"Hurting Each Other" is a song popularized by the Carpenters in 1972. It was originally written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell in 1965, and was recorded multiple times by artists from Ruby and the Romantics to Rosemary Clooney.

Previous versions

One early version of the song was recorded by Jimmy Clanton and released in 1965 as a single on Mala Records. According to Richard Carpenter, this version of "Hurting Each Other" had a very different feel from the Carpenters' product.

Chad Allan & The Expressions, who later became The Guess Who, also recorded the song in 1965 on their Canadian LP, "Hey Ho (What Yo Do To Me)."

A version of "Hurting Each Other" also appeared on The Walker Brothers' second album, Portrait, which was released in 1966. However, the song was apparently not released as a single.

Carpenters' version

The Carpenters apparently recorded "Hurting Each Other" in the very end of 1971. Some footage of Richard and Karen performing the backup vocals can be seen on "Jerry Dunphy Visits the Carpenters," when news anchor Jerry Dunphy went to Karen and Richard Carpenter's house and interviewed them and their parents about their life. It was released as a single in early 1972, taken from the album A Song for You, and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Easy Listening chart.

The Carpenters performed "Hurting Each Other" on many live concerts, including a shortened version from the "Live in Osaka" concert in 1974. the song was included on the 1972 album 'A Song For You' - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_for_You_(Carpenters_album)

Chart	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	1
Record World	1
Canadian Singles Chart	2
Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart	56
UK Singles Chart	-

References