When their songs were released, most people were mesmerized by Karen's voice. Sadness hadn't crossed my young mind, but I knew how special she was by her incredible voice. No one had ever sang like that before, currently or since!
God gave Karen the voice. Sadness is one of the emotions that all humans share. Karen's genius was connecting us all together emotionally, with that God given instrument! Just like the rest of us Karen didn't wallow in her sadness, but she was a human with a sensitive soul! A very gifted lady!
I was just a kid when the Carpenters were active, but I do recall thinking there was a sadness to Karen’s voice and some of their songs. Her tragic, early death definitely furthered the association of melancholy to Karen’s music. This is a beautiful song. Karen never disappoints.
✨☔️✨It’s not raining but it’s an overcast Monday here in Australia right now. So now my feels have all turned lilting and ultra tunefully saaaad! Karen’s voice is just magic. So subtly expressive, exquisitely musical and smoooooooooooth. She was pressured to step out front away from her drum kit as they became more and more famous, and standing out front on display took away a major sense of security and unity in her onstage experience. Sensitive souls need a gentle hand.
The Carpenters sang happy songs too -- "Sing", "Top of the World", "We've Only Just Begun", "(They Long to Be) Close to You", "Yesterday Once More", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "Please Mr. Postman" ... Maybe some of those aren't happy songs, but they're not sad songs either. Karen Carpenter presents as a tragic figure today, but not back then. It wasn't until she passed away in 1983 that her troubles became widely known.
I think it's too easy to call it sadness. I've always perceived their music in terms of intimacy and melancholy. They have so many colours and dynamic structures. The sad quality is just one aspect. The instruments and their voices... Ooohhh ❤🎶👏
She was a big part of my childhood. Many top songs in the radio. Her voice always had that unmistakable sound. We didn't know her issues with depression so the songs use felt good like she was saying things relatable. She never wanted to the the front girl. She was happy behind the scenes playing her drums. No choice when you got a voice like that. RIP Karen
I was a teen then. At 13 I bought my first real “big boy” record, Close To You, the album. I was in love since and when I was having a bad day, a fight with mom, trouble at school, whatever. I’d go to my room, close the door and play Carpenters albums. All would be better. Her sadness was not really understood at the time. When she died it was a gut punch. We all learned a new word, anorexia. She saved a lot of lives by bringing this horrible condition to the forefront. If you listen to most of the albums they’re a mix of sad and happy. So the overwhelming sadness were really the result of what happened.
my God,what a voice. one of the finest most beautiful voices of all time and yes, she always had that teardrop in her vocals no matter what she was singing about.
You need to look into her entire catalogue, so many wonderful songs and that voice. Btw, she was a nice woman, down t o earth, and Olivia Newton John's best friend!
EMP, Karen had a quite a few fun upbeat songs in her career. Top of the world is upbeat. But her sad ones are probably the best. She just happened to have one of the most unique and beautiful voices that we have seen in popular music. She was a rare gem.
I'm dating myself, but back in the "day" the only way to get a recording was buying a "record," i.e., a "45" (also known as a "single" as there was only one song on each side of the disc) as a turntable would spin the vinyl disc at 45 rpm, or a "33" also known as an "LP" for "long play," which was a complete album of four to seven songs on a side that spun at 33 rpms as the vinyl disc was over twice the size of a 45. All of that to say that the very first "record" I purchased in my life was the "Close to You" LP by the Carpenters back in 1970, which included "Rainy Days and Mondays". I was blessed to see the Carpenters in concert when I was a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy in 1975, Karen, God rest her soul, was an amazingly talented person, and "Rainy Days and Mondays" is still one of my favorite songs.
"Top of the World" was the first Carpenters song I heard as a young lad of about 11, so no 'sad vibes' there! Now that I've lived a life, to hear that crack she puts in her voice to squeeze out every drop of emotion, especially from a melancholy theme... well, that gets me right in the feels every time. Great reaction to a great classic song!
