Karen Carpenter died. I have already written a lot about Karen, but it seems like a music blog about crap from the past should make mention that yesterday was the 30th anniversary of her death. She was less than a month shy of turning 33 at the time of her passing and a lot of people were shocked that she had died.
Here's a news report about Karen's death. It's fun to watch, not because Karen died, but because the early 80s seem so damn long ago now... and yet not that long ago!
In all seriousness, Karen Carpenter joins a long list of music stars who died too young... people like Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Jimi Hendrix. She was a few years past the "27 Club" and her death had nothing to do with illegal drugs or alcohol. Okay... so maybe it DID have something to do with drugs. She did abuse syrup of ipecac and thyroid medication, after all. But Karen Carpenter was not a stoner or a boozer. Her eating disorder would have prevented her from getting involved with drugs or booze... booze has too many calories and narcotics cause too much of a loss of control. And Karen Carpenter was nothing if she wasn't rigidly perfect.
I still love to hear her voice, even if I can admit that some of the songs she sang were corny and insipid. She had a lovely, unique, gorgeous voice that no one has really replicated in thirty years. There are a few Japanese singers who have given it a go, but they haven't been as successful as Arnel Pineda, the guy who replaced Steve Perry of the awesome 80s band, Journey.
I do sometimes wonder what Karen would be like if she were still around today. She'd be almost 63 and maybe a grandmother... or maybe just an aunt to Richard's five kids who never got to meet her. Would she still be making music? Or would have faded from the limelight and gotten involved in something totally different?
Anyway, RIP Karen Carpenter. Many people still miss you.
Here's a news report about Karen's death. It's fun to watch, not because Karen died, but because the early 80s seem so damn long ago now... and yet not that long ago!
In all seriousness, Karen Carpenter joins a long list of music stars who died too young... people like Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Jimi Hendrix. She was a few years past the "27 Club" and her death had nothing to do with illegal drugs or alcohol. Okay... so maybe it DID have something to do with drugs. She did abuse syrup of ipecac and thyroid medication, after all. But Karen Carpenter was not a stoner or a boozer. Her eating disorder would have prevented her from getting involved with drugs or booze... booze has too many calories and narcotics cause too much of a loss of control. And Karen Carpenter was nothing if she wasn't rigidly perfect.
I still love to hear her voice, even if I can admit that some of the songs she sang were corny and insipid. She had a lovely, unique, gorgeous voice that no one has really replicated in thirty years. There are a few Japanese singers who have given it a go, but they haven't been as successful as Arnel Pineda, the guy who replaced Steve Perry of the awesome 80s band, Journey.
I do sometimes wonder what Karen would be like if she were still around today. She'd be almost 63 and maybe a grandmother... or maybe just an aunt to Richard's five kids who never got to meet her. Would she still be making music? Or would have faded from the limelight and gotten involved in something totally different?
Anyway, RIP Karen Carpenter. Many people still miss you.
What was your very favorite Carpnters' song? I think I had three: "Hideaway," "I Won't Last a Day Without You,," and "Goodbye to Love." They're all downers, but many of my favorite songs are.
ReplyDeleteI find the same thing with don McLean: the gloomier, the better. My favorite of his is "Crossroads," although I like "Castles in the Air" as well, which is slightly more upbeat if only because of the melody.
There are a few songs she sang that I love... "Sometimes", which was originally written by Henry Mancini's daughter and set to music... "You", which is a lovely ballad on an otherwise lackluster album. "Rainy Days and Mondays", which was sort of my teen angst anthem in the late 1980s. "Let Me Be The One"... and "Superstar", which is a fun song to sing.
ReplyDeleteI love Don McLean... Too bad you weren't around in the late 70s, Alexis. That was a great time for good singers.
was "Sometimes" the same one that went something like "Sometimes, not often enough, we reflect upon the good things, and our thoughts always center around those we love," etc. If it was, the BYU grinning Americans group took a perfectly good song and massacred it.
ReplyDeleteI like "Superstar," too.
Yes, that's the same song. It doesn't surprise me that BYU co-opted it... but what a damn shame! That song was on the Carpenters self-titled album, which had a lot of good songs on it. Unfortunately, it also had Richard Carpenter singing lead on two songs. Why in the world was he ever allowed to sing? His voice was lispy and metallic and really, just passable. The man can play piano like a fiend, but he should have left singing up to Karen entirely. But that album came out when they were still very young, so maybe that's why he thought he should take the mic.
ReplyDelete