This was written by the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was originally released as the B-side of "Blue Guitar" by Richard Chamberlain in 1963.

Dusty Springfield recorded an early version of this in 1964, which was originally scheduled for release as a single, and potential follow-up to her hit "I Just Don't Know What To Do with Myself." However, it wasn't until 3 years later, in 1967, that it finally was released on her album Where Am I Going?.

The Carpenters signed with A&M Records in 1969, which was co-owned by Herb Alpert. Burt Bacharach asked Alpert to record the song himself, but he didn't feel comfortable with the lyrical content "Moondust in your hair," and instead produced a new arrangement for The Carpenters. This was the first of a string of hits for The Carpenters. They dominated Easy Listening radio in the early '70s.

The Carpenters' first single was a cover of The Beatles' "Ticket To Ride," which hit #54 in the US. This was their second single.