Hurting Each Other

"Hurting Each Other"
Single by The Carpenters
from the album A Song for You
B-side "Maybe It's You"
Released December 23, 1971
Format 7" single
Recorded 1971
Genre Pop
Length 2:48
Label A&M
1322
Writer(s) Gary Geld
Peter Udell
Producer Jack Daugherty
Certification Gold (RIAA)
The Carpenters singles chronology
"Bless the Beasts and Children"
(1971)		 "Hurting Each Other"
(1971)		 "It's Going to Take Some Time"/"Flat Baroque"
(1972)
A Song for You track listing
Side one
  1. "A Song for You"
  2. "Top of the World"
  3. "Hurting Each Other"
  4. "It's Going to Take Some Time"
  5. "Goodbye to Love"
  6. "Intermission"
Side two
  1. "Bless the Beasts and Children"
  2. "Flat Baroque"
  3. "Piano Picker"
  4. "I Won't Last a Day Without You"
  5. "Crystal Lullaby"
  6. "Road Ode"
  7. "A Song for You (Reprise)"

"Hurting Each Other" is a song popularized by the Carpenters in 1972. It was originally written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell in 1965, and was recorded multiple times by artists from Ruby and the Romantics to Rosemary Clooney.[1]

Contents

Previous versions

One early version of the song was recorded by Jimmy Clanton and released in 1965 as a single on Mala Records.[2] According to Richard Carpenter, this version of "Hurting Each Other" had a very different feel from the Carpenters' product.[3] However, listening to the piece, there are definite similarities in the vocal refrain.

Chad Allan & The Expressions, who later became The Guess Who, also recorded the song in 1965 on their Canadian LP, "Hey Ho (What You Do To Me)." Released as a single, the song hit #19 on the Canadian charts in early 1966.

A version of "Hurting Each Other" also appeared on The Walker Brothers' second album, Portrait, which was released in 1966. However, the song was apparently not released as a single.

Ruth Lewis had a single release in 1966 of the song on RCA Records.

Carpenters' version

The Carpenters recorded "Hurting Each Other" towards the end of 1971. Some footage of Richard and Karen performing the backup vocals can be seen on "Jerry Dunphy Visits the Carpenters," when news anchor Jerry Dunphy went to Karen and Richard Carpenter's house and interviewed them and their parents about their life.

It was released as a single in late 1971 from the album A Song for You. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Easy Listening chart.

The Carpenters performed "Hurting Each Other" at many live concerts, including a shortened version from the "Live in Osaka" concert in 1974.

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Canadian Singles Chart 2
Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart 56
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 1

See also

References

  1. ^ "Search result, ACE title search, Performers of "Hurting Each Other"". American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=380113877&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=30&start=1. Retrieved 2008-05-22. 
  2. ^ "45 Discography For Mala Records". Discographies of 50's and 60's record labels. Global Dog Productions. http://www.globaldogproductions.info/m/mala.html. Retrieved 2008-05-22. 
  3. ^ Song Synopsis Insert in "Carpenters: Gold 35th Anniversary Edition"
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