Thanks Empress for this reaction to my favorite female singer of all time (and to the Patreon patron who requested it), and for appreciating the effortless way Karen approached her singing. Her voice usually had a melancholy edge to it and was undoubtedly reflective of her personal life struggles, but to answer the question posed in your reaction, hearing the Carpenters' latest releases on the radio back then never put me in a down mood, I just found all of their singles very soothing, masterfully produced (kudos to Richard), and utterly enjoyable, but I happen to be a sucker for sad songs in general. If you want a glimpse into a more upbeat Karen singing style, I would recommend "Top of the World", "Sing", "There's A Kind of Hush (All Over the World)", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "It's Going To Take Some Time", "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song", and "Please Mr. Postman" for starters. I hope we Empressionists experience a lot more Carpenters in 2022! 🤓
Karen was 21 when she sung this. She sounded melancholy because her tone fit the mood of the lyrics. In happier, more upbeat tunes, Karen adjusted her tone to fit those more upbeat songs. In other words, Karen chose how to reach out to you. It doesn't mean she was an unhappy soul (she wasn't; read Carpenters: The Musical Legacy, or listen to any of Richard (or Karen's) earlier interviews). She was just masterful in her voice control. And I am not immune... she gets me every time...
Great question, growing up with the Karen I never felt her voice was sad, I just knew it was amazing sound they created and her voice made feel emotions whether is was sad or happy. Their song "Top of The World" is so happy!
Empress, you would have LOVED the 70s.... I was early to mid-teens when they were big and her voice always takes me back there to that age, learning about life and love....
I grew up with her and not all songs were sad. She had an angelic voice. Listen to "We've Only Just Begun" for something uplifting! It was the most popular wedding song of the decade!
Documentary about Karen Carpenter... Those who was close to her said she was sad and they always was trying to cope with her.. This sadness carried into her voice.. haunting at times
Some songs seems sad, but they resonate with almost everyone. Her voice seemed to be right there next to us singing only to us. There are "happy" songs....Top Of The World, Jambalaya and Mr. Postman are 3 examples. They were just as amazing live in concert as well.
I was little when the carpenters came on the scene. I don't remember feeling that she was sad because they had upbeat songs too. I agreed that Mondays were the worst so didn't really phase me. She was like a pied piper and everyone was just addicted to how soothing her voice was. By the time of her tragic death it was a shock because she hid her anorexia so you didn't really know the extent of it till it became too late. I remember the outcry of her fans and just surround her with love just to no avail. I think most fans were just so happy to hear and see her that the actual lyrics were never really analyzed until her death. I think most were just trying to understand what happened. I was so young it just felt really fast and just awful.
Hi Empress-I took a date to see the Carpenters at McCormick Place Chicago in 1972. Karen Carpenter was always very self-conscious about her weight as many critics early on referred to her as the "Chubby" lead singer who played the drums. Unfortunately, this cast a shadow on her entire career and carried over to her personal life where see could never seem to find any sort of real happiness and coming to terms with her image so all these sad songs you hear were from the heart. There's a special on PBS about the Carpenters story narrated by her brother Richard that talks about the issues she had and the pressures put on her by their endless touring and never coming to terms with her self-image. Very sad story indeed that led to her bout with anorexia and her eventual death.
That excellent 1-hour 1998 PBS special was called "Close To You: Remembering the Carpenters" and is available on Richard Carpenter's UA-cam channel at ua-cam.com/video/ceheGOGVMh8/v-deo.html -- Richard is interviewed extensively throughout the presentation. It's REALLY good.
I listened to The Carpenters all the time as a kid, especially in the early seventies, played their albums all the time. I never understood exactly why their music always put me in a "funk" but I loved Karen's voice. Now I understand and I call it "melancholy" in her voice. As great as her voice is, now I can only listen to her music in small doses.💗
I have a couple of Aunt's that just love these guys. I personally always thought they sang very melancholy songs. My Aunt took my grandma and grandpa's old home movies and put them on a DVD with a soundtrack of Carpenter songs. Listening to them always takes me straight back to the 70's when I was about 9/10 years old. Btw. I Love rainy days. I love Mondays also, because that's one of my days off. Lol.
I was ten when the Carpenters first hit with "Close to You." Karen always had a warmth to her voice and a sensitive delivery. In live performances, she could be really fun, infectiously up, especially when she got to show off her chops on the drums. But no one could--or can--match her when it comes to singing a sad lyric. "Rainy Days and Mondays," Superstar," "A Song for You," Goodbye to Love," and so forth all had her signature ache. If you've never heard her sing The Eagles' song "Desperado," check it out. Not only is her version better than the original, it's a killer. Definitely get ready to ache with her.
