We've Only Just Begun: From a Bank Ad to Number Two
We've Only Just Begun started as music for a bank commercial.
Paul Williams and Roger Nichols wrote it in a single afternoon, and Richard Carpenter heard it on TV and asked for more.
The Carpenters released it on August 21, 1970, and it stopped at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
This page follows the song from the ad to the studio, the charts and the covers.
Karen and Richard Carpenter on stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, 1975, five years after the single.
Image credit: Photo by Kathleen Ballard, Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (UCLA Library).
We've Only Just Begun Began as a Bank Commercial
The story starts with an advertising man, not a songwriter.
Hal Riney, of the agency Hal Riney & Partners, wanted a bank commercial that told a story through music.
His team gave Williams and Nichols a slogan: "You've got a long way to go. We'd like to help you get there."
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Client | Crocker-Citizens National Bank, California |
| Agency | Hal Riney & Partners |
| Writers | Paul Williams (lyrics) and Roger Nichols (music) |
| Time to write | A single afternoon |
| Story on screen | A couple's wedding and the road ahead |
| What it left out | Direct references to the bank |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 20, 2026.
One Afternoon, Two Verses
Williams and Nichols wrote the song in one afternoon.
The TV version had two verses and no bridge.
The ad followed a couple from the wedding into married life and never mentioned the bank directly.
The Ad That Worked Too Well
Viewers asked to use the song at weddings and graduations.
The bank later dropped the commercial, because it mostly drew young adults without the collateral for loans.
That was not the market the bank was after.
A song about a couple's first day together turned out to suit a wedding better than a loan.
For more songs that fit a mood like that, try the Mood Song Matcher.
How the Carpenters Recorded We've Only Just Begun
Williams and Nichols did not have a finished song when the Carpenters found it.
They had a commercial.
A Voice Richard Carpenter Recognized
Richard Carpenter saw the ad and recognized Williams' voice.
He asked whether a full-length version existed.
Williams told him one did, which Wikipedia says was not true.
Williams later recalled in the book Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters: "We'd had some success with songs before, a few album cuts and some B-sides, but no singles."
Smokey Roberds and the Freddie Allen Single
An earlier single existed, though it did not go far.
Smokey Roberds, a friend of Nichols, recorded the song as Freddie Allen in March 1970.
It got little airplay.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Written by | Paul Williams and Roger Nichols |
| Artist | The Carpenters |
| Released | August 21, 1970, A&M Records |
| Album | Close to You (1970) |
| Producer | Jack Daugherty |
| B-side | All of My Life |
| Length | 3:05 |
| Genre | Soft rock |
| Hot 100 Year-End Rank | No. 65 of 1970 |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 20, 2026. Year-end rank from this site's Billboard Year-End Hot 100 data.
Who Played on the Session
Karen and Richard sang, and a small group of session players backed them.
- Karen Carpenter: lead and backing vocals.
- Richard Carpenter: co-lead and backing vocals, piano, Wurlitzer electric piano and orchestration.
- Joe Osborn: bass.
- Hal Blaine: drums.
- Doug Strawn: clarinet.
- Bob Messenger and Jim Horn: woodwinds.
- Tambourine and trumpets: players not credited.
Hear the 1970 Single
Press play and listen for the clarinet and the woodwinds under Karen's vocal.
You can also find We've Only Just Begun on the Listen Now jukebox.
We've Only Just Begun on the Charts: Number Two and Number One
The single came out three months after the duo's first number one.
It was their second straight top ten single.
The trade press liked it too: Cash Box praised its "delicious lyrics and a sparkling production."
Number Two on the Hot 100
The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, per Wikipedia.
This site's weekly Hot 100 data tracks only the number one song each week, so it has no weekly row for this single.
It finished 1970 at No. 65 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100.
The duo's single before it was Close to You, which spent four weeks at number one that summer.
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | No. 2 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) | No. 1 (7 weeks) |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | No. 1 |
| US Cash Box Radio Active Airplay | No. 3 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | No. 1 |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary | No. 1 |
| Quebec (ADISQ) | No. 4 |
| Australia | No. 6 |
| UK Singles Chart | No. 28 |
| Japan (Oricon) | No. 71 |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, charts section, checked October 20, 2026.
