It's no secret that the brother/sister duo known as the Carpenters was a major influence on my musical evolution…so much so that I found it was affecting my direction too much. So, in wry awareness, I threw together this little homage. Not exactly a parody, but not serious, either.

I sit down with some paper and I copy down some lines
I try to tell how much you mean to me
How very, very special and unique you really are
But somehow I can't capture your individuality

'Cause everything I sing sounds like the Carpenters
Every tune I write comes out the same
I try to be unique; that's the feeling that I seek
But I sound so much like Richard and like Karen it's a shame

When I was young, in high school, my feelings were my own
No one knew what it was like just to be me
I felt so independent knowing I could be alone
And brave to know that I was feelin' free

But then we met and somethin' that had not happened before
Happened, and at last I went along
And I felt the way they do in all the tunes that bore
A little sad to see the end of my own song.

'Cause every song I sing sounds like the Carpenters
Yeah, every tune I write sounds just the same
I knew I ask uniqueness of an all-conforming world
And no way I can ever place the blame

Yeah, every song I sing sounds like the Carpenters
Every melody comes out the same
For all I know, the superstars have all gone out for good
My own originality's now lame.