5. The CarpentersSuperstar

This is a song I heard on AM radio when I was a little kid, and it always really haunted me. It’s about this groupie – the original title was ‘Groupie (Superstar)’ – who falls in love with this rock star. Leon Russell, one of the greatest songwriters, co-wrote it with Bonnie Bramlett. The earlier version by Delaney & Bonnie had Eric Clapton playing on it, and it’s really good. But this is the version I’m kind of faithful to. Sonic Youth actually covered this song as well, and I definitely am a big Sonic Youth fan, but The Carpenters’ version to me is the definitive one, the one that I remember most. What an amazing and catchy chorus.

It’s haunting. It’s full of longing and even though they’re known as a very poppy band, and they were kind of uncool after Karen Carpenter passed away, when you really know the story she was singing from a very dark place, which makes those songs even more poignant when you go back and listen to them. I saw a documentary about The Carpenters and it was really fascinating, because she was a drummer at first. Their whole rise to fame and their story is actually very interesting. That song was a beautiful song, and it still is.