The Carpenters’ Timeless Love Song That Started as a Simple Commercial Jingle

The Carpenters were known for their romantic ballads, but one of their most beloved love songs has a surprisingly unexpected origin story.

In 1970, “We’ve Only Just Begun” hit No. 2 on the Billboard charts. The song would go on to become one of Karen and Richard Carpenter‘s most romantic ballads, but it didn’t start out that way.

American Songwriter reported that advertising executive Hal Riney was hired by Crocker Bank hired him to develop a new ad campaign. They were interested in attracting younger customers and thought a contemporary song would do the trick.

Therefore, songwriter Roger Nichols was employed along with Paul Williams to write a jingle that fit the bank’s vision. Nichols told The Paul Leslie Hour, “Paul and I got this request from, well, from Crocker Bank in California to write a song for a wedding ceremony. So we wrote, ‘We’ve Only Just Begun,’ just the first two verses.”

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He continued, “Well, they played it on the radio and on television, and Richard Carpenter picked up on it. He said, “Oh, I like that song.”

“And in the meantime, Wells Fargo, Crocker Bank had come back and said, ‘We want a full song to give to our clientele.’ So in the meantime, Paul and I had written the bridge and the last verse ‘We’ve Only Just Begun.’ done. So when Richard called us, I said, “We have a full song.” So we played it for him and the rest is history. Interesting stuff.”

“We’ve Only Just Begun” was a massive hit for The Carpenters. They performed it at the 1971 Grammy Awards ceremony, where they won the award for Best New Artist.

“We’ve Only Just Begun” would go on to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. The official website states that “The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was established by the Recording Academy’s National Trustees in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts.”

Karen and Richard Carpenter would log three No. 1 hits: “Top of the World,” “Please Mr. Postman,” and “Yesterday Once More.” They would hit the Top 10 a total of 11 times between 1970 and 1974.

Karen Carpenter died at the age of 32 in 1983. Richard Carpenter still performs occasionally and keeps the band’s legacy alive.