Peak
3
Weeks
13
Score
2,849
Chart Year
1971
This was the love theme from the 1970 film Lovers and Other Strangers, in which a couple who live together get married and they are the only 2 people who are happy about their marriage (all the other people in their lives are having marital or pre-marital troubles); it is played during the scene where they tie the knot. In late 1970, while the Carpenters had a concert tour in Toronto and Chicago, Richard was worried about what song should follow their previous hits "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun" (which was still holding the #1 spot on the Adult Contemporary charts). Their manager advised them to take a short break from their work and go to a movie theater to see the film. Richard and Karen were immediately taken with this song and agreed that it should be the follow-up to their previous hits. After returning home, they recorded it, released it in December, and it went gold in only two months. The Carpenters' success with this song helped it win the 1970 Oscar for Best Song. A version by Shirley Bassey reached #6 in the UK a few months after the Carpenters' version was released in the US. A version by Nicki French reached #42 in the UK in 1995. Other artists who have covered this song include Carol Burnett, Petula Clark, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Maureen McGovern, Dionne Warwick, and Andy Williams. >>
Love, look at the two of us Strangers in many ways We've got a lifetime to share So much to say and as we go from day to day I'll feel you close to me But time alone will tell Let's take a lifetime to say I knew you well For only time will tell us so And love may grow for all we know Love, look at the two of us Strangers in many ways Let's take a lifetime to say I knew you well For only time will tell us so And love may grow for all we know Writer/s: Fred Karlin, James Arthur Griff
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 6, 1971 | 87 | 39 |
| 2 | Feb 13, 1971 | 39 | 87 |
| 3 | Feb 20, 1971 | 22 | 104 |
| 4 | Feb 27, 1971 | 12 | 114 |
| 5 | Mar 6, 1971 | 7 | 119 |
| 6 | Mar 13, 1971 | 3 | 123 |
| 7 | Mar 20, 1971 | 5 | 121 |
| 8 | Mar 27, 1971 | 5 | 121 |
| 9 | Apr 3, 1971 | 3 | 123 |
| 10 | Apr 10, 1971 | 5 | 121 |
| 11 | Apr 17, 1971 | 9 | 117 |
| 12 | Apr 24, 1971 | 13 | 113 |
| 13 | May 1, 1971 | 27 | 99 |