In the song, at least the line “when there’s no getting over that rainbow” might confirm that we are dealing with human social relations, and not divine interventions. Still, this can be viewed as forming relationships for protection, in pursuit of something greater. In the christian world this is the “holy spirit”. If the album makes this point somewhat inconsistently, then it may be the expression of just what Badiou sees as the inconsistency in Pasolini’s St. Paul. Donny Hathaway recorded the song for his second album Donny Hathaway, featuring orchestral string and woodwind parts arranged by Arif Mardin. Hathaway's producer Jerry Wexler wrote that this version revealed why Mardin was known for the "fastest growing reputation among the new breed of arrangers..." [6] Hathaway's gospel-inflected interpretation has been praised as redefining the song as his own. His live performances were electrifying, evoking a near-religious experience for the audience. [7] [8] American album certifications – Carpenters – A Song for You". Recording Industry Association of America.

Andy Williams recorded the song for his covers album, You've Got a Friend. His version rose to number 29 on the Easy Listening chart (today's Adult Contemporary) in September 1971. [4] At the same time it hit number 82 on the main pop singles chart. [5] They Long to Be) Close To You” was a breakthrough song for the duo. It was a chart success – No. 1 on the Billboard charts for four weeks in 1970 – and earned a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus a year later, when Richard and Karen beat The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel to the trophy. By the time the Carpenters made their fourth studio album A Song For You, their place in the firmament of pop music was so assured that they were able to approach it as a broad-based concept record. The previous two years had brought massive acclaim for Richard and Karen’s work, and an almost unbroken chart presence. Knox, Teresa (March 14, 2018). "6 Things You Might Not Know About Leon Russell's "A Song For You" - The Church Studio". thechurchstudio.com/.Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Archived from the original on 2015-02-04 . Retrieved 2012-02-19. Whitney Houston recorded an uptempo version of the song for her final studio album I Look to You. Houston also performed a slowed-down version of the song in 1991 at her Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston concert. It was reported that Russell was so moved by the performance that he personally wrote her a letter expressing his admiration of her rendition of his song. [18] I Won’t Last a Day Without You” could be the most problematic song for my interpretation of the album. It follows the very atheistic theme that the scariest thing in the world is the otherness of strangers. But the refrain goes: “I can take all the madness the world has to give / but I won’t last a day without you.” From one angle, this has the trappings of a Jesus song. Yet, if we commit to my interpretation of the album as a whole, maybe the song can be read along those lines, as being about the sense of collective emancipatory potential in non-divine personal relationships. That is, the power of two is collectively greater than what the power of one, alone, can withstand. In a foreword to an edition of the Pasolini St. Paul screenplay, philosopher Alain Badiou notes:

A Song for You" has been covered many times since its release. The most notable versions include the following: The reaction to this innovation was not universally positive. When Carpenters first heard the music on the radio, a DJ joked about them “doing a Jimi Hendrix song.” They also received mail from fans upset at a perceived musical heresy. Carpenters’ ambition and experiments Schmidt, Randy (2012). Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. Omnibus Press. p.118. ISBN 9780857127693.Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. In our world, in fact, truth can only make its way by protecting itself from the corrupted outside, and establishing, within this protection, an iron discipline that enables it to ‘come out’, to turn actively towards the exterior, without fearing to lose itself in this. The whole problem is that this discipline . . . , although totally necessary, is also tendentially incompatible with the pureness of True. Rivalries, betrayals, struggles for power, routine, silent acceptance of the external corruption under the cover of practical ‘realism’: all this means that the spirit which created the Church no longer recognizes in it, or only with great difficulty, that in the name of which it was created.” As the duo’s global stature grew, the album became a triple platinum sensation in the US alone. “Top Of The World” became another flagship single from it in 1973. Remarkably, the LP yielded its last 45, “I Won’t Last A Day Without You,”on April 13, 1974. That was fully 21 months after A Song For You was released. The Carpenters (February 3, 2013). "A Song for You Live". YouTube: Beverwyk. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.

World, Jimmie Tramel Tulsa (January 18, 2018). "Pop culture: Leon Russell song selected for Grammy Hall of Fame". Tulsa World . Retrieved April 23, 2021.

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The album's biggest hit single, the number one song " Top of the World", was not issued until over a year after the album's release. [ citation needed] According to Richard Carpenter, who co-wrote the song with John Bettis, the reason for the song's late release in the US was that he had misjudged the song's commercial appeal, but was proven wrong when the Carpenters' "Top of the World" became a hit in Japan in 1972 and Lynn Anderson's cover reached number 2 on the US country charts in 1973. The song went through a few minor revisions, including a slight remix, before it was finally released as a single in the US. The Carpenters' treatment of the much-covered Paul Williams/ Roger Nichols composition " I Won't Last a Day Without You" also got a belated single release in 1974, and peaked at number eleven on the Hot 100. [ citation needed] Amy Winehouse recorded a soulful version from her home that was included on the posthumous Lioness: Hidden Treasures compilation album. She specifically covered the Donny Hathaway version and references him at the end of the recording. [19] Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) – Albums Chart Daijiten – Carpenters". a-カーペンターズ (in Japanese). 2007-12-30 . Retrieved 2012-02-21. [ permanent dead link] Six songs were released as A-side singles internationally: " Hurting Each Other", " It's Going to Take Some Time", " Goodbye to Love", " Top of the World", " I Won't Last a Day Without You", and " Bless the Beasts and Children". Nathan Poppe, "Leon Russell's 'A Song For You' added to Grammy Hall Of Fame", The Oklahoman, January 17, 2018.

They also had the ear to choose Carole King’s “It’s Going To Take Some Time.” The great writer had just released on her Music album on Ode, distributed at the time by A&M. That, of course, was where Richard and Karen had their home. The song went to No.12, and by the time A Song For You was released, the Carpenters were riding high with another single from the set. It was the superb “Goodbye To Love,” which became one of their best-loved songs. The ballad was admired for the duo’s outstanding harmonies, Karen’s faultless lead vocals, and Tony Peluso’s spectacular fuzz guitar solo. On January 17, 2018, "A Song for You" was added to Grammy Hall of Fame. [2] [3] Notable cover versions [ edit ] A Song for You is considered by many fans to be the duo’s finest album. The first side is for Karen. Her voice is the centerpiece. This, however, is no surprise. Her voice was always the most brilliant feature of all the Carpenters’ hits. Side two, though, is for Richard. He was a talented arranger. Across the album, without being showy or gratuitous, he manages to work in a saxophone solo, a flute solo, an electric guitar solo, layers of acoustic piano and Wurlitzer electric piano, strings, and more. As to the “more,” his biggest stroke of genius is the use of an oboe and cor anglais. Playing sweet melodies, as on “Goodbye to Love,” the woody yet sour timbre of the instruments are the ideal expression of the emotional tone of numerous songs on the album. The instrumental “Flat Baroque” builds from (as the title implies) a baroque chamber pop song to include touches of light jazz. Later on, “Crystal Lullaby” has more Euro-classical orchestration. Then “Road Ode” displays a faculty for convincing contemporary, orchestrated pop jazz (like Antonio Carlos Jobim‘s Wave). “Top of the World” is country — this album version sounds more country than the single version. If there is a glaring flaw anywhere, it is the latin easy listening horn arrangements that arrive in jarring fashion in a few places.The Official Charts Company – Carpenters – A Song for You" (PHP). Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2012-02-19.