Karen Carpenter (Official Thread)

[ladyislingering]

I do this every single year, but here goes yet another. I have one up on MySpace, but this one will slightly differ a little just because, well, it's a music forum.

Karen Anne Carpenter
March 2nd, 1950 - February 4th, 1983.

The voice of an angel, the light of my record collection.
Completely pure, beautiful, and precious, inside and out.
Songs she sang are like old friends to me.
They accompanied me in times of great heartache, or perfect happiness.
They coloured my childhood, warmed my heart, and sometimes they still make me cry.

"When they get to the part where he's breaking her heart,
it can really make me cry,
just like before -
it's yesterday once more."



Official Website

Offering (later reissued as 'Ticket To Ride') (1969)
Close to You (1970)
Carpenters (1971)
A Song for You (1972)
Now & Then (1973)
The Singles: 1969-1973 (1973)
Horizon (1975)
A Kind of Hush (1976)
Passage (1977)
Christmas Portrait (1978)
The Singles: 1974-1978 (1978)
Made in America (1981)
Voice of the Heart (1983)
An Old-Fashioned Christmas (1984)
Lovelines (1989)
As Time Goes By (2003)


Some of my favourites:







I may never fully understand what could ever make the most beautiful woman in show business look at her reflection, and assess that it wasn't acceptable. However, some of the reason I love Karen so much is because I know the struggle.

I know the sickness. I know it so well. She is my role model, not only for how wonderfully perfect she was, but that voice . . . is simply otherworldly.

27 years ago Karen left this world.
It always saddens me to think about.
What I'm endlessly thankful for is the music, and the undying sunshine of her soul.

If there's some kind of existence beyond this, I'd only want to exist in it if Karen (and other voices of such a tender caliber) should happen to be serenading the masses of days passed.

I love you, Karen. Forever, and ever.




"Free as a song, singing forever."​

*I made this thread a day early so people could pack in photos, videos, and all kinds of beautiful things.

 

[LG]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

Love the Carpenters and it is sad that she passed away so young. She is definitely in my top ten female vocalists of all time Lady.

Nice thread Lady.

 

[Magic]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

Karen had a beautiful voice, but a lot of internal demons. I never really knew her entire story, but from what I do know, it is sad. She was beautiful, but didn't see it, and even more frightening is the fact she didn't like herself.

such a loss to the musical world!

 

[rtbuck]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

Beautiful job Lady is lingering!!!
...& of course I DO have a couple of my goofy stories (please don't take offense to the first one because I was young at the time & didn't know any better!!)

I have 3 sisters but one was married when I was 4 years old so she was out of the house. The 2 other sisters were complete opposites Sally was always the cool sister (& even at 60 she's still the same cool person) & listened to Brownsville Station,Alice Cooper, Edgar Winter, & King Floyd. Nancy who is now 55 listened to mainly Donny Osmond, David Cassidy, & The Carpenters. Of course now I can listen to Nancy's choices & enjoy them but growing up as a 10 year old I hated it & often made fun of it. Fast Forward to '83/'84 when I was 22 & a Rock & Roll Animal loving the whole Metal Scene. My mom was in the hospital & during her stay I met a nurse. I'd go visit my Mom but then me & this nurse would just sit & talk & before long we went out on a date. I always had my mixed tapes cranking in the car. One night we pulled into a dark apartment complex parking area(great place to be alone w/ a girl when your living at home) & the girl whispers to me "I have just the thing to listen to" as she pulled a cassette out of her purse & popped it in the cassette deck of my 1981 Dodge Omni 024. We started to embrace each other & all of a sudden..."Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear..." cranked out of the car stereo & I couldn't help it, I just burst out laughing & the poor girl was mortified. I felt horrible that I ruined the moment but I could not stop laughing, it just hit me wrong. We did go out a few more times but it didn't last that much longer.
(once again I appologize for that story & for the record I do own the Carpenters Gold which I really love every track. In a way the Carpenters kind of helped me with my wife in a roundabout way)

