In honor of Richard Carpenter‘s 80th birthday, Billboard shared a new ranking of the Carpenters best Hot 100 hits of all time, awarding the top spot to an emotional 1971 ballad.
Released as a single in April 1971 and later included as the opening track on their self-titled third studio album, Carpenters (or “The Tan Album”), the melancholic ballad titled “Rainy Days and Mondays” is considered to be the duo’s best chart hit of their career, at least according to Billboard.
“Rainy Days and Mondays,” written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams, climbed to a peak position at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It was blocked from hitting No. 1 by Carole King‘s smash hit “It’s Too Late”/”I Feel the Earth Move,” which spent a whopping five straight weeks at the summit.
Though it never reached No. 1, Billboard describes the Carpenters’ performance on “Rainy Days and Mondays” as a “study in control,” thanks to Karen’s “bluesy vocal,” while Bob Messenger‘s sax solo “enhances the recording’s jazz-tinged sophistication.”
The song ended up earning the Carpenters their second straight Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance By a Group in 1972. They also won the year prior with “(They Long to Be) Close To You.” Their album Carpenters was also nominated for Album of the Year, though they were once again blocked by King from coming out on top, as her legendary Tapestry album ultimately took home the win.
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Billboard released the new ranking on Richard’s 80th birthday on Thursday, October 15, unveiling a list of every song that the duo had on the Hot 100. Here’s how the outlet ranked all 28 singles, from worst to best.
Billboard’s Ranking of The Carpenters’ Hot 100 Singles, From Worst to Best:
- 28. “Beachwood 4-5789″
- 27. “Solitaire”
- 26. “(Want You) Back in My Life Again”
- 25. “Goofus”
- 24. “Sing”
- 23. “Please Mr. Postman”
- 22. “There’s a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)”
- 21. “Sweet, Sweet Smile”
- 20. “Touch Me When We’re Dancing”
- 19. “I Believe You”
- 18. “Those Good Old Dreams”
- 17. “Top of the World”
- 16. “It’s Going to Take Some Time”
- 15. “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft”
- 14. “All You Get From Love is a Love Song”
- 13. “Ticket to Ride”
- 12. “For All We Know”
- 11. “Goodbye to Love”
- 10. “I Won’t Last a Day Without You”
- 9. “Hurting Each Other”
- 8. “I Need to Be in Love”
- 7. “Yesterday Once More”
- 6. “Only Yesterday”
- 5. “(They Long to Be) Close to You”
- 4. “Merry Christmas Darling”
- 3. “We’ve Only Just Begun”
- 2. “Superstar”/”Bless the Beasts and Children”
- 1. “Rainy Days and Mondays”
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