Sing (Joe Raposo song)

"Sing"
Cover to the single, "Sing"
Single by Carpenters
from the album Now & Then
B-side "Druscilla Penny"
Released January 13, 1973
Format 7" single
Recorded 1972
Genre Children's music, pop
Length 2:54 + 3:18
Label A&M
1413
Songwriter(s) Joe Raposo
Producer(s) Jack Daugherty
Carpenters singles chronology
"Goodbye to Love"
(1972)		 "Sing"
(1973)		 "Yesterday Once More"
(1973)

"Goodbye to Love"
(1972)		 "Sing"
(1973)		 "Yesterday Once More"
(1973)
Now & Then track listing
Side one
  1. "Sing"
  2. "This Masquerade"
  3. "Heather"
  4. "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"
  5. "I Can't Make Music"
Side two
  1. "Yesterday Once More"
    1. "Fun, Fun, Fun"
    2. "The End of the World"
    3. "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)"
    4. "Dead Man's Curve"
    5. "Johnny Angel"
    6. "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes"
    7. "Our Day Will Come"
    8. "One Fine Day"
  2. "Yesterday Once More (Reprise)"

"Sing" is a 1971 song written by Joe Raposo for the children's television show Sesame Street. In 1973, the song gained popularity when performed by the Carpenters, who made it a #3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Raposo was one of the staff songwriters on Sesame Street,[1] and the song became one of the most popular on the program, sung in English, Spanish, and sign language. In its initial appearance, the song was sung by adult human cast members of the show (the most frequent lead singer was Bob McGrath) and Muppets, including Big Bird.

Barbra Streisand's 1972 version of "Sing" was released as a single, reaching number 28 on the Easy Listening chart and number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. Many other versions of the song have since been recorded by a variety of artists including Trini Lopez who recorded a Spanish language version in 1972 which appeared on his album, "Viva" (1972).

Background of The Carpenters version

Although Barbra Streisand had an Easy Listening hit in 1972 with "Sing", Karen and Richard Carpenter heard the song for the first time as guests on ABC television special Robert Young with the Young in 1973. The Carpenters loved the song and felt it could be a hit.[2] The song acted as their debut single from the LP album Now & Then, released in 1973.[1] "Sing" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number-one on the easy listening chart,[3] and it became the group's seventh gold single.

Their recording of the song was produced and arranged by Richard Carpenter, and engineered by Ray Gerhardt. The lead vocal was sung by Karen Carpenter, with backing vocals by Karen and Richard Carpenter and the Jimmy Joyce Children's Choir. Keyboards were by Richard Carpenter, bass by Joe Osborn, drums by Karen Carpenter, and recorders by Tom Scott.[2]

In 1974 while touring Japan, The Carpenters recorded their first live album in Osaka. The album contained a new version of "Sing" with the children's chorus sung by the Kyoto Children's Choir. The song is featured on the album Live in Japan which was recorded in June 1974 and released in Japan only on March 7, 1975.[4] This album has since been released on CD.

The 1991 box set From the Top contains a "Spanglish" version of the song. The title is listed as "Canta/Sing", and is sung with the Spanish and English versions switching off between certain lines of the song.[5]

An additional recording and remix of the Carpenters version was done in 1994, that time with sound engineer Roger Young.[2]

Subsequent Sesame Street versions

Lily Tomlin sang and signed this song to a group of deaf children on Sesame Street in 1975. The same year, Tomlin played the mother of two deaf children in Robert Altman's film Nashville; Tomlin and her screen children sing the song in the film. In 1976, on the eleventh episode of The Muppet Show, guest Lena Horne sang this song. Later, Alaina Reed (in her character of Olivia) sang this song, while Linda (Linda Bove) signed the lyrics. After the hurricane struck Sesame Street in 2001, Big Bird sang "Sing" in celebration of his nest being rebuilt.

As an iconic Sesame song, "Sing" was used to close many of the show's anniversary specials, including Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting, Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever and Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration. It was used for the title of the 1990 documentary that eulogized Raposo, Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music.

The original and subsequent Sesame Street recordings were released on Sesame Street Concert/On Stage – Live! (1973), Sing the Hit Songs of Sesame Street (1974), Bert & Ernie Sing-Along (1975), Sesame Street Silver – 10th Anniversary Album (1978), Sesame Street Disco (1979), Sing: Songs of Joe Raposo (1992), Sesame Street Platinum: All Time Favorites (1995), The Bird Is the Word – Big Bird's Favorite Songs, Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music (2003), and The Best of Elmo. A Spanish version was included in Fiesta Songs! (1998).

Personnel

Covers

Chart performance

Carpenters version

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Review of "Sing" on allmusic
  2. 1 2 3 "Carpenters • Sing". Richardandkarencarpenter.com. 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 47.
  4. ↑ Bruce Eder. "Live in Japan - Carpenters | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  6. ↑ "Carpenters Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  7. ↑ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  8. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  9. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  10. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1973". Tropicalglen.com. 1973-12-29. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
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