 | "(They Long to Be) Close to You" | Christmas Portrait | |
1991 | "Let Me Be the One" (promotional single) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | From the Top | ||
1993 | "Rainy Days and Mondays" (re-issue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 63 | "Goodbye to Love" | ||
1994 | "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 44 | "Sing" | Interpretations | |
1995 | "I Need to Be in Love" (Japan re-issue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | "Top of the World" | 22 Hits of the Carpenters | |
1996 | "Make Believe It's Your First Time" (Karen Carpenter) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "If We Try" | Karen Carpenter | |
"Ave Maria" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Merry Christmas, Darling" | Christmas Portrait | ||
1998 | "Karen's Theme" (Richard Carpenter) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No B-side | Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor | |
2001 | "The Rainbow Connection" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | "Leave Yesterday Behind", "Medley" | As Time Goes By | |
2003 | "Top of the World" (Japan re-issue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 83 | — | — | — | "Top of the World", "Sing" (karaoke) | Gold |
Notes
- "Top of the World" charted four times in Japan, at #21 in 1972 and again in 1973 (to coincide with the song's US success), when it peaked at #52. In 1995 it was the B-side of the reissue of "I Need to Be in Love", and subsequently it charted a fourth time (as an A-side) at #83.
- "Bless The Beasts and Children" received enough of its own airplay that Billboard Hot 100 listed the single as "Superstar"/"Bless The Beasts and Children", charting first at #16 on 11/20/71, and then #21 on 11/27/71.
- "Bless The Beasts and Children peaked at #67 on 1/15/71 as an A-side, following 13 weeks listed as the B-side of "Superstar".
- "Sweet, Sweet Smile" peaked at #8 on Billboard's Country singles chart.
- "Superstar" and "For All We Know" were released as a double A-side in the UK.
- "I Won't Last a Day Without You" was originally released as an A-side in the UK in 1972 with "Goodbye to Love" as the B-side. However, the sides were switched shortly after the record's release. The former was later released as an A-side in the UK in 1974 to coincide with its first US release as an A-side.
- "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" reached #1 in the Republic of Ireland, becoming the duo's biggest hit there.
- The UK re-issue of "Merry Christmas, Darling" in 1990 features the second recorded version of the song from their 1978 Christmas Portrait album as opposed to the original 1970 version.
Music videos
- "Dancing in the Street" (1968)
- "Ticket to Ride" (1969)
- "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (1970)
- "We've Only Just Begun" (1970)
- "For All We Know" (1971)
- "Rainy Days and Mondays" (1971)
- "Superstar" (1971)
- "Hurting Each Other" (1972)
- "Top of the World" (1973)
- "Yesterday Once More" (1973)
- "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" (1974)
- "Sing" (1974)
- "Please Mr. Postman" (1974)
- "Only Yesterday" (1975)
- "There's a Kind of Hush" (1976)
- "I Need to Be in Love" (1976)
- "Goofus" (1976)
- "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" (1977)
- "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" (1977)
- "Sweet, Sweet Smile" (1978)
- "Little Girl Blue" (1979)
- "When I Fall in Love (1980)
- "Touch Me When We're Dancing" (1981)
- "(Want You) Back in My Life Again" (1981)
- "Those Good Old Dreams" (1981)
- "Beechwood 4-5789" (1982)
- "Now" (1983)
Holiday 100 chart entries
Since many radio stations in the US adopt a format change to Christmas music each December, many holiday hits have an annual spike in popularity during the last few weeks of the year and are retired once the season is over. In December 2011, Billboard began a Holiday Songs chart with 50 positions that monitors the last five weeks of each year to "rank the top holiday hits of all eras using the same methodology as the Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay, and sales data", and in 2013 the number of positions on the chart was doubled, resulting in the Holiday 100. A handful of Carpenters recordings have made appearances on the Holiday 100 and are noted below according to the holiday season in which they charted there.
Title | Holiday season peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | 32 | 47 | 55 | 82 | 81 | 64 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Christmas Portrait |
"Merry Christmas Darling" | 35 | 24 | 38 | 53 | 63 | 25 | 57 | 38 | 40 | 81 | 73 | 73 | 85 | |
"Home for the Holidays" | — | 41 | 45 | 65 | 57 | 36 | 92 | 82 | 88 | — | 97 | — | — | An Old-Fashioned Christmas |
"Sleigh Ride" | — | — | 78 | 99 | — | — | 95 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Christmas Portrait |
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" | — | — | — | — | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Videos
Title | Notes | Certifications |
---|---|---|
Gold: Greatest Hits |
|
|
Interpretations |
|
|
Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters |
|
|
Carpenters: Christmas Memories |
|
Soundtracks
Year | Song | Notes | Album |
---|---|---|---|
1971 | "Bless the Beasts and Children" |
|
Bless the Beasts and Children (soundtrack version) A Song for You (album version) |