How well performers do their thing under pressure is often the difference between success and failure. Karen and Richard Carpenter will have a new single on the radio Friday morning called “Hurting Each Other.” They’ll be finishing it tonight, Richard says. “Thursday morning,” Karen corrects.
What the Downey pair will do tonight is put the finishing touches to the songs, adding things none but the best-trained ears will even hear. But Richard hears, and Karen hears, and they are perfectionists.
Monday night they put in an evening session at A&M Studios, Herb Alpert’s fantastically successful operation. To the average listener the song was already completed, and even those of us watching and listening were unable to perceive why the Carpenters would suddenly stop, say “no, that’s not right,” and start over again. It went something like this …
KAREN: I want to make the “We ares” huge.
RICHARD: They are huge.
KAREN: I want to make them huger.
Karen won.
With a technician standing by, the Carpenters entered the sound booth and the 16-track tape containing their latest release was started. It will sound like 12 to 15 voices on the radio Friday, and all of them are Richard’s and Karen’s.
At the appropriate spot, the Carpenters each added a “we are” to the umpteen that were already there.
RICHARD: No!
KAREN: What do you mean, no?
RICHARD: Just what I said, no.
There was no anger, no exasperation. Richard had said it wasn’t quite right and that was it.
The tape started again, again they sang, again not quite right. Richard said no. Finally he was satisfied, and they decided to work on a single word, “stop.”
The phone rang. Richard answered.
RICHARD: The organ’s ready? What are we going to do with it? There’s no room in here. Okay, bring it down and leave it in the hall.
Again the Carpenters adjusted themselves behind a pair of microphones, the music started, and just as they started to sing, Richard suddenly stopped.
“Hold it. Somebody’s moving an organ out there.”
There were chuckles all around, and then back to work.
“Stop” got the same treatment “we are” had before.
After about three repetitions, none of them exactly right, Karen smiled.
“It’s a good omen,” she said. “When it takes so long to get one right, watch out. Smash City.”
When you hear “Hurting Each Other” Friday, it will last approximately three minutes. If you like easy listening, you’ll probably like it.
Richard Carpenter probably won’t, though. Undoubtedly he will find some little thing that “isn’t quite right.” That’s very likely what put the Carpenters where they are.