1971 Pop Song, Covered by Bette Midler, Remains One of The Carpenters’ Biggest Hits
By Lucille Barilla
Sept 9, 2026
Remarkably, in 1971, a few minutes of late-night television featuring Bette Midler changed pop history.
When Richard Carpenter caught Bette Midler performing “Superstar” on The Tonight Show in 1971, he instantly knew he’d found a hit. Written by Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett, the melancholy ballad felt tailor-made for his sister Karen Carpenter’s unforgettable voice.
Long before it became a soft-rock standard, \”Superstar\” was originally written in 1969 as \”Groupie (Superstar).\” In early 1971, the melancholy ballad gained new life when Bette Midler delivered a mesmerizing performance on late-night television.
Richard recognized the quiet heartbreak embedded in its melody. He swiftly arranged a version tailored specifically to Karen’s voice.
The song captured the heartbreaking, isolated point of view of a fan pining for a rock star after the concert lights went down. Its original title was “Groupie Superstar,” giving the song a more risque slant than the Carpenters’ recording.
American Songwriter reprinted a quote from Richard, found in the liner notes of the group’s box set, From The Top, about the song’s origins. “Late one evening during the period in which we were recording our third album, I happened to tune in to The Tonight Show,” he explained.
“Bette Midler, who was then relatively unknown, was guesting and, on this particular show, sang ‘Superstar.’ I felt the song was a hit and a natural for Karen.”
When Karen stepped up to the microphone, her hauntingly tender delivery turned the track into a masterpiece of pop sadness. According to American Songwriter, she famously laid down the lead vocal in a single take, singing the lyrics off a handwritten napkin as she read them for the very first time.
To keep the song in line with the group’s wholesome image, Richard made a subtle line tweak. According to Songfacts, he changed the original, suggestive phrase “I can hardly wait to sleep with you again” to the more radio-friendly “I can hardly wait to be with you again.”
“For some reason that tune didn’t hit me in the beginning,” Karen said in an interview reprinted by Songfacts. “It’s the only one. Richard looked at me like I had three heads. He said: ‘Are you out of your mind?’ When I heard his arrangement of it, I fell over, and now it’s one of my favorites too.”
The Carpenters’ version climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and this success helped link Bette Midler’s early rise to one of the decade’s defining ballads. Critics note that the arrangement amplified the song’s emotional reach while spotlighting Midler’s emerging star power, a connection that endured as pop culture remembered the era’s iconic sounds.
Decades later, its legacy remains undisputed, and it earned a spot on a 2026 American Top 40 retrospective celebrating the greatest hits of the 1970s. It continues to influence artists across genres and remains a touchstone for fans of the era.
This story was originally published by Parade on Sep 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
