CAFFE` LATTE` TOP 2000 TRACKS

#111 WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN The Carpenters
Following up a song as infectious as "(They Long To Be) Close To You" was no mean feat. The Carpenters enjoyed their 1st global #1 hit with that song in 1970. Its flip side featured "I Kept On Loving You", a track Roger Nichols composed with lyricist Paul Williams. 
Richard Carpenter was watching TV when a commercial's jingle caught his attention. The bank ad targeted young couples. Carpenter enquired about the jingle's writers and discovered Williams and Nichols were responsible. The 2 composers had fleshed out a song and "We've Only Just Begun" had already been recorded by Mark Lindsay, the lead vocalist of the group Paul Revere and The Raiders. The soloist's version failed to chart. 
The Carpenters recorded their remake for inclusion on the 'Close To You' album. Jack Daugherty produced it. Although cheesy in parts, the duo's interpretation is irresistible. Released as a single in 1970, the disc spent a month at #2 in the USA on the Pop Chart. It enjoyed a 7-week reign atop the AC Chart there. In Canada, "We've Only Just Begun" reached #1. It peaked at #6 in Australia and 28 in Britain.
 Williams and Nichols wrote other hits for the duo, including "Rainy Days and Mondays" in 1971 and "I Won't Last A Day Without You" 3 years later. Richard and Karen would continue to chart into the 1980s, until her death in 1983.
 
This is a list made up of the songs I enjoy the most, ranked in order of preference: the higher we go, the more I cherish them. Some were released as singles, others as album tracks. Some are obscure; others were worldwide hits or have universal appeal. They aren't always the most famous or popular, but simply a personal choice. I have excluded songs from the last few years in order to get a better idea of a song's lasting impression. I hope you find some new tracks to love, or re-discover some past favourites.
A new song from the Top 200 is added each day, while another 2 are also included from positions 1501-2000 daily. Check back here every 12 hours for an update of the 2000.