Thing is, Karen was one of a handful of artists that evoked deep emotion. No doubt her voice, but it was the whole package - which really can’t be defined.
No, there was no feeling that Karen was a sad person, there wasn’t really an opportunity to dive into someone else’s life (google, social media etc), there was just a love for her incredible ability to interpret the emotion of a song with her voice. So, if it was supposed to be a sad song, you felt it!
Great question about how her voice was perceived at the time! Can’t help you though cause I’m too young to know 🤣🤣 Karen’s delivery is straight up 🔥 and the song is a complete 👂 worm! ❤️ ❤️❤️
Yes you are so right - for those of us that remember when her songs first came out, there was a definite sadness to her angelic smooth voice. It just reached into your heart and you felt it. I think that is why her story is so haunting. It is very sad and tragic how she never realized what a talent and gift she had. She was always searching for her worth and also searching for the love she never got from her parents...especially her mother. She took her internal pain and channeled it into her vocal artistry. I love this lady. BTW her and ONJ were great friends. Olivia does a tribute to Karen which I think is on UA-cam. ua-cam.com/video/V-xDxhUlO3w/v-deo.html
During their heyday I was about 10 to 13 and at that time we had no idea about her eating disorder. I think it was just starting anyway and it wasn’t publicized. It’s a great question about whether we consciously thought her voice sounded sad then. I think what makes it hard to answer is that the songs were just so good, so beautiful that sadness wasn’t the dominant emotion though I think at the same time we did feel it, if only subconsciously. I think we mainly just thought that she was delivering the melody well and in her own voice and so maybe we felt the melody was sad more than her voice. Being that young it’s not something I really thought about much…
@@EmpressReacts OH MY THANK YOU!!! For taking the time to respond to me I'm sure you are so busy with your beautiful family. I love the song we've only just begun!! I loved it since I was a little girl in the back seat of the car. When it would come on I would slide up to the back of the front seat to listen better, you see we didn't have seat belts in the cars back than. And it seems like a million years ago. Haha lol. So funny to say that. But I new one day I would get married and I would have someone sing at my wedding. And they did. The marriage didn't last but the song sure did. I look forward to seeing more of uou and your family grow. You have a good looking husband I hope he takes good care of you. And your puppy is good looking
@@kathykobell7629 wow thank u so much for the compliment. I am very busy but I always try to interact with watchers. I also reacted to we've only just begun . Search Empress reacts we've only just begun
I think to just say that Karen's voice 'always sounds sad' is a bit of revisionist history. People say that NOW because we all know her story but I never got that impression back in the 70's because the vast majority of us had no idea of what she was dealing with. Her voice was very emotive; she could put the emotion of the lyrics into her voice. If it was a sad song, she sounded sad. If it was a happy song (i.e. Top of the World), she sounded happy. Which is what a great singer should be able to do. Most of all, her voice sounded like an angel and made you feel that she was singing just to you.
Also Petula Clark does a tribute to Karen which will leave you in tears!!! ua-cam.com/video/EV-KPl9Y0JY/v-deo.html The lyrics "we’ve got a lifetime to share” and “let's take a lifetime to say I knew you well" are tremendously haunting because unfortunately Karen's lifetime was so tragically brief. And you can tell Petula felt the deeply sad irony in those words as she sang them. And that "goodnight Karen" was utterly devastating!!
It might surprise you to know that Karen Carpenter sang in a very low voice. She is recorded with a powerful sound, but in reality, her voice, while brilliantly controlled and deeply emotional (some of the best technical singers around have said she was the only other singer besides Patsy Cline that could break your heart with her delivery), she sang very softly, and if you observe her live performances, you'll notice she keeps the microphone pretty close to her mouth, apparently for that reason. Julie London (well before your time) was another singer that sang softly, and within an inch of her mike as well, yet her recordings presented a very sensual and amazingly clear delivery. Her only big hit was "Cry Me a River" (not the Justin Timberlake song), and it's one of the best acoustic accompanied vocal performances I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Just wanted to add to what you're listening to when hearing Karen at work. OH, and while Karen could rip your heart out with some of her sadness, she also had a very bright and engaging pop voice, and used it whenever delivering songs like "Please Mr. Postman" or "Sweet Sweet Smile". But, Karen's gift were these ballads. It's what she did better than pretty much anyone during her heyday.
