The unlikely way The Carpenters first heard, 'We've Only Just Begun'"

Excerpt from "Song Sessions With David Pomeranz"- Episode 04 - an interview with Songwriter, Paul Williams.
To watch entire interview, visit: davidpomeranz.com/songsessions.
Some of Paul’s beloved Pop hits include:
“WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN” (The Carpenters)
“RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS” (The Carpenters)
“JUST AN OLD-FASHIONED LOVE SONG” (Three Dog Night)
“YOU AND ME AGAINST THE WORLD” (Helen Reddy)
“LET ME BE THE ONE” (Johnny Rivers)
“I WON’T LAST A DAY WITHOUT YOU” (The Carpenters)
“EVERGREEN” (from, “A Star Is Born”) (Barbra Streisand)
“FAMILY OF MAN” (Three Dog Night)
“THE RAINBOW CONNECTION” (from “The Muppet Movie”) (Kenny Loggins, Wille Nelson)
“SHE’S GONE” (Diamond Rio)
“TOUCH” (Daft Funk)
For more information about Paul Williams, visit:
Https://www.paulwilliamsofficial.com
For more information about David Pomeranz, visit:
www.davidpomeranz.com
Produced by Tony Rockliff Productions
tonyrockliff.com
(c) 2021 Upward Spiral Entertainment Inc.

[@Quasiblu212]

Paul Williams deserves a Kennedy Center Honors medal

[@ChicagoDB]

Paul was and is a treasure.

[@vonwolf9572]

Richard Carpenter is a great arranger, but I don't think that he got enough credit back when they were doing all these songs. I'm glad that people today can see how instrumental (maybe a pun intended) he was to the music of the Carpenters.

[@R_Hoefer]

"It was like a box of emotions in a batch of tunes"

[@rbf100]

I remember first hearing this song on a visit to California. I think it was originally for Crocker bank. And later Karen would sing it with the voice of an angel.

[@jeffwolinski2659]

This is great!

[@GeneMassey]

Fabulous piece and thank you for this. Paul is great

[@thomastaylor9237]

What a great clip! The full interview is excellent. The Carpenters would of course record, Rainy Days & Mondays”, “I Won’t Last A Day Without You” , “Let Me Be The One” all from Williams and Nichols. Paul and Kenny Ascher wrote “The Rainbow Connection” which Carpenters recorded for their “Made in America” album but wasn’t credited and then arranged and released years later. And one of my personal favorites, that Karen sings, “Ordinary Fool”, a pure Paul Williams song. Karen’s vocal performance on this is simply spectacular. Lastly, what a talent Paul Williams is!

[@poldidak]

I have to respectfully disagree that "We've Only Just Begun" wasn't a hit song at its core. Yes, Karen's voice added the right emotion to make us believe the words, and Richard's arrangement and production brought it all together. But just compositionally, the melody is memorable, the key change to the bridge and back are truly "Bacharachian"; adding to that are lyrics that are somehow able to be fitting for both a bank commercial and weddings-- that alone is a unique accomplishment!

[@ARIZJOE]

Fascinating story told by a complicated, supremely talented artist. Nonetheless, it just goes to show how much a role luck plays in life. What if they had not done the bank commercial? What if Richard Carpenter had not heard it? What if Karen decided it was not right for her?