[The Sparkle of Youth] Trivia Quiz About the Carpenters

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and have been contributing to music magazines and web media for over 15 years. Although Western music is my main field, I always strive to stay curious with the motto, “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in a band, where I was a bassist responsible for songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve performed on include bass, guitar, and piano. I resumed piano lessons after turning 40 and have been continuing ever since!

When asked which Western music artists are most beloved in Japan, many people would probably name the Carpenters.

The Carpenters—siblings Karen Carpenter, who possessed an overwhelmingly beautiful singing voice, and Richard Carpenter, an outstanding composer, arranger, and pianist—were a legendary group that scored record-breaking hits in the 1970s and left numerous timeless classics in music history.

In this feature, we present fun facts, trivia, and fascinating episodes about the Carpenters in a quiz format!

They’re so famous they appear in textbooks, yet some people may know the songs but not much about the group itself.

If that’s you, be sure to check this out!

[The Brilliance of Youth] Trivia Quiz about the Carpenters (11–20)

Many artists have covered the Carpenters’ classic songs, but in Japan there is actually a version covered in a certain dialect. Which dialect is it?

Kansai dialect
Okinawan dialect
Tohoku dialect

See the answer

Kansai dialect

In 1996, a little-known release came out: Tears of the Builders, a Kansai-dialect collection of Carpenters covers by a singer named Naniwa Karen. It suddenly shot to fame after being featured on the popular TV show Trivia no Izumi in 2004. It’s now out of print and commands premium prices, but the playful Kansai-flavored Japanese translations—including the artist’s name and the album title—are still fondly talked about.

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In conclusion

Of course, the Carpenters’ timeless songs—still loved around the world today in the 2020s—are extraordinary and historically significant, but the siblings’ individual stories are also full of fascinating episodes.

Karen, in particular, is often defined by the tragedy of her death, yet I’d love to see renewed attention on her lively, carefree personality in her youth and the wide-ranging talents she possessed as a musician.