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"We've Only Just Begun" is a hit single by The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols (music) and Paul Williams (lyrics). Ranked at #405 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", it is frequently used as a wedding song. ==Song information== The song was originally recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend of Nichols, under the name "Freddie Allen".〔Pierce, Dave (2008). ''Riding on the ether express: a memoir of 1960s Los Angeles, the rise of Freeform Underground Radio, and the legendary KPPC-FM.'' Center for Louisiana Studies, ISBN 9781887366779〕 It debuted in a wedding-themed television commercial for Crocker National Bank in California in the winter of 1970 with Williams on vocals. Hal Riney, founder of the San Francisco-based advertising agency Hal Riney & Partners, commissioned the song to help Crocker appeal to young people. The song played over footage of a young couple getting married and just starting out. Direct reference to the bank was left out, in part to make the song more marketable. The commercial was very popular and Crocker National's business flourished. Richard Carpenter saw the commercial and guessed correctly that it was Paul Williams (both of them were under contract to A&M records). Carpenter ran into Williams on the record company's lot and asked if a full-length version was available. Although it had only two verses and no bridge, Williams confirmed that there was a bridge and an additional verse, forming a complete song; he and Nichols went on to write them. 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 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" hit #1 on the Cash Box singles chart and #2 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming the pair's second million-selling Gold single. It was considered by both Karen and Richard to be their signature song.〔The Singles: 1969–1973〕 According to ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'' (6th edition), on the U.S. Adult Contemporary singles chart, it was the duo's best-performing tune, lasting seven weeks at #1 (beating the six-week stay at the top of "Close to You"). The song also helped them to win two Grammy Awards in 1971. One was for the Best New Artist (The Carpenters) and the other was for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus (''Close to You''). For Williams, the song was a personal victory; it was his first collaboration with Nichols that had resulted in a hit single, and it opened the door to many more thereafter. In 1998, the recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for recordings "of lasting quality or historical significance".〔(GRAMMY.com )〕 There was a 1981 cover version by Lee McDonald which has been a modern soul classic for many years. The song was sampled in R&B singer Miguel's song "How Many Drinks?", taken from his Grammy-nominated 2012 album ''Kaleidoscope Dream''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「We've Only Just Begun」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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