The Carpenters’ Hot 100 Singles Ranked From Worst to Best: Critic’s Picks
The article revisits the Carpenters’ mixed reputation in the 1970s and ranks their 27 Billboard Hot 100 hits from worst to best, marking Richard Carpenter’s 80th birthday. It argues that the duo’s chart success and Karen Carpenter’s singing have gained greater recognition over time, beyond the “corny” image that once drew criticism.
The Carpenters had 16 consecutive top 20 Hot 100 hits in the first half of the 1970s, while their greatest hits album spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the UK albums chart. The ranking also includes “Merry Christmas Darling”, which was ineligible for the Hot 100 when released in 1970, and treats “Superstar” and “Bless the Beasts and Children” as a double-sided single. Karen died in 1983, aged 32, from complications related to anorexia nervosa.
- The Carpenters’ 27 Hot 100 hits are ranked from worst to best.
- They scored 16 consecutive top 20 hits in the early 1970s.
- “Merry Christmas Darling” is included despite missing the chart.
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The Carpenters were an American brother-and-sister pop duo: Karen Carpenter sang, while Richard Carpenter played keyboards, arranged their music and wrote or co-wrote many of their songs. Their smooth, carefully arranged sound brought them a run of major hits in the early 1970s.
Their success came alongside criticism from some listeners who saw the music as sentimental or old-fashioned. Over time, Karen’s voice and the duo’s place in pop music have received renewed attention. Karen died in 1983, aged 32, from complications related to anorexia nervosa.