We've Only Just Begun
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"We've Only Just Begun" is a song recorded by The Carpenters in 1970, and still much in demand as a wedding anthem. Written by the songwriting team of Roger Nichols (music) and Paul Williams (lyrics), the song originally debuted in a commercial for Crocker Citizens Bank in California in 1970, with Williams providing the vocals.
Believing that the song had hit potential, Richard Carpenter selected the composition for the duo's third single and included it on the LP Close to You. Released in the late summer of 1970, the single featured his sister Karen's lead vocals and the overdubbed harmonies of both siblings. Following their hit "(They Long To Be) Close to You" onto the charts, "We've Only Just Begun" crested at #2 on the U.S. Top 40, becoming the pair's second gold single and one of their signature songs. On the Adult Contemporary singles chart, it was the duo's best-performing tune, lasting seven weeks at #1 (besting the six-week stay at the top of "Close To You").
In 1998, the recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for recordings of lasting quality or historical significance.
[edit] Notable cover versions
- Perry Como (1970)
- Dionne Warwick (1970)
- Andy Williams (1971)
- Johnny Mathis (1971)
- Henry Mancini (1972)
- Ray Conniff (1986)
- Liberace (1989)
- Richard Clayderman (1986)
- Bradley Joseph (2005)
