I Need to Be in Love - Carpenters (1976)

Today, we return to the '70s for a Great Song of 1976 I was sure I highlighted at some point over the past 5 years, but much to my surprise and chagrin...I somehow overlooked it!

And it's not like "I Need to Be in Love" from the Carpenters' "Kind of Hush" album is obscure--the song was actually a #1 hit on the Adult Contemporary Charts in both Canada and the US!

It's truly one of Karen's most beautiful vocals, and the arrangement by Richard is lush and gorgeous (as always) complete with flute and English horn--an instrument you don't hear very often in a pop song.

There is one bit of interesting trivia that comes with the song:

The Carpenters were always a beloved American act in Japan, and although "I Need to be in Love" didn't originally chart there, it took the country by storm in 1995, when it was used as the theme song for a TV drama called "Miseinen"

From there, it reached #5 on the Japanese chart, and according to Richard, it went quadruple-platinum. In Japan, that translates into more than 2 million copies sold!

"I Need to Be in Love:" a Great Song of 1976 in the the US and Canada...and 1995 in Japan!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE5-qtTfF1I

Tomorrow: Babs & Barry