The Day the Music Died...

     I watched a movie the other day while laying lazy in bed…and I’m not ashamed to admit that, while the movie itself wasn’t that great, the subject matter brought a tear to my eyes.   Hell, it had me blubbering.

     The name of the movie was “The Karen Carpenter Story “, starring Cynthia Gibb in the title role.

     This movie was a thumbnail view of Karen’s life story…but what had me saddened were the ‘live’ performances, ably lip-synched by Gibb.  

     In February 1983, at the age of 32, Karen Carpenter’s life ended.   On that day, the world lost one of it’s most beautiful singers.

Carpenter’s voice was like a combination of all of the best instruments known to mankind—the mellow voice of a cello, the smooth range of an oboe and clarinet, the power of a French horn, and the magical quality of a flute.

I can hardly listen to “A Song for You,” or “Hurting Each Other” without crying.  

And I’m man enough to admit it.

The first LP I ever bought was one by the Carpenter’s…my mom let me order it from the “Columbia Record and Tape Club” (circa 1973 or so).   I will always remember the way Karen’s voice made me feel…and the nostalgia it still brings to me.

It’s been going on a quarter century since Karen died…I hope that someone, somewhere, is always listening to her sing.


And so it goes…