Not necessarily sad because their songs was part of a larger genre of music (soft rock) so when I listened to her it was about her talent, her immense talent...plus I was just a youngin back then, more impressed with R&B than soft rock and in r&b music there's a lot of sad situations...so the atmosphere was already primed with vocal performances similar (not to her quality though)
Her voice comes across as sad because that's what the lyrics call for - she is putting the emotion into the song that's required - she's a vocal actress - it's that simple and yet that complex - she did this as well as anyone - on top of that she just happened to have the most compelling and beautiful voice in pop/rock history. Full stop. end of story.
Empress...what makes it worse is she had a terrible Mother that told her not to eat too many cookies...she was maybe a lil overweight for a short time...and that killed her. But the Mother was at fault.
Empress....I grew up with her...her songs were sad I think because she was sad ...her mother was terrible to her, was jealous of her talent and beauty....sad
When their songs were released, most people were mesmerized by Karen's voice. Sadness hadn't crossed my young mind, but I knew how special she was by her incredible voice. No one had ever sang like that before, currently or since!
this is absolutely one of those songs you learn the words to so you can sing it in the car. it's a melancholy song, but singing it feels good.
💯✅
God gave Karen the voice. Sadness is one of the emotions that all humans share. Karen's genius was connecting us all together emotionally, with that God given instrument! Just like the rest of us Karen didn't wallow in her sadness, but she was a human with a sensitive soul! A very gifted lady!
I was just a kid when the Carpenters were active, but I do recall thinking there was a sadness to Karen’s voice and some of their songs. Her tragic, early death definitely furthered the association of melancholy to Karen’s music. This is a beautiful song. Karen never disappoints.
Interesting ‼️ thanks for letting me know
The perfect vocalist. There was a beautiful melancholy undercurrent to her vocals especially her ballads.
💯💯
✨☔️✨It’s not raining but it’s an overcast Monday here in Australia right now. So now my feels have all turned lilting and ultra tunefully saaaad! Karen’s voice is just magic. So subtly expressive, exquisitely musical and smoooooooooooth. She was pressured to step out front away from her drum kit as they became more and more famous, and standing out front on display took away a major sense of security and unity in her onstage experience. Sensitive souls need a gentle hand.
The Carpenters sang happy songs too -- "Sing", "Top of the World", "We've Only Just Begun", "(They Long to Be) Close to You", "Yesterday Once More", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "Please Mr. Postman" ... Maybe some of those aren't happy songs, but they're not sad songs either. Karen Carpenter presents as a tragic figure today, but not back then. It wasn't until she passed away in 1983 that her troubles became widely known.
She was better in person. They all were. That's a lot of genius to take in one setting.
Final chorus she really started to belt it out prolly the only time I ever heard her turn it up. Loved it
I think it's too easy to call it sadness. I've always perceived their music in terms of intimacy and melancholy. They have so many colours and dynamic structures. The sad quality is just one aspect. The instruments and their voices...
Ooohhh ❤🎶👏
She was a big part of my childhood. Many top songs in the radio. Her voice always had that unmistakable sound. We didn't know her issues with depression so the songs use felt good like she was saying things relatable. She never wanted to the the front girl. She was happy behind the scenes playing her drums. No choice when you got a voice like that.
RIP Karen
I was a teen then. At 13 I bought my first real “big boy” record, Close To You, the album. I was in love since and when I was having a bad day, a fight with mom, trouble at school, whatever. I’d go to my room, close the door and play Carpenters albums. All would be better. Her sadness was not really understood at the time. When she died it was a gut punch. We all learned a new word, anorexia. She saved a lot of lives by bringing this horrible condition to the forefront. If you listen to most of the albums they’re a mix of sad and happy. So the overwhelming sadness were really the result of what happened.
If you’d like to see Karen at her happiest, watch the clips that focus on her drumming talent, nothing but smiles, she was amazing!
my God,what a voice. one of the finest most beautiful voices of all time and yes, she always had that teardrop in her vocals no matter what she was singing about.
I never thought that her voice was sad. Just that it was beautiful. Now I hear it as sad..
You need to look into her entire catalogue, so many wonderful songs and that voice. Btw, she was a nice woman, down t o earth, and Olivia Newton John's best friend!
