(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
The Carpenters - "Please Mr. Postman"
Hit Number 1: January 25, 1975
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
I think it's time to officially call 1975 the year of the cover. We are only three songs in, and all three of these songs have been covers. It's also worth pointing out that in the mid-'70s, there was a sudden wave of nostalgia for old timey artists and rock and roll that was popular in the late '50s and early '60s. Basically the stuff that was popular before the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion came along and derailed most of it. The pre-Beatles era had some pretty good stuff, with some songs that could only be described as downright classics being released, but there was never any need for this stuff to become popular again on the Hot 100 in the '70s. I bring covers and pre-Beatles nostalgia up because the Carpenters' "Please Mr. Postman" is 2 for 2 in those regards.
As everyone ought to know, the Marvelettes got to #1 with their original version of "Please Mr. Postman" in 1961. That song was Motown's first ever chart-topper, and a crazy amount of success for that label would follow. It's been 2 years since I've reviewed that version of "Please Mr. Postman", but my opinion of the song hasn't changed. The Marvelettes' version is a perfectly fine piece of music, and its got those innocent early '60s girl group vibes down to a tee. Really though, that's all I got out of the original. I don't really consider the Marvelettes' version to be some amazing, classic recording. Honestly, there is no classic version of "Please Mr. Postman" in my eyes. It's a generic song about flagging down the postman because the narrator thinks they might still have a letter from their lover who's "so far away." The Carpenters, who despite only having two #1 hits to this point, had been on a hell of a ride in this era of music, and they fell victim to the random nostalgia overtaking pop music in this time. If you're them, and everything else had been working, why not give it a shot?
Just because I find this song to be generic, that doesn't mean there aren't great versions of it. The Beatles released their own version of "Please Mr. Postman", and while their version didn't chart anywhere, I still consider that to be the best version of the song. (I'm a Beatles fan though, so call me biased if you want. I'll leave a link to their version right here) As for the Carpenters' version, it's still pretty good. They put a much more modern twist on the song, for that time anyway, and Karen Carpenter's lead contralto fits the song rather perfectly. I happen to like it more than Gladys Horton's raspy lead vocal on the original, which is saying something cause that was my favorite thing about the Marvelettes' original. There's also an out-of-nowhere sax solo that gives the song some more life. Another key difference in this version is that it's more upbeat than the Marvelettes and even the Beatles' versions. I like how the Carpenters' version carries itself. There isn't a ton of awesome things for me to say about this version, but it's a neat little modernized version of an old song from 1961. That's perfectly fine.
As insane as the Carpenters' popularity was, it wasn't going to last forever, and the disco era would pretty much kill their popularity. "Please Mr. Postman" was the last big hit they had. The duo also had some pretty rough stuff going on behind the scenes, which was mainly Karen's anorexic problems. It's pretty well-documented what she went through, but what's especially sad is that she attempted to come back from her anorexia, and made a little bit of progress, but it was too late. She was already in too rough of shape, and she died of heart failure in 1983. The other half of the Carpenters, Richard, is still alive today, and after Karen's death, he attempted to start his own music career. He didn't fail at it, but he didn't get anywhere close to what him and his sister had accomplished. He needed Karen's contralto with him, and without it, it just couldn't work. But their version of "Please Mr. Postman" is a completely fine last chapter to what was a hell of a ride.
(I don't know this for a fact but they might very well hold the record for most #2 hits)
GRADE: 7/10
IN POP CULTURE:
I'm really not sure what to put here since the Carpenters' version is a cover itself. But, I was able to find a version performed by the Saturdays, which was for something called "Celebrating the Carpenters". So here's that:
(It appears that the Saturdays didn't chart in America, but they were much more successful in the U.K.)
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