Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Karen Carpenter

Watched the BBC One programme about the Carpenters last night. Deeply nostalgic. Its not as if Karen was a great beauty or sexy or anything special on the eye (sorry - but that is how we blokes talked in those days). In fact, I always thought she was rather frumpy. But she had the loveliest voice I have ever heard. There cannot be a nicer sound in this world than Karen Carpenter singing 'Close to you' or 'We've only just begun'. Maybe Eric Clapton's guitar on 'River of tears' comes closest. Or the first song of the willow warbler - which for me is much more the harbinger of summer than the swallow. The tragedy of Karen Carpenter is a 'lump in the throat' issue for men of my age.

None of us understood what a dangerous killer, anorexia was in those days. Today, she may have been saved. Just listening to that easy magical voice again last night reminded me why the Carpenters sold 150 million records - and how much of a loss Karen's death at 32 was.

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