I Need to Be in Love

"I Need to Be in Love"
Cover to the Carpenters' single, "I Need to Be in Love"
Single by The Carpenters
from the album A Kind of Hush
B-side	"Sandy"
Released	May 21, 1976
Format	7" single
Recorded	1976
Genre	Pop
Length	3:25 (single version) 3:49 (album version)
Label	A&M
Writer(s)	Richard Carpenter; John Bettis; Albert Hammond
Producer(s)	Richard Carpenter
The Carpenters singles chronology
"There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" (1976) "I Need to Be in Love" (1976) "Goofus" (1976)
A Kind of Hush track listing Side one "There's a Kind of Hush" "You" "Sandy" "Goofus" "Can't Smile Without You" Side two "I Need to Be in Love" "One More Time" "Boat to Sail" "I Have You" "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"

"I Need to Be in Love" is a song written by Richard Carpenter, Albert Hammond and John Bettis. It was released as a single on May 21, 1976. It was featured on the A Kind of Hush album, which was released on June 11 of the same year. The single featured a version without the piano lead-in and starts immediately with a flute introduction by David Shostac.^[1] Richard Carpenter recalled that it was Karen Carpenter's favorite Carpenters song.^[2]

The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 12 at number 55,^[3] and peaked at number 25.^[4] It peaked at number 36 on the UK charts.^[5] In 1995, it was released as a CD single in Japan, after being chosen for the theme song of the drama Miseinen. It was taken from the best-selling compilation 22 Hits of the Carpenters (promoted as a double A-side with "Top of the World"). Richard Carpenter claims that "It became one of the biggest sellers of 1995, ultimately going quadruple platinum. In more ways than one, Karen would have loved that!"^[2] "I Need to Be in Love" was also the Carpenters' fourteenth number one on the Easy Listening chart.^[6]

Personnel

• Karen Carpenter - lead vocals
• Richard Carpenter - piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, harpsichord, Hammond organ, orchestration
• Joe Osborn - bass
• Tony Peluso - electric guitar
• Jim Gordon - drums
• Earle Dumler - English horn
• Gayle Levant - harp
• David Shostac - flute
• The O.K. Chorale - backing vocals

Cover versions

• Filipino bossa nova singer Sitti recorded a cover of this song for her second album My Bossa Nova.
• This song was sung by the Pakistani pop singer Hadiqa Kiyani as a tribute to the Carpenters.
• Japanese female singer Chihiro Onitsuka covered the song for her 2012 cover album Famous Microphone.
• Korean jazz duo Winterplay covered the song for their 2010 album Touché Mon Amour.
• In 2016, Dami Im recorded a version for her album Classic Carpenters.

Chart performance

Chart (1976)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	25
US Billboard Easy Listening	1
Canadian Singles Chart	31
Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart	62
UK Singles Chart	36
Chart (1995)	Peak position
Oricon	5

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1976 (U.S.)

References

1. "A Kind Of Hush | The Carpenters Complete Recording Resource". Carpenters.amcorner.com. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
2. "Carpenters •• I Need To Be In Love". Richardandkarencarpenter.com. 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
3. "The Hot 100". Billboard. June 12, 1976. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
4. "I Need to Be in Love" USA chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
5. Carpenters UK chart history, The Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 48.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics