Carmen, Eric - Let's Pretend Lyrics

they sound a little bit like the Beach Boys😂😂😂👍💚💚💕💕😍💯💯♥️💚🤔💞💞❣️

"Beautiful haunting song!" 😍😍😍😍😍💯💯💯👍👍👍♥️💙💙💜💯🤔🔥🔥

Eric Carmen Is the Raspberries... Pure Magic

There was a lot of shity music in the 70s. However these guys shine like diamonds in a pile of crap. They rocked in a decade with a lot of Schmaltz

And don't get me wrong I grew up in the 70s

This video gave me the chills swear to God. Privilege to grow up during that period of music

Eric was quite the singer and looker with that helmet of hair! Loved the Rasperries and I always got the feeling he was goofing on us all - to get over on the top 40 AM scene which prevailed at the time.

What's really great about this video is that Eric Carmen (and the guys) are really singing (to the music track). Eric doesn't miss a note - not even the high ones. And his treatment of the song is different enough from the recording to be ear candy, yet close enough to retain the magic & charm of what they accomplished in the studio. (Hats off to Jimmy Ienner for superb production of the Raspberries records!) If you like this, check out "Go All The Way" and "Tonight" (Raspberries)... and Eric Carmen's solo stuff: "All By Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "Sunrise", "Change of Heart" and the somber but beautiful "Boats Against The Current".

Love this song! Amazing voice! He sings the high notes in “full voice “ not many singers can do it

Can't beat this kind of artistic composition or put anything that is on the radio today up against it. The radio now displays DECOMPOSITIONS by rank amateurs and talent mocking buffoons. I wish the audio back then has the recording quality we have today. Now we have the best recording quality that the 60's and 70's could only dream of and we have virtually nothing worth recording. Sad but true!

Out of so many great songs, I think this is the bands finest moment. You cannot write anything better than this in terms of melody and arrangement. Eric is as talented as Elton John, Paul McCartney, or anyone else you can name. His chord progressions would probably baffle most super stars of today.

Nice harmonies from David Smalley, Wally Bryson and Jim Bonfanti.

the best of eric carmen.........also the theme song from dirty dancing movie....so many good songs.....

My brother took my 45rpm and gave it to his girlfriend. I was 17, he was 14. The girl 14 too. To the date I think it was like a Robin Hood act. But...

So, so many great bands from this era.

Every now and then, a golden oldie will come on the radio and stay in my head for days. This time, it's "Let's Pretend". What a great song!

Don't forget Wally, his intros and guitar tone got guitar freaks like me on board with this band in the 70's and they are still in my top 10 of all time. This was their finest moment.

Eric Carmen is a very good song writer love the song but like the bay city rollers version better

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Amazing song! One of my very favorite 'Berries songs!

I love this song. And dot.

Ｉ love this song 🎵(^^)d

This should have been a massive, massive hit. Seriously, one of the top 5 greatest melodies ever written by anybody.

More and more I appreciate REAL music that the humanity hasn't been autotuned out of it. The little vocal "foibles" are terrific.

Eric Carmen is magnificent! Full voice!

Man where's the autotune!? LOL

I love, love, love this song!

Oh,Wonderful!!

Almost sounds like the early Beach Boys. But better. Love these guys.

We've all been there .... the moments that you never want to end ....... Eric makes them come alive with his voice - he makes you feel every feeling you've ever had !!!!!!!

My personal favorite Raspberries Tune. Beachboys,Beatles and Byrds all in one song. BRILLIANT! Cleveland Rocks, So happy that I was able to meet Wally at a gig many years ago as my band opened for The Secret. He was very kind as I was
star struck!LOL

used to go,see them at the hullabaloo in chesterland Ohio . . .best days of my life

I have fallen in love with Eric Carmen all over again!

took my daughter on new years eve in Cleveland at the house of blues. she was front and center. one of the best things I ever done for her. a great memory. can we have another

Great Song!

I was 10 years old back then , so maybe you'll forgive me if I can't help but sometimes Imagine Henry Rollins delivering this song in deadpan fashion.

Raspberries were one of my favs growing up in the 70's.Right after the post Beatles breakup,groups like the Raspberries,Badfinger, and any group with a Beatles flavour were the best back then. Miss and took for granted those good times.Compared to today the 1970's was like heaven !!!!!!!!!What happened to music,values,society and down to earth normal people.I as well as other baby boomers are so fortunate to have lived back then.That was really living,not like the self absorbed way people live today.Peace !!!!!!!

It reminds me of Keane...

great music & memories

GO ALL THE WAY just about greatest song of all time.and this is my sec favourite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The greatest Power Pop group ever!

Beautiful....

just love the raspberries have done since '73 when i heard "Go All The way".

david clarke Hey, Dave Clark. I love your band, too! Catch Us If YouCan, Glad All Over, Because, etc. You guys were great! LOL.

Beatiful music...

Excelente!!!! Siempre seguiré siendo fan de Eric Carmen y Raspberries.

I bought several raspberries 45s in the early 70s. to me they are right there with badfinger in gorgeous power pop pantheon

DONALD TRUMP COULD INVITE THE RASPBERRIES TO SING FOR HIS INAUGURATION! EVERYONE WOULD BE SO HAPPY! ALSO FRANK VALLIE AND 4 SEASONS!

This is a great song! Wish those times were still with us! They had a special meaning!

love this man and his music. He is so dam gorgeous !!!!

H awks Nest

What has happened to all the girl and boy bands we used to listen too?  What has happened to the real music?  The drivel we hear now makes me miss the 60's, 70's and 80's.  Thank you Youtube for giving me great music to listen to.

From Wikipedia: "Eric Carmen stated that "Let's Pretend" is one of the best melodies he has ever written, and that he reused part of it for his first solo hit, "All By Myself." He said the song lyrics about young people in love dreaming about eloping and making a life together are a recreation of the concept in Beach Boys' song "Wouldn't It Be Nice." "

I think the Beach Boys inspiration is part of the secret sauce that makes this song so wonderful and enduring. And the jangling guitars. A great pop song.

ClubViking63 agree

bwworld the 70's were a great time to be in love. This song came out when I was in the 9th grade and in love with my first love

@ClubViking63 er...check out "Student Demonstration Time" Club. Might change your mind.

ClubViking63 This might be difficult for most people to believe. But, most of The Beach Boys songs were actually played by professional studio musicians. Yes, that’s right. The singing was done by The Beach Boys. If you can, watch the DVD entitled, “The Wrecking Crew”. It will open your eyes as to who “really” played their own instruments, and who didn’t.

Well, I believe Mr. Carmen may have been fibbing a little as the melody to "All by myself" is a direct rip-off form Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto, Second Movement ("Adagio Sostenuto", C minor modulating to E Major) composed in 1891. None the less, this is one of his best (if not his absolute best...All by Myself) works most especially the longer symphonic version which is hard to come by (no disrespect of Mr. Carmen he knows a beautiful melody when he hears it).

VIAICOM GIVE US THE FILM OF THE RASPBERRIES ON THEATERS AND THEIR STORY PLS TYVM

I don't get it. Listening to this song is near torturous for me, and yet it's supposedly what Eric Carmen based his hit single "All by Myself" on, which I enjoy very much and consider far superior to Celine Dion's version. I suppose it'd be interesting to hear if anyone felt the REVERSE sentiment; that is, liked this song "Let's Pretend" and strangely did NOT like "All by Myself" ... Honestly puzzled here.

"Let's Pretend" is a pop masterpiece, and one of 'Berries' best, but Eric felt it underachieved as a single. He re-arranged it two years later as a slow, introspective ballad which the band performed in their final days. Shortly after he "borrowed" a bit of the melody for the chorus of "All By Myself", which sold a million copies and was recorded by several other artists. Personally I much more fond of the original version of "Let's Pretend" and his work with Raspberries than any of Eric's solo hits.

Eric Carmen, is great!!! What a voice!!! The raspberries wouldn't even exist without his voice........

Thank you for your information. I appreciate your kind answer to my statement.........

But Brian Wilson could also sing with a deep base-voice, that is a difference. But I can not neglect Eric´s falsetto singing, it is the purest and most wonderful!

Eric doesn't have a falsetto - he's actually hitting those highs with his natural voice. Years ago, when discussing with Brian Wilson his inability to sing in falsetto, Brian said "of course you can't, you're a natural tenor and tenors don't have a falsetto". When the Raspberries reformed in 2004, 29 years after this recording, Carmen had to sign Let's Pretend in a lower key, which is understandable. He has always been an absolutely incredible signer.

Never knew Eric Carmen was part of a group! Every time I hear this song, though, I was always reminded of him. And no wonder! :)

Nonsense.

When music was music. Sad what it has turned into today. The 70's comes alive again on UTube!

I remember hearing this song in the 70's on the radio several times as a boy and it always stayed n my head, not knowing the name of it and who sang it, some 40 some years later I found it here.

warren entner
james entner
dennis provisor
eric carmen
himiko hiki
michael mcbride

+joseph farris warren entner was in the grass roots. not the raspberries. same thing with provisor and i don't know who james entner is.

If you've never had a jangling 12 string Rickenbacker and beautiful harmonies soundtrack love in your life- well son, I feel for ya.

