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Song Stories

“We've Only Just Begun”

The Carpenters | 1970

This song, beautifuly sung by Karen Carpenter, was never intended to be a song at all. Written by veteran songwriters Paul Williams and Roger Nichols, it began as a TV jingle for a California bank, which caught Richard Carpenter’s ear. “I assumed that it would never, ever get cut again,” Williams told Rolling Stone. But when Carpenter asked if there was a full song attached to the jingle, Williams said yes, then rushed to actually finish the tune, which became one of the Carpenters' most enduring hits.

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“Toe Jam”
The BPA featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal | 2008
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“Goodbye to Love”
The Carpenters | 1972

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Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

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