We've Only Just Begun
The Carpenters
1970
Annual listening-list association, not an original-release-date field. Original release year reconciled with reviewed recording-specific Artist Essentials evidence in v3.6.
Release: 1970
Release: 1970Source checked
V3.6 reconciles the original release year with the reviewed Artist Essentials entry for this exact retained recording ID. Year precision is used; an album-first release is not silently replaced by a later single, reissue or annual-list year. The original studio recording was released in 1970 and belongs to the original Close to You program. Year precision does not assign an album day to a single or a later reissue.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
Close to You - Richard Carpenter original album notes and program
Richard Carpenter presents the original 1970 album program and credited duo performances. Selected original recordings are distinct from subsequent remixes, re-recorded vocals, solo work and orchestral reconstructions. Personal health and family passages are not used in the editorial notes. Richard separately dates the Close to You single to May 1970, ahead of the original album.
Carpenters - official original album chronology
The artist chronology distinguishes original albums from Offering in 1969 to Made in America in 1981, subsequent compilations, and the separate Karen and Richard solo releases. Original album years are used only for recordings without an earlier separately supported single year.
About Carpenters
Song-specific inspiration or recording background is not established for this entry. This sourced artist profile provides career context.
The Carpenters were the sibling partnership of Richard and Karen Carpenter, born in Connecticut and raised partly in Downey, California. Richard played piano and Karen drums in their early trio before both worked in the group Spectrum. Their duo recordings reached A&M after Herb Alpert heard a demo. The album Offering began that label career, followed by (They Long to Be) Close to You and a run of 1970s pop records.
Artist background sources
Carpenters - Universal Music Japan biography
Sibling identity, Connecticut/Downey background, early instrumental roles, trio/Spectrum history, Herb Alpert/A&M and early releases. Detailed single dates, chart totals and personal medical history are omitted. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
Retained annual-list context
We've Only Just Begun by The Carpenters appears at number 65 in the reviewed U.S. year-end table for 1970. No reliable song-specific account of its inspiration was established in this review.
Annual-list context only; songwriting inspiration remains unestablished
Billboard year-end 1970 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata.
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Original release date and exact pressing/version are not independently established.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Editorial artist-repertoire classification
Billboard year-end 1970 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.