I feel the same way. Im 49 and would never have imagined these young people are discovering such beautiful music.

Karen Lee , me, too. I’m so glad for younger people to appreciate what we had in our younger years too. And I’m older than you. From one Karen to another.😊👍

oops i guess i kinda said what you already said...but hey im in my mid 50s so i might miss a thing or two now and then lol

very much the same

I'm 60 Mudhut and the same thing happens to me. I was 11 when I first heard Karen and hearing her gets me a bit misty knowing of her struggles and passed away so young... Shes singing for God now.

Waited 5 years for a baby. Got a beautiful boy!!! Sang this to him every day!!! She had the most pure voice. I'm crying now. That baby boy turned 50 this year!!! Thanks Jamal!!!💞

She had the voice of an angel

My favorite song, when I was a kid. 💕

Yes ! Her voice was like a dream.... ahhhhhh..... Karen, how we miss you.....

Me too.

velvety smooth

Probably Love Birds🐦

The birds stopped to swoop down and steal her food. J/k, got nothin but warm and fond memories of the 70s and my parents as a kiddo.

Yes now angels listen to her

Well said .

And in mine. I'm almost exactly the same age as you - I'm 57 - I have never heard any female artist as pure as Karen. Karen can put so much emotion into her voice, it makes you want to cry at any moment. She was taken way, way too early.

Im 62, and as i listen, i drifted back into my bedroom with the radio on as I'm falling asleep, and Karen's voice would make me feel like I was dreaming I was floating in Heaven! Favorite all time singer!

Agreed. Check out a female singer named Rumer

I totally agree 👍

SHe was like a delicate flower ; gives me chills hearing her voice.

She had and will be the only one with the purest voice ever.

The only other voice that is as pure without any affect would be Patsy Cline, in my opinion.

I miss her voice so much and have never found anyone else to compare. Her loss was a tragic sadness.

Silk tearing as the the rose lays crushed on virgin snow .

Have you heard K.D. Lang? You might like her, too.

@@AcademyNS Yes! She is a wonderful singer.

🎶🎵🎼True

I don't disagree that she is not a phenominal singer. But let us not forget Dusty Springfeild, or Petula Clark. Another two ladies who had the voices of angels.

linda ronstadt

I think that you stopped short. I think that every song she ever did was pure perfection. Her voice was absolutely flawless.

Thanks for being the first to mention the song of the roughly 100 I've read here. Karen deserves all the accolades given, but I really thought the reaction was supposed to be to the song. This song truly is one of a kind. The lyrics are so completely over the top sugar sweet, no way it could be a hit... right? Wrong. My feeling is that this song so perfectly conveys humble sweetness, a certain innocence lyrically, melodically, and instrumentally so powerfully that it grabs ahold of us deep down at our core. Then overrides every superficial facet of the human condition, and leaves us just massively empathizing with the singer, who can only admire from afar with no resentment for the many other girls clamoring for the object of her affection, or the guy himself. Now throw on top of it that it's the queen of melancholy, Ms. Carpenter, with THE voice, and the song is taken to a whole other level still. That she was still very young when she sang it fits the persona of the lyrics even more perfectly... Absolutely beautiful! Finally, the fact that such a saccharine song could possibly have had any success, much less massive success, gives the song yet more impact still, in that it hearkens back to a time when something so clean, so impeccably beautiful could still be valued. No way it even gets released today. WHAT a song!

@@johnboehmer6683 Not released today???!!! Why not? Hell, Ariana Grande is a "hit"...

@@donniehagy5125 It would never get released today because America and the world have completely changed. So extremely few could appreciate the qualities of this song that I mentioned above, that no record producer would touch it. Awful, but true.

Beautiful voice!!!?

Spot on description of Karen's singing voice.

Yes she was only the drummer and her brother was the singer.

Song bring tears to my eyes, especially when you think that she was only around for another ten years, then she was taken from us.

