Bless the Beasts and Children (song)
| "Bless the Beasts and Children" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Back side of "Superstar" U.S. single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Carpenters | ||||
| from the album Bless the Beasts and Children and A Song for You | ||||
| A-side | "Superstar" | |||
| Released | August 12, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | late June 1971 | |||
| Studio | A&M Studios (Los Angeles, CA)[1] | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:09 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jack Daugherty | |||
| Carpenters singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| A Song for You track listing | ||||
13 tracks
| ||||
"Bless the Beasts and Children" is the theme song to the 1971 eponymous film performed by the Carpenters.
Composition
[edit]Barry De Vorzon composed the song at a residence in Lake Arrowhead, California, where he used to spend his weekends, after director Stanley Kramer gave him the screenplay of the film. At first he wrote a "beautiful melody" and then "loaded the lyric with all the terrible things we're doing to children and animals", but it "did not work". The next day he changed them to simpler lyrics that call to protect their innocence.[2]
Versions differences
[edit]The original soundtrack included two different versions of "Bless the Beasts and Children", the one by Carpenters and the other being an orchestral instrumental arrangement by composers Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr..
A slightly different version of the song was released on the Carpenters' 1972 LP, A Song for You on June 13, 1972.[3] The original soundtrack had a vibraphone playing the melody in the introduction, while the A Song for You version, also released as a single, contained an oboe stating the melody.
Richard Carpenter re-mixed the song for the inclusion on the 1985 compilation Yesterday Once More. Unklike the original, this version does not fade out in the end and also features a harder bass-line.
Release and reception
[edit]The song was featured on the B-side to the Carpentes single "Superstar". Billboard magazine listed the single as “Superstar/ Bless the Beasts and Children” on the Hot 100 after the song gained significant airplay, charting first at number 16 for the week of 11/20/71, and then number 21 for the week of 11/27/71.
Then "Bless The Beasts and Children" had its own run as an A-side charting on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually topping out at number 67.[4]
In order to promote it, the Carpenters performed it on their television series, Make Your Own Kind of Music, as "F" for "Film Music".[5]
"Bless The Beasts and Children" was nominated for a 1972 Academy Award for Best Song, but it lost to Isaac Hayes's "Theme from Shaft".
Personnel
[edit]- Karen Carpenter – lead and backing vocals
- Richard Carpenter – backing vocals, piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, orchestration
- Joe Osborn – bass guitar
- Hal Blaine – drums
- Tony Peluso – electric fuzz guitar
- Earl Dumler – oboe, English horn
- Uncredited – vibraphone, tambourine, temple blocks
Chart history
[edit]| Chart (1971–1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[6] | 25 |
| Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart | 85 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 as a B-Side | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 as an A-Side | 67 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 26 |
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[7] | 17 |
References
[edit]- ^ "A Song for You - Carpenters | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ DeVorzon, Barry (8 December 2011). "The Story Behind the Hit Bless the Beasts and the Children". Masterwriter.com. Event occurs at 2:49-4:17. Archived from the original (video) on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
- ^ Comparison between original soundtrack and the A Song for You LP
- ^ The Carpenters Summary
- ^ "Not Found シフトウェブへようこそ". Thecarpenters.tv. Archived from the original on 2007-02-23. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ^ "RPM Top AC Singles - October 30, 1971" (PDF).
- ^ "RPM Top AC Singles - April 16, 1977" (PDF).