Peak positions from the Wikipedia article on the song. Japan's Oricon peak of No. 71 is in the table above.
Year-End Ranks in Four Countries
| Chart | Year-End Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada | No. 16 |
| US Cash Box | No. 57 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | No. 65 |
| Australia | No. 90 |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 20, 2026. The Billboard rank matches this site's Year-End Hot 100 data.
Gold, Silver and Late Honors
- The RIAA certified the single Gold in the US, for 1,000,000 units.
- The BPI certified it Silver in the UK, for 200,000 units.
- Wikipedia lists Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Best Contemporary Song.
- It entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
- Rolling Stone included it in its 2011 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
- UK viewers ranked it second in ITV's 2016 special The Nation's Favourite Carpenters Song.
To see what else ruled the year, read the top songs of 1970.
After 1970: The Video, the Covers and the Honors
The song kept finding new rooms after its chart run ended.
The 1971 Music Video
The duo shot a video in 1971 for the TV series Make Your Own Kind of Music.
It was filmed on a red stage with big yellow and white letters spelling "you."
- Karen sits and sings in the hanging letter U, in a white granny dress.
- Richard stands beside her in a pink shirt and white suit.
- Four other musicians stand near the O, two with guitars and two with tambourines.
Covers Worth Knowing
- Paul Williams recorded his own version for his 1971 album Just an Old Fashioned Love Song, and it differs from his ad recording.
- Bitty McLean released a version as a single on June 5, 1995, and it peaked at No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.
What the Carpenters Did Next
The duo kept climbing after this hit.
On August 1, 1972, Karen and Richard met President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office.
Karen and Richard Carpenter with President Nixon in the Oval Office, August 1, 1972.
Image credit: White House Photo Office, public domain, via the U.S. National Archives and Wikimedia Commons.
The rest of their hits are on Carpenters songs.
For a random pick from the same decade, the Random 70s Song Generator pulls one at random.
Or start from the whole decade at Music of the 70s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote We've Only Just Begun?
Paul Williams and Roger Nichols wrote We've Only Just Begun.
They wrote it in a single afternoon for a bank commercial, and the Carpenters released their version on A&M Records on August 21, 1970.
Williams wrote the lyrics and Nichols the music, and the pair became a songwriting team after this hit.
Was We've Only Just Begun written for a commercial?
We've Only Just Begun was written for a television commercial for Crocker-Citizens National Bank in California.
The ad followed a couple through their wedding and the road ahead, and it avoided direct mentions of the bank.
Richard Carpenter saw it on TV, recognized Paul Williams' voice and asked about a full version.
Did We've Only Just Begun reach number one?
We've Only Just Begun peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, so it did not reach number one there.
It did reach number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where it spent seven weeks on top.
Per Wikipedia, it also topped the Cash Box Top 100 and the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart.
Who sang We've Only Just Begun first?
Paul Williams sang the original commercial version, and Richard Carpenter recognized his voice in the ad.
Smokey Roberds then recorded a single of the song under the name Freddie Allen in March 1970, which got little airplay.
The Carpenters released their version on August 21, 1970.
Who played on the Carpenters' We've Only Just Begun?
Karen Carpenter sang lead, and Richard Carpenter sang co-lead and played piano and Wurlitzer electric piano.
Joe Osborn played bass and Hal Blaine played drums.
Doug Strawn played clarinet, and Bob Messenger and Jim Horn played woodwinds.
Tambourine and trumpets were also on the session, played by uncredited musicians.
Sources
- We've Only Just Begun, Wikipedia, for the commercial, the recording, chart peaks, certifications, honors, the video and covers.
- Paul Williams (songwriter), Wikipedia, for background on the lyricist.
- Roger Nichols (songwriter), Wikipedia, for background on the composer.
- Close to You (Carpenters album), Wikipedia, for the album the single came from.
- The Year-End Hot 100 rank comes from this site's own Billboard Year-End Hot 100 data.
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