I started out as a singer. People told me to shut the hell up. I bought a guitar and became classically trained and later on started to play jazz. People told me to "Quit it with the dad rock and go back to strumming the 4 chords we like". Funny how different careers can turn out.

@@Doodsy1975 Same. This always gives me goosebumps, because of her voice and because she was taken too soon.

Eve K No auto tune back then either, that is all HER

pure, rich, moving, intimate, haunting, simply beautiful. the ultimate singer who sang TO YOU NOT AT YOU....

Eve K She just has this almost lispy flippancy in her voice, as if she’s barely even trying. It makes it fuzzy in a way, if it had a physical touch. It’s warm like a hug, soft like velvet, strong like the wind and sad like a good bye- or the ending of a really good book. An incredible duality of melancholy and joy.

@@nicholashilton2514 That's is by far the best description of her voice I have ever heard. I had to read it a couple of times to fully appreciate it. Thank you.

sidney Thank you for the compliment, my friend! I tried my best to articulate something I find almost indescribable.

heck yeah

agreed... beyond pure, rich, intimate, warm, beautiful, powerful, and so on..

You agree with Paul MaCartney then😀

There is no best. There were some just as good - just different. Whitney.....

Ella Fitzgerald - jazzer but actually so were the Carpenter's,- classical and jazz inherent within them. Brilliant Beautiful arrangements Heaven sent.

She sounds like a long lost childhood friend. There's such a familiarity in her voice.

Takes me back, forgot this song, I'll just listen to it then more times

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

In a perfect world, Karen could do a trio with Lou Rawls and Patsy Cline. Rich voices all.

Me too !✌️🎶

Me three. Knowing what she went through, this song just leaves me sad

No retakes needed!

Spot on description!

She may have sounded like so many Moms to us before we were born. The lower chest register goes further in tissue. Might be something to it.

I'd be a hella lot meaner without Karen and all of the Carpenters. Just sayin.'

Karen is miming voice and drumming for this video shoot. On the studio track (that they're miming _to)_ the drummer is the great LA session ace, Hal Blaine. Although K was more comfortable behind the drums in their early live performances, once she was a big star she played them less & less.

It still is fabulous. Thank the good Lord for recording...And KC could have been a session drummer for a living even without That Voice...she was terrific at that too...

@@stevetournay3731 Ah jeez, if was smart, I'd let this one go. But being dumb and compulsive, I'm sorry to inform you that, no, Karen could not have been a session drummer for a living. You have _no idea_ the sheer skills you need to be able to do that, in all styles, perfectly, when the red light is on, and the meter is ticking. She could keep a beat, but like the vast majority of working musicians - even really famous ones that do well in their successful groups - she could not keep up with demands of studio work. This is no disrespect to her! Those drummers are a rare and special breed. Check out Hal Blaine, Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colaiuta, Bernard Purdie, etc, etc. - these folks all have a solid jazz background, and can play every style from latin to rock/funk/bubble-gum, to whatever the latest thing is - with endless chops, perfect feel & time, and get it right on the first take. But yes, we all love Karen, and it's cool she could play live gigs on drums.

pbasswil Boomer music was great.. but ok boomer

@@GootWaysecrettwinofGerardWay what's okbomer?

Richard. He has several kids - one named after his sis

Chris Parman I never get tired I hearing Karen’s voice, never, she had the voice and an angel. Unfortunately her mother destroyed her confidence and contributed her to her anorexia which eventually led her death of heart failure at only 32.

@@teamcougars ☹☹

He also did the bulk of the arranging. He knew exactly how to bring out the best in his sister's voice and phrasing style.

@@teamcougars her brother picked on her too. Then the papers. They're all guilty

or Patsy Cline

No one can compete to KC ever!

agreed..

@AWelsh Celt Eva had such an amazing array of skills. She could sing almost any genre and hang with the best of that genre. She was fantastic. But in terms of pure vocal tonality, Karen is just on her own level. There is no one in the past 100 years who even comes close IMO.

No other voice as pure as Karen's, a beautiful gift from above

🎺 Yep...that trumpet interlude is vintage Bacharach!