Karen Carpenter died 31 years ago today from heart failure due to her struggle with anorexia. When I was little my mother had "The Karen Carpenter Story" with Cynthia Gibb taped and saved it in a box where she kept all the movies that she had taped off the television. I watched this movie more times than was probably healthy but it did get me interested in The Carpenters at the age of four. I wanted to play the drums and the piano but my parents enrolled me in piano lessons and I didn't start playing drums until I was 13.
People tend to forget that Karen was an amazing drummer especially during a time when it wasn't seen as the womanly thing to do to play drums.
Jumping from instrument to instrument, amazing!
Not only could she play the drums but she could sing beautifully as well. I dare you to listen to her sing and not be moved, you won't be able to.
"A Song for You"
I encourage all of you, especially if you are in that group of people that think The Carpenters are soft muzak, to explore their music. There are too many people that dismiss this great band. Disturbingly there are also a lot of people that regard Karen Carpenter's death with great disdain as if her illness ,which is something easy to trap yourself in, negates her immense talent and the impact she left on the world. So, go put your favorite Carpenters album on and remember this amazing woman.
That song was so beautiful, Megan. The drumming solo was funtoo! Thanks you for sharing this tribute to Karen Carpenter. It is so sad, even now, that we lost such a lovely girl and her talent. But she'll never be forgotten, and I'll always love hearing their music. Who cares if it is soft white bread? That's a good thing!
ReplyDelete"A Song For You" is one of my favorites :). To me white bread music is music that doesn't do anything emotionally for anyone and the Carpenters definitely not white bread music but unfortunately they are labeled as such. I can't see how anyone could not be moved by Karen's voice.
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