Sep 13, 20212 min read

Superstar - Carpenters (1971) 9/13/21

Lots of links to compare today! Click 'em all--and enjoy!

Today's "Great Song of 1971" was written by Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett, and was originally titled, "Groupie."

It's the story of a woman who had a one-night stand with a rock star, believed him when he told her he loved her, and has now become somewhat delusional. (This was a fictional story, but sadly quite true for many women who became involved with rock stars---as well as movie stars, politicians, and yes, even disc jockeys.)

Bonnie and her husband Delaney were the first to record it--retitled "Groupie (Superstar)." It was released as the "B" side of a song called "Coming Home," but didn't get any airplay. It did, however, catch the attention of Rita Coolidge, who added it to her set during Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" tour. That, in turn, caught the attention of Bette Midler, who then sang it on The "Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson."

Watching the show that night was Richard Carpenter, who KNEW the song would be perfect for Karen's voice. In short order, The Carpenters were in the studio recording it--but not for long, because Karen nailed it in ONE TAKE!

One change was made to the lyrics: instead of the line, "I can hardly wait to sleep with you again," Karen sang, "BE with you..."

Well, of course, the song, now called just "Superstar," went straight to the top of the Adult Contemporary Charts in both the US and Canada, as well as #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #3 on Canada's Top 40.

In 1984, Luther Vandross recorded a cover that reached #5 on the R & B chart, and in 2003, American Idol's Ruben Studdard recorded a version that was nominated for a Grammy!

"Superstar:" with or without the ("Groupie"), is definitely a "Great Song of the '70s..and beyond!"

Carpenters: