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LTC Stephen F.
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Edited >1 y ago
Thank you, my friend Sgt (Join to see) for posting the official music video of brother and sister band The Carpenters performing Superstar.

Superstar written by Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett in 1969 for Delaney and Bonnie [Bramlett]
Lyrics
"Long ago and oh so far away
I fell in love with you before the second show
Your guitar, it sounds so sweet and clear
But you're not really here, it's just the radio
Don't you remember you told me you love me, baby
You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby
I love you, I really do
Loneliness is such a sad affair
And I can hardly wait to be with you again
What to say to make you come again
Come back to me again and play your sad guitar
Don't you remember you told me you love me, baby
You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby
I love you, I really do
Don't you remember you told me you love me, baby
You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby
I love you, I really do"

Song Background from wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstar_(Delaney_and_Bonnie_song)
In its first recorded incarnation, the song was called "Groupie (Superstar)," and was recorded and released as a B-side to the Delaney & Bonnie single "Comin' Home" in December 1969. Released by Atlantic Records, the full credit on the single was to Delaney & Bonnie and Friends Featuring Eric Clapton.

The Carpenter's version
The song "Superstar" became most popular after its treatment by the Carpenters. Richard Carpenter became aware of the song after hearing it sung by Bette Midler on late night television. He remembered, "I came home from the studio one night and heard a then relatively unknown Bette Midler perform it on The Tonight Show. I could barely wait to arrange and record it. It remains one of my favorites."
Produced by Richard Carpenter with Jack Daugherty, it was recorded with members of "The Wrecking Crew," a famed collection of Los Angeles area session musicians. As the song's storyline was originally more risqué than what was typical for the Carpenters, Richard changed a lyric in the second verse from
And I can hardly wait
To sleep with you again

to the somewhat less suggestive
And I can hardly wait
To be with you again.

Upon hearing the final recording, Karen Carpenter later noted: "For some reason that tune didn't hit me in the beginning. It's the only one. Richard looked at me like I had three heads. He said: 'Are you out of your mind?' When I heard his arrangement of it I fell over, and now it's one of my favorites too."
Karen Carpenter's vocal was praised for its intensity and emotional nature. When asked in a 1972 interview how she could communicate the heart of the song while lacking the personal experience it depicted, Karen replied, "I've seen enough groupies hanging around to sense their loneliness, even though they usually don't show it. I can't really understand them, but I just tried to feel empathy and I guess that's what came across in the song." In truth, Karen struggled with loneliness herself, and the personal implications of the song made it one of the three she found most emotionally difficult to sing, the other two being the previous "Rainy Days and Mondays" and the subsequent "I Need to Be in Love."
The duo's rendition was included on the May 1971 album Carpenters, and then released as a single in August 1971, rising to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart (held out of the top spot by Rod Stewart's "Maggie May"), and spending two weeks at number one on the Easy Listening chart that autumn and earned gold record status. It also reached number 18 on the UK pop singles chart and did well in Australia and New Zealand as well.
Richard would be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist for his efforts. "Superstar" would go on to appear on two mid-1970s Carpenters live albums as well as innumerable compilation albums. For instance, it appeared on the Carpenters's 2004 SACD compilation, The Singles: 1969–1981 (not to be confused with the regular CD, The Singles: 1969–1981), as a remix of the original 1973 mix on the similarly titled compilation The Singles: 1969–1973."

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Sgt Commander, Dav Chapter #90
Sgt (Join to see)
>1 y
Wow! LTC Stephen F., that was some response I try to do a good job of selecting quality music & you fo an outstanding job of providing the lyrics and awesome back story... I am both amazed & honored that you take the time to respond so magnificently! Thank you Stephen!
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SPC Douglas Bolton
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Sgt (Join to see) Such an incredibly great voice.
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Sgt Commander, Dav Chapter #90
Sgt (Join to see)
>1 y
She was a gift from God and we enjoyed that gift for only a relatively short time SPC Douglas Bolton!
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SSG Donald H "Don" Bates
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I loved the Carpenters!!! Tragic loss of Karen!!!
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