The Carpenters – 10 of the best | Pop and rock | The Guardian

About the song: 

“Superstar” is a song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell. It was originally recorded by Delaney & Bonnie and released on their 1969 album, Home. The song was a hit for the Carpenters in 1971, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their version of the song is characterized by Karen Carpenter’s soft, angelic vocals and Richard Carpenter’s lush orchestration. The song’s lyrics tell the story of a woman who is infatuated with a famous person. She sees them as a superstar, but they are unaware of her existence. The song is a beautiful and haunting ballad that has become a classic of soft rock.

Here are some additional facts about the song:

  • The Carpenters’ version of “Superstar” was produced by Jack Daugherty.
  • The song was arranged by Richard Carpenter.
  • The song was recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California.
  • The song was released as the second single from the Carpenters’ album, Close to You.
  • The song was a critical and commercial success, reaching number one in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
  • The song has been covered by many artists, including Luther Vandross, Bette Midler, and Sonic Youth.

“Superstar” is a timeless classic that continues to be enjoyed by listeners around the world. It is a beautiful and haunting ballad that tells the story of unrequited love. The song’s soft, angelic vocals and lush orchestration make it a truly unforgettable listening experience.

Video 

Lyrics: Superstar

Long ago and oh so far away
I fell in love with you before the second show
Your guitar, it sounds so sweet and clear
But you’re not really here
It’s just the radio[Chorus:]
Don’t you remember you told me you loved me baby
You said you’d be coming back this way again baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, baby, I love you I really doLoneliness is such a sad affair
And I can hardly wait to be with you againWhat to say to make you come again
Come back to me again
And play your sad guitar

[Chorus x2]

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MINNIE PEARL WALKED ONSTAGE AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY FOR 50 YEARS WITH A $1.98 PRICE TAG ON HER HAT — AND THEN ONE NIGHT, SHE JUST COULDN’T ANYMORE. Here’s something most people don’t think about with Minnie Pearl. That price tag hanging off her straw hat? It wasn’t random. Sarah Cannon — that was her real name — created it as a joke about a country girl too proud of her new hat to take the tag off. And audiences loved it so much that it became the most recognizable prop in country music history. For over fifty years, that tag meant Minnie was here, and everything was going to be fun. So imagine what it felt like when she couldn’t put the hat on anymore. In June 1991, Sarah had a massive stroke. She was 79. And just like that, the woman who hadn’t missed an Opry show in decades was gone from the stage. But here’s what gets me. She didn’t die in 1991. She lived another five years after that stroke, mostly out of the public eye, unable to perform, unable to be “Minnie” the way she’d always been. Her husband Henry Cannon took care of her at their Nashville home. Friends visited, but they said it was hard. The woman who made millions of people laugh couldn’t get through a full conversation some days. Roy Acuff, her old friend from the Opry, kept her dressing room exactly the way she left it. Nobody used it. The hat sat there. She passed on March 4, 1996. And what most people remember is the comedy. The “HOW-DEEE” catchphrase. The big goofy grin. What they don’t remember is that Sarah Cannon was also a serious fundraiser for cancer research. Centennial Medical Center in Nashville named their cancer center after her — not after Minnie, after Sarah. She raised millions and rarely talked about it publicly. There’s a story about the very last time Sarah tried to put on the hat at home, months after the stroke, and what her husband said to her in that moment — it’s the kind of detail that makes you see fifty years of comedy completely differently. Roy Acuff kept Minnie Pearl’s dressing room untouched for years after she left — was that loyalty to a friend, or was he holding a door open for someone he knew was never coming back?