If I Were a Carpenter

Don't tell anybody, but I really really like The Carpenters. Yes, Karen needed a hug and a cheeseburger; Yes, Richard was a little bitch who drank too much and was in love with jealous of Karen, but still had his own talents too--but I just really enjoy their sound.

You can see the "bitch" in his beady little eyes.

Recently, I stumbled upon a compilation disk full of Carpenters' covers by artists such as 4 Non Blondes, The Cranberries, and Grant Lee Buffalo. Naturally, my goal is to purchase it, covet it, and listen to it on repeat this entire summer. But that's only part of my great summer project for 2011.




If you know anything about me (yet again), then you'll know that one of my favorite groups is The Four Tops. One of my favorite songs is their rendition of "If I Were a Carpenter." In my opinion, it is the best version. Of course, I've only heard four versions. I decided to wiki the song and look up the various covers--to my great surprise, everyone... and I mean everyone has covered the song, not just the usual suspects Johnny Cash and June Carter--but Neil Diamond, Elton John, and Dolly Parton have lent their voices to the song.

I'll never let the sun go down on Elton!

Thus, the goal this summer: Listen to every single cover ever recorded or performed of "If I Were a Carpenter." To accomplish this goal, I'm thinking of listening to at least one version for every day of the summer. I will then write down the names of the artists so that I might keep track. The culmination of my summer project will then involve burning a cd of "If I Were a Carpenter" covers that I will make copies of and distribute to people I know.

Ted, of course, will be first on my list.