Carpenters - We've Only Just Begun

Paul Williams on "We've Only Just Begun." "It had all the romantic beginnings of a bank commercial . Roger and I were approached by Crocker Bank. They were going to show a young couple getting married, their first kiss, the wedding reception and then riding off into the sunset. No voice over, just copy at the end that said, "You've got a long way to go. We'd like to help you get there." We wrote the first two verses of the song in the studio while we were working on something else. I remember writing the lyrics on the back of an envelope. It came together very quickly. We slapped it on the commercial. We added a bridge and 3rd verse just in case anyone ever wanted to cut it. It was never going to be a hit. Then Richard Carpenter heard it and cut it. 𝑨𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 and everything changed. Crocker Bank never had any of the publishing, so there was no problem with them wanting a cut of it. Quite the opposite, our publisher then went around and licensed the song to other banks for commercials all around the country. I meet a lot of people who've been married to "Begun." That's heart payment for a songwriter. To have been a part of something that important in someone's life. It makes you feel like you've done something worthwhile."