EMP, Karen had a quite a few fun upbeat songs in her career. Top of the world is upbeat. But her sad ones are probably the best. She just happened to have one of the most unique and beautiful voices that we have seen in popular music. She was a rare gem.
Interesting
Yes, she sounded the same when it was fresh, always "sad" in that sense.
Wow, interesting
I'm dating myself, but back in the "day" the only way to get a recording was buying a "record," i.e., a "45" (also known as a "single" as there was only one song on each side of the disc) as a turntable would spin the vinyl disc at 45 rpm, or a "33" also known as an "LP" for "long play," which was a complete album of four to seven songs on a side that spun at 33 rpms as the vinyl disc was over twice the size of a 45. All of that to say that the very first "record" I purchased in my life was the "Close to You" LP by the Carpenters back in 1970, which included "Rainy Days and Mondays". I was blessed to see the Carpenters in concert when I was a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy in 1975, Karen, God rest her soul, was an amazingly talented person, and "Rainy Days and Mondays" is still one of my favorite songs.
"Top of the World" was the first Carpenters song I heard as a young lad of about 11, so no 'sad vibes' there! Now that I've lived a life, to hear that crack she puts in her voice to squeeze out every drop of emotion, especially from a melancholy theme... well, that gets me right in the feels every time. Great reaction to a great classic song!
Thank u‼️
Thanks Empress for this reaction to my favorite female singer of all time (and to the Patreon patron who requested it), and for appreciating the effortless way Karen approached her singing. Her voice usually had a melancholy edge to it and was undoubtedly reflective of her personal life struggles, but to answer the question posed in your reaction, hearing the Carpenters' latest releases on the radio back then never put me in a down mood, I just found all of their singles very soothing, masterfully produced (kudos to Richard), and utterly enjoyable, but I happen to be a sucker for sad songs in general. If you want a glimpse into a more upbeat Karen singing style, I would recommend "Top of the World", "Sing", "There's A Kind of Hush (All Over the World)", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "It's Going To Take Some Time", "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song", and "Please Mr. Postman" for starters. I hope we Empressionists experience a lot more Carpenters in 2022! 🤓
Karen was 21 when she sung this. She sounded melancholy because her tone fit the mood of the lyrics. In happier, more upbeat tunes, Karen adjusted her tone to fit those more upbeat songs. In other words, Karen chose how to reach out to you. It doesn't mean she was an unhappy soul (she wasn't; read Carpenters: The Musical Legacy, or listen to any of Richard (or Karen's) earlier interviews). She was just masterful in her voice control. And I am not immune... she gets me every time...
‘Top of the World’ and ‘Jambalaya on the Bayou’ are a couple of good upbeat happy songs she sings.
✅
Great question, growing up with the Karen I never felt her voice was sad, I just knew it was amazing sound they created and her voice made feel emotions whether is was sad or happy. Their song "Top of The World" is so happy!
Karen is an easy singer. She sings so effortlessly.
3:10 - Shoutout to the husky videobomb in the background - totally cracked me up!
Hahaha that's my Mi Amor
Empress, you would have LOVED the 70s.... I was early to mid-teens when they were big and her voice always takes me back there to that age, learning about life and love....
i'm vibin so much with these songs...i bet i would 😂
I grew up with her and not all songs were sad. She had an angelic voice. Listen to "We've Only Just Begun" for something uplifting! It was the most popular wedding song of the decade!
Documentary about Karen Carpenter... Those who was close to her said she was sad and they always was trying to cope with her.. This sadness carried into her voice.. haunting at times
Some songs seems sad, but they resonate with almost everyone. Her voice seemed to be right there next to us singing only to us. There are "happy" songs....Top Of The World, Jambalaya and Mr. Postman are 3 examples. They were just as amazing live in concert as well.
The voice is melancholy
I was little when the carpenters came on the scene. I don't remember feeling that she was sad because they had upbeat songs too. I agreed that Mondays were the worst so didn't really phase me. She was like a pied piper and everyone was just addicted to how soothing her voice was. By the time of her tragic death it was a shock because she hid her anorexia so you didn't really know the extent of it till it became too late. I remember the outcry of her fans and just surround her with love just to no avail. I think most fans were just so happy to hear and see her that the actual lyrics were never really analyzed until her death. I think most were just trying to understand what happened. I was so young it just felt really fast and just awful.
