Made in America (The Carpenters album)

Made in America
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 16, 1981
Recorded1978–1981
StudioA&M Studios, Los Angeles; mixed at Sound Labs and A&M Studios, Los Angeles[1]
GenrePop, adult contemporary
Length40:22
LabelA&M
ProducerRichard Carpenter
The Carpenters chronology
Christmas Portrait
(1978)
Made in America
(1981)
Voice of the Heart
(1983)
Singles from Made in America
  1. "I Believe You"
    Released: June 1978
  2. "Touch Me When We're Dancing"
    Released: June 19, 1981
  3. "(Want You) Back in My Life Again"
    Released: September 1981
  4. "Those Good Old Dreams"
    Released: December 1981
  5. "Beechwood 4-5789"
    Released: January 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Made in America is the tenth studio album by the American music duo The Carpenters, released in June 1981. Karen Carpenter died less than two years later, making it their final album released in her lifetime. It reached number 52 in the US and number 12 in the UK.

Karen played drums in the studio for the first time since Horizon, on the song "When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)", albeit in unison with veteran Nashville session drummer Larrie Londin, and she also played percussion on "Those Good Old Dreams" in tandem with Paulinho da Costa.

The album yielded their last Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hit, "Touch Me When We're Dancing", which peaked at #16. The album's other four singles, "I Believe You," "(Want You) Back In My Life Again," "Those Good Old Dreams," and "Beechwood 4-5789," were only minor hits, peaking at #68, #72, #63, and #74 respectively.

In 1985, Richard Carpenter said "that was Karen's favorite album and is mine, out of all our projects".[4]

  1. ^ The Carpenters - Made in America (1981) album at Carpenters.AmCorner.com
  2. ^ Eder, Bruce. "The Carpenters - Made in America (1981) album review, credits & releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 140. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone carpenters album guide.
  4. ^ Larry King Live - December 1985 - transcript