"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 | |||
Record label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
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 theme song to the 1971 eponymous film and was performed by the Carpenters. It was featured on the B-side to their hit, "Superstar". The song received enough of its own airplay that Billboard listed the single as "Superstar"/"Bless the Beasts and Children" on the Hot 100, charting first at number 16 for the week of 11/20/71, and then number 21 for the week of 11/27/71. Then "Bless The Beasts and Children" had its own run as an A-side charting on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually topping out at number 67. [1] In order to promote it, the Carpenters performed it on their television series, Make Your Own Kind of Music , as "F" for "Film Music". [2] It was nominated for a 1972 Academy Award for Best Song, but it lost to Isaac Hayes's "Theme from Shaft".
The original soundtrack included two different versions of "Bless the Beasts and Children", the other being an orchestral instrumental arrangement by composers Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr., and the original "Nadia's Theme", which was listed as "Cotton's Dream". "Cotton's Dream" was also used as the theme song to the 1973 soap opera, The Young and the Restless, and later "Bless the Beasts and Children" was used when David Hasselhoff's character, Dr. "Snapper" Foster, had to say goodbye to his son in a dramatic 1982 episode of the series. [3] [4] [5]
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]
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 |
Perry Botkin Jr. was an American composer, producer, arranger, and musician. The tune "Nadia's Theme", composed by Botkin and Barry De Vorzon, peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976 and became the theme song for the long-running television soap opera The Young and the Restless. He was also a major contributor to Incredible Bongo Band, one of the most influential groups of all-time for its Bongo Rock album which is one of the most sampled from records, making it a major influence in the origins of Hip hop.
"Nadia's Theme", originally titled "Cotton's Dream", is a piece of music composed by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin Jr. in 1971. It was originally used as incidental music for the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children, and is better known as the theme music to the television soap opera The Young and the Restless since the series premiered in 1973. "Cotton's Dream" was renamed "Nadia's Theme" after it became associated with Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci during and after the 1976 Summer Olympics.
"For All We Know" is a soft rock song written for the 1970 film Lovers and Other Strangers, with music by Fred Karlin and lyrics by Robb Wilson and Arthur James. Both Royer and Griffin were founding members of the soft rock group Bread. It was originally performed, for the film's soundtrack, by Larry Meredith. The best known version of the song is by American pop duo the Carpenters which reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart in 1971. The song was also a hit for Shirley Bassey at the same time in the United Kingdom. It has since been covered by various artists including Petula Clark.
"Sing" is a 1971 song written by Joe Raposo for the children's television show Sesame Street as its signature song. In 1973, it gained popularity when performed by Carpenters, a #3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
A Song for You is the fourth studio album by American music duo Carpenters, released on June 22, 1972. According to Richard Carpenter, A Song for You was intended to be a concept album with the title tune opening and closing the set and the bookended selections comprising the 'song'. "A Song for You" was written by songwriter Leon Russell.
"Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell with a songwriting credit also given to Delaney Bramlett that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best-known versions are by the Carpenters in 1971, and by Luther Vandross in 1983.
"Solitaire" is a ballad written by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody. Cody employs playing the card game of solitaire as a metaphor for a man "who lost his love through his indifference"—"while life goes on around him everywhere he's playing solitaire". The song is perhaps best known via its rendition by the Carpenters. Another version by Andy Williams reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart in 1973.
"Reason to Believe" is a song written, composed, and first recorded by American folk singer Tim Hardin in 1965. It has since been recorded by artists including Bobby Darin in 1966, Karen Dalton also in 1966, The Youngbloods in 1967, Peter, Paul and Mary in 1968, Glen Campbell in 1968, Peggy Lee in 1968, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1969, the Carpenters in 1970, and Rod Stewart in 1971 and 1993. Wilson Phillips covered the song on their 1990 debut album.
The soundtrack to the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children consists of music by The Carpenters, Barry De Vorzon, Perry Botkin Jr. and Renee Armand. It included The Carpenters' "Bless the Beasts and Children" theme song as well as "Cotton's Dream", later known as "Nadia's Theme" from 1976 onwards. It has also been the theme song to the hit television soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1973–present.
Bless the Beasts and Children may refer to:
Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor is the second solo album by American musician Richard Carpenter, released in 1998. It includes instrumental versions of popular songs of the Carpenters, and is dedicated to their deceased mother, Agnes Carpenter. The album contains two new songs, "All Those Years Ago" and "Karen's Theme", which was released as a single.
Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters is a 100-minute-long documentary that was released on DVD by MPI Home Video. It features interviews by Richard Carpenter, John Bettis (co-writer), Gary Sims, Petula Clark, et al.
Yesterday Once More is a 2-disc compilation album by US pop group The Carpenters. It was released in 1985 and has been certified platinum in both the US and UK. The album was re-released in 1987 as Classics Volume 2 in the A&M 25th Anniversary Classics series. It was a simple repackage, reusing the 1985 glass CD masters, but with different artwork. It was re-released in 1998 with the addition of an extra track, "I Just Fall in Love Again," a revised track order, and remastered in 24-bit sound with new notes by Paul Grein.
"Hurting Each Other" is a song popularized by the Carpenters in 1972. It was written in 1965 by Gary Geld and Peter Udell, and has been recorded many times by artists ranging from Ruby & the Romantics to Rosemary Clooney.
The Ultimate Collection is a 3-CD set by the Carpenters released in 2006. It contains many of their popular songs, like "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "Top of the World", and their album cuts, like "Desperado" and "Jambalaya ". All of the songs are taken directly from the original album. In the case of "Yesterday Once More", it fades into a motorcycle engine, which subsequently fades into the oldies medley on the Now & Then album.
Bless the Beasts and Children is a 1971 film adaptation of the novel of the same name written by Glendon Swarthout. It was directed by Stanley Kramer and stars Bill Mumy and Barry Robins.
Barry De Vorzon is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and composer. His earliest hit compositions were "Just Married" (1958), written with Al Allen and recorded by Marty Robbins, which reached number 26 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart and number one on the Country chart; and "Dreamin'" (1960), written with Ted Ellis, recorded by Johnny Burnette, and charting at number 11 on the Hot 100. Dorsey Burnette and De Vorzon co-wrote several of Dorsey's hits.
The discography of the American pop group the Carpenters consists of 14 studio albums, two Christmas albums, two live albums, 49 singles, and numerous compilation albums. The duo was made up of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter.
And I Love You So is a 1972 album by Shirley Bassey.
Carpenters is the third studio album by American music duo Carpenters. Released on May 14, 1971, it was their most successful studio album, reaching number two on the Billboard 200 chart and number 12 in the UK, as well as being certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA. The album contained the hit songs "For All We Know", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Superstar".