Wow, interesting ‼️
Karen could always sing with emotion.
You should check out her drum solo video, she considered herself a drummer who sang.
✅
Hi Empress-I took a date to see the Carpenters at McCormick Place Chicago in 1972. Karen Carpenter was always very self-conscious about her weight as many critics early on referred to her as the "Chubby" lead singer who played the drums. Unfortunately, this cast a shadow on her entire career and carried over to her personal life where see could never seem to find any sort of real happiness and coming to terms with her image so all these sad songs you hear were from the heart. There's a special on PBS about the Carpenters story narrated by her brother Richard that talks about the issues she had and the pressures put on her by their endless touring and never coming to terms with her self-image. Very sad story indeed that led to her bout with anorexia and her eventual death.
That excellent 1-hour 1998 PBS special was called "Close To You: Remembering the Carpenters" and is available on Richard Carpenter's UA-cam channel at ua-cam.com/video/ceheGOGVMh8/v-deo.html -- Richard is interviewed extensively throughout the presentation. It's REALLY good.
I listened to The Carpenters all the time as a kid, especially in the early seventies, played their albums all the time. I never understood exactly why their music always put me in a "funk" but I loved Karen's voice. Now I understand and I call it "melancholy" in her voice. As great as her voice is, now I can only listen to her music in small doses.💗
See! I knew it. Thanks
Because of the sadness...such a sad life she lived.
One of My Favorites of theirs. Karen & Richard Carpenter Both Knew what They were doing when They Wrote this Song because it fits Me just fine.
I have a couple of Aunt's that just love these guys. I personally always thought they sang very melancholy songs. My Aunt took my grandma and grandpa's old home movies and put them on a DVD with a soundtrack of Carpenter songs. Listening to them always takes me straight back to the 70's when I was about 9/10 years old. Btw. I Love rainy days. I love Mondays also, because that's one of my days off. Lol.
I was ten when the Carpenters first hit with "Close to You." Karen always had a warmth to her voice and a sensitive delivery. In live performances, she could be really fun, infectiously up, especially when she got to show off her chops on the drums. But no one could--or can--match her when it comes to singing a sad lyric. "Rainy Days and Mondays," Superstar," "A Song for You," Goodbye to Love," and so forth all had her signature ache. If you've never heard her sing The Eagles' song "Desperado," check it out. Not only is her version better than the original, it's a killer. Definitely get ready to ache with her.
Sing Empress! U needed to sing!!
Empress....u gotta do more of Karen...she is special. Kinda like u ..I can tell u have a big heart...and a great voice...use it.
Thing is, Karen was one of a handful of artists that evoked deep emotion. No doubt her voice, but it was the whole package - which really can’t be defined.
💯
Not sad. Beautiful.
No, there was no feeling that Karen was a sad person, there wasn’t really an opportunity to dive into someone else’s life (google, social media etc), there was just a love for her incredible ability to interpret the emotion of a song with her voice. So, if it was supposed to be a sad song, you felt it!
You must be the coolest person in the world. Glad I found your channel. I'll have to catch up with some of your reactions.
wow, thank u!!!