As I've said before my wife & I hung out a lot with the same crowd before we even thought about dating. Around 1988/89 besides working full time in a bakery department this one girl I knew got me a job at WECK 1230AM "The Music of Your Life" station as a Satellite Engineer. One of my jobs there was to Announce weather updates twice an hour (which we recorded our voices saying the weather & if there was no change we just played the same recording). Well my first day of training I didn't need to make a recording until the end of my shift. I called all of my family & friends to hear my voice come on over the airwaves at 1:50 in the afternoon. I was already home from work by about 1:40 & every radio in the house was tuned in & at 1:50 "The weather for Buffalo & all of Western NY..." cranked out & my weather report blended right into "On Top of the World" by the Carpenters. The phone kept ringing after that as my friends & family called me up to congratulate me. I picked up the phone at one point & I hear "Art this is Debbie..." in kind of a quiet nervous voice.Although we were kind of friends we had never spoke on the phone,we just as I said hung out in the same crowd. I was excited & full of energy and I said "Hi!! Did you just hear me on the radio??". She asked what I was talking about & then said that she was calling to ask me if I would be her date at a family wedding & I said "Sure!!!". We just went as friends & I shook her hand at the end of the night but we both kind of knew there was something there. We didn't start dating for a couple years after that but whenever I hear "On Top of the World" I can't help but think of my first phone conversation with my wife

My favorites by the Carpenters are "Top Of The World", "Superstar"(what a great singalong song this is & I mean it!that has to be one of the catchiest choruses ever),
"Ticket To Ride"(what an awesome & different cover),"Rainbow Connection","There's a Kind of Hush"(I always loved Hermans Hermits so of course I love this),& "Rainy Days & Mondays". For the record I am now cranking out "Top of the World"!

 

[ladyislingering]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

Love the Carpenters and it is sad that she passed away so young. She is definitely in my top ten female vocalists of all time Lady.

Nice thread Lady.

Thank youuuu.

I have a really strange love for her, so every year I make a thread on the day of her passing and for her birthday.

 

[ladyislingering]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

Karen had a beautiful voice, but a lot of internal demons. I never really knew her entire story, but from what I do know, it is sad. She was beautiful, but didn't see it, and even more frightening is the fact she didn't like herself.

such a loss to the musical world!

It's really sad to think that she pushed for everything in her life. What little she could control of it twisted into obsessive behaviors and deep concerns that people in her life would lower their opinions of her if she didn't hold certain standards. It breaks my heart to think of how much her family, friends, fans, and others loved her and looked out for her (and up to her) and she was so worried they didn't.

I definitely know the feeling, though.

But someone like her; it's almost obscene. :

 

[METALPRIEST]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

WOW! This is a great job...well done and an awesome tribute!!

 

[ladyislingering]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

We started to embrace each other & all of a sudden..."Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear..." cranked out of the car stereo & I couldn't help it, I just burst out laughing & the poor girl was mortified. I felt horrible that I ruined the moment but I could not stop laughing, it just hit me wrong. We did go out a few more times but it didn't last that much longer.

That one actually made me giggle a little. Silly child, you! Poor little girl (oh, but that really is funny, in a socially-awkward/situational-irony kind of way).

I was already home from work by about 1:40 & every radio in the house was tuned in & at 1:50 "The weather for Buffalo & all of Western NY..." cranked out & my weather report blended right into "On Top of the World" by the Carpenters.

That sounds like a completely excellent job. If I wasn't so bloody soft spoken I'd have tried to get a job like that sometime during my life.

Whenever I hear "On Top of the World" I can't help but think of my first phone conversation with my wife

Goddddd. <3

That is so cute. I love the whole "our song" kind of thing when it comes to sharing a special song between the one you love, that just you and them really understand why it's so special to you.

(Strangely, with my fiance and I, "our song" is "Just What I Needed" by The Cars, which is still just so funny to me ...)

Awesome stories. Music has the power to touch lives like nothing else.

 

[ladyislingering]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

Awwwww, MP! I love watching Karen drum.

She really kicked ass behind the drum kit. She probably could have given Mad Moon a run for his mad money. ;D

 

[METALPRIEST]

Re: Karen Carpenter.

She was a fantastic drummer. We used to watch their specials and all that on T.V. when I was a kid...

If there are some members here at CRF that have never seen this they should check this out.

Good stuff here...