Bless the Beasts and Children (song)
"Bless the Beasts and Children" | ||||
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Single by Carpenters | ||||
from the album Bless the Beasts and Children and A Song for You | ||||
A-side | "Superstar" | |||
Released | August 12, 1971 | |||
Recorded | late June 1971 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:09 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Jack Daugherty | |||
Carpenters singles chronology | ||||
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A Song for You track listing | ||||
13 tracks
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"Bless the Beasts and Children" is the
The song was originally released on the original soundtrack, and a slightly different version was released on the Carpenters' 1972 LP, A Song for You on June 13, 1972.[6] The original soundtrack had a vibraphone playing the melody in the introduction, while the A Song for You version, released on the single, contained an oboe stating the melody. The two versions (soundtrack and album versions) faded out toward the end, but in 1985, Richard Carpenter re-mixed the song so it does not fade out in the end. He also added a harder bass-line.
Barry De Vorzon composed the song at a residence in Lake Arrowhead, California, where he used to spend his weekends, after director Stanley Kramer gave him the screenplay of the film. At first he wrote a "beautiful melody" and then "loaded the lyric with all the terrible things we're doing to children and animals", but it "did not work". The next day he changed them to simpler lyrics that call to protect their innocence.[7]
Personnel
- Karen Carpenter – lead and backing vocals
- Wurlitzer electric piano, orchestration
- Joe Osborn – bass guitar
- Hal Blaine – drums
- Tony Peluso – electric fuzz guitar
- Earl Dumler – oboe, English horn
- Uncredited – vibraphone, tambourine, temple blocks
Chart history
Chart (1971–1972) | Peak position |
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Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[8] | 25 |
Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart | 85 |
US Billboard Hot 100 as a B-Side | 16 |
US Billboard Hot 100 as an A-Side | 67 |
US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 26 |
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
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Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[9] | 17 |
References
- ^ The Carpenters Summary
- ^ "Not Found シフトウェブへようこそ". Thecarpenters.tv. Archived from the original on 2007-02-23. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ^ The Young and the Restless theme lyrics
- ^ Bless the Beasts & Children (1971) - Soundtracks
- ^ The Young and the Restless Archived May 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Comparison between original soundtrack and the A Song for You LP
- DeVorzon, Barry (8 December 2011). "The Story Behind the Hit Bless the Beasts and the Children". Masterwriter.com. Event occurs at 2:49-4:17. Archived from the original(video) on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
- ^ "RPM Top AC Singles - October 30, 1971" (PDF).
- ^ "RPM Top AC Singles - April 16, 1977" (PDF).