Great question about how her voice was perceived at the time! Can’t help you though cause I’m too young to know 🤣🤣 Karen’s delivery is straight up 🔥 and the song is a complete 👂 worm! ❤️ ❤️❤️
Yes you are so right - for those of us that remember when her songs first came out, there was a definite sadness to her angelic smooth voice. It just reached into your heart and you felt it. I think that is why her story is so haunting. It is very sad and tragic how she never realized what a talent and gift she had. She was always searching for her worth and also searching for the love she never got from her parents...especially her mother. She took her internal pain and channeled it into her vocal artistry. I love this lady. BTW her and ONJ were great friends. Olivia does a tribute to Karen which I think is on UA-cam. ua-cam.com/video/V-xDxhUlO3w/v-deo.html
During their heyday I was about 10 to 13 and at that time we had no idea about her eating disorder. I think it was just starting anyway and it wasn’t publicized. It’s a great question about whether we consciously thought her voice sounded sad then. I think what makes it hard to answer is that the songs were just so good, so beautiful that sadness wasn’t the dominant emotion though I think at the same time we did feel it, if only subconsciously. I think we mainly just thought that she was delivering the melody well and in her own voice and so maybe we felt the melody was sad more than her voice. Being that young it’s not something I really thought about much…
I found your channel by accident but I'm hook, hook on your beautiful voice what a gift
Wow thank u‼️
@@EmpressReacts OH MY THANK YOU!!! For taking the time to respond to me I'm sure you are so busy with your beautiful family. I love the song we've only just begun!! I loved it since I was a little girl in the back seat of the car. When it would come on I would slide up to the back of the front seat to listen better, you see we didn't have seat belts in the cars back than. And it seems like a million years ago. Haha lol. So funny to say that. But I new one day I would get married and I would have someone sing at my wedding. And they did. The marriage didn't last but the song sure did. I look forward to seeing more of uou and your family grow. You have a good looking husband
I hope he takes good care of you. And your puppy is good looking
@@kathykobell7629 wow thank u so much for the compliment. I am very busy but I always try to interact with watchers. I also reacted to we've only just begun . Search Empress reacts we've only just begun
I think to just say that Karen's voice 'always sounds sad' is a bit of revisionist history. People say that NOW because we all know her story but I never got that impression back in the 70's because the vast majority of us had no idea of what she was dealing with. Her voice was very emotive; she could put the emotion of the lyrics into her voice. If it was a sad song, she sounded sad. If it was a happy song (i.e. Top of the World), she sounded happy. Which is what a great singer should be able to do. Most of all, her voice sounded like an angel and made you feel that she was singing just to you.
Also Petula Clark does a tribute to Karen which will leave you in tears!!! ua-cam.com/video/EV-KPl9Y0JY/v-deo.html The lyrics "we’ve got a lifetime to share” and “let's take a lifetime to say I knew you well" are tremendously haunting because unfortunately Karen's lifetime was so tragically brief. And you can tell Petula felt the deeply sad irony in those words as she sang them. And that "goodnight Karen" was utterly devastating!!
It might surprise you to know that Karen Carpenter sang in a very low voice. She is recorded with a powerful sound, but in reality, her voice, while brilliantly controlled and deeply emotional (some of the best technical singers around have said she was the only other singer besides Patsy Cline that could break your heart with her delivery), she sang very softly, and if you observe her live performances, you'll notice she keeps the microphone pretty close to her mouth, apparently for that reason. Julie London (well before your time) was another singer that sang softly, and within an inch of her mike as well, yet her recordings presented a very sensual and amazingly clear delivery. Her only big hit was "Cry Me a River" (not the Justin Timberlake song), and it's one of the best acoustic accompanied vocal performances I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Just wanted to add to what you're listening to when hearing Karen at work. OH, and while Karen could rip your heart out with some of her sadness, she also had a very bright and engaging pop voice, and used it whenever delivering songs like "Please Mr. Postman" or "Sweet Sweet Smile". But, Karen's gift were these ballads. It's what she did better than pretty much anyone during her heyday.
Not necessarily sad because their songs was part of a larger genre of music (soft rock) so when I listened to her it was about her talent, her immense talent...plus I was just a youngin back then, more impressed with R&B than soft rock and in r&b music there's a lot of sad situations...so the atmosphere was already primed with vocal performances similar (not to her quality though)
Her voice comes across as sad because that's what the lyrics call for - she is putting the emotion into the song that's required - she's a vocal actress - it's that simple and yet that complex - she did this as well as anyone - on top of that she just happened to have the most compelling and beautiful voice in pop/rock history. Full stop. end of story.
We were complicated, as usual
🏆🏆🏆🏆!
Empress...what makes it worse is she had a terrible Mother that told her not to eat too many cookies...she was maybe a lil overweight for a short time...and that killed her. But the Mother was at fault.
Please do SING A SONG Live IN Japan by Carpenters VERY happy & up lifting !!
✅notee
Most of Karen's songs had that sadness in her voice. But you still get drawn in.
Empress.....you're voice...Karen brings it out in you....like my now gone sister would had a voice like Karen's. Pls sing!!!
Empress....pls do more Karen
Empress....I grew up with her...her songs were sad I think because she was sad ...her mother was terrible to her, was jealous of her talent and beauty....sad
Never be a voice like that again...