If you listen to The Byrds old songs you might find one or two songs with 12 string Rickenbackers.....

You are right, Steve. It gives an airy effect and makes a beautifulbackground to weave the melody over. This song is an excellentexample to that!

Shut up about three Rics already. We know!! Lol

ClubViking63 Most of the songs by the Byrds (the vinyl record versions), were played by professional studio musicians. That’s a fact. On stage, they played the instruments themselves.

I love this song, say no more!

One of the great songs of a great decade of music....

music is love

Ahhhh , yes !!!. LONG LIVE THE SUPER SEVENTIES !! GREAT DECADE, GREAT MUSIC ,AND JUST A GREAT TIME TO BE A KID GROWING UP.

Yes it was. I had this album on 8 track( remember those?) in my 65 mustang cruising the back roads of Ohio in the summer. Good times indeed.

Heavenly!!!

Love this song. He's a great singer

So many memories <3

Incredible how this sounds Live from back then. No overdubs, etc. Just pure musicianship and vocals.

I do believe it's lip-sync also but it's well done, its just to much like on the LP. Live performance offers more variations! Still this original recording is hard to beat.

Hardrockguy, you can fool some of the people... lol

@NoiseAnnoys That is live.

Some of it may be, but much of it is not. The sound changes dramatically at 2:07. That's live, I think, but before it is dubbed from the studio. Those absolutely aren't live backing vocals.

Too many harmony embellishments to be live.

Can't stop listening to this...over and over!

Me, too!!!!

this has to be their biggest hit......another classic song from the 70's

Jees, to be 13 years old again and play this over and over on a 45rpm on a cheap stereo.
The Raspberries influence on me in the early 70s can't be overstated.
Especially to a pimply teen in Upstate NY.

Agreed wholeheartedly...ah, to be 13 again.....

Love this group

Wow, what an excellent song. I haven't been able to get this song out of my mind the last two weeks and I'm enjoying it!-Thanks Raspberries

Wow! Thanks for posting. Such great live vocals. My favorite band of all time!!!

Are you joking? This is a lip--sync to the record.

listen to the recording maybe. This IS LIVE.

Nope.... this is live-- they are that good. If you listen carefully, there are variations in vocals from the original. Besides, Sugarman didn't allow lip sync in '73.

Raspberries and Dwight Twilley were the kings of Power Pop!!

Love love love this song

love, love love this song!!! <3

I love ERIC!!

Great song. This is what I miss about those years in the early seventies, the great pop bands like the raspberries.

They were never ashamed about their influences and flaunted them freely, especially on their fourth and last album, which is their best--"Starting Over"...

Great lead vocal from Eric Carmen!!

Beautiful song, still stays in my mind.

I'm glad a girl like the raspberries! :)

"They remind me of Badfinger"?  Like Creme Brulee reminds you of doggie do?

The version on the "Live on the Sunset Strip" reunion CD (mid 2000s) is sooooooooo good. Eric's voice "rounded," and Wally and Dave hold their harmonies flawlessly. 

What do you mean by 'rounded'? Thanks😊

I find Eric's vocals on the so-called "Live" album (most of which appear to be re-dubbed) to be strained and lacking color. In the case of "Let's Pretend" he wisely lowered the key several steps rather than attempt the notes heard in this performance.

Wonder if Eric can still hit those notes?lol

rick charles No, he can’t. The Berries regrouped and toured back in ‘94/‘95. He couldn’t quite hit the high notes. So he changed octaves when necessary.

Now he's breeding.

They remind me of Badfinger, from what I heard on my transistor radio when I was small.

Frankie Valli should man up and acknowledge his paternity of Eric.

They were so good.

I still want to know who won the Rollswagen?

An excellent video!

Definition: ERIC CARMEN, TRUE ARTST!!

My favorite song of theirs, thanks for posting.

Eric and Wally wrote most songs.

simply put it doesn't get much better than this in music. The Hold me Hold Me Hoooooollllllld Me part is pure bliss

Did Eric Carmen write their songs?

calalilygirl Carmen wrote most, including their 3 or 4 songs that “charted”.

Some songs just do that to ya! you're so right.

Listening to Eric Carmens voice gives Me a high better than any drug possibly could

Eric Carmen's voice is a national treasure.I get goosebumps every time I hear this song. Wish I could go back in time to 1973.

I couldn't agree more.

Too damn good! I'd almost forgotten this song.

Yeah for a few years Eric was out McCartneying Paul.Sounds like Paul singing a Brian Wilson song on this one.The Raspberrys were great,wish they had lasted a few more years longer.

I agree. That song had at least three great hooks. Should have charted higher.