"If I Were a Carpenter" is a folk song written by Tim Hardin in the 1960s, and re-recorded with commercial success by various artists including Bobby Darin, The Four Tops and Johnny Cash.[1] Hardin's own recording of the piece appeared on his 1967 album Tim Hardin 2. It was one of two songs from that release (the other being "Misty Roses") performed by Hardin at Woodstock in 1969.[2] The song, believed by some to be about male romantic insecurity, is rumored to have been inspired by his love for actress Susan Morss, as well as the construction of Hardin's recording studio (in the home of Lenny Bruce).[3][1]
The first notable version of "If I Were a Carpenter" was released by Bobby Darin in September 1966.[5] The song was produced by Charles Koppelman and Don Rubin at Darin's insistence. Darin played the acoustic guitar on the recording. Darin took some time to record the song in his recording session, and did not finish the recording until 7 o'clock in the morning.[6] The song was released by Atlantic Records, whose executives were reluctant to release the song until it received enthusiastic response by radio audience on the West Coast when Koppelman manage to get the song played there.[6]
In 1968, The Four Tops hit the Top 20 on both the pop and soul charts with their version.[15] It also reached No. 7 in the UK charts in 1968 staying in the charts for 11 weeks.[16] It reached No. 4 in the Netherlands.[17]
Cash Box said that "Excellent arrangements put a punch into the rhythmic serving, and the vocal brilliance of the quartet transforms the ballad into molten blues with monster potential."[18]
French singer Johnny Hallyday covered the song in French in 1966. His version, titled "Si j'étais un charpentier", reached No. 3 in Wallonia (French Belgium).[36]
In 1967, Dutch-Swedish singer-songwriter Cornelis Vreeswijk wrote a Swedish translation of the song entitled "Om jag vore arbetslös", which he released as a single.[39]
In 1969, Yugoslav band Crveni Koralji released a Serbo-Croatian version, entitled "Da sam drvosječa", on their EP Sam, the song becoming a nationwide hit for the band.[40]
In 1974, Leon Russell released a version with a funk tempo and his own rewritten lyrics from the perspective of a "rock star".[1] His single reached No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100[43] and was included on his album Stop All That Jazz.[44]
In 1982, Swanee released a version. It peaked at number 5 on the Kent Music Report and was the 33rd biggest selling single in Australia in 1981.[45]
^Hanson, William (1998). "Bobby Darin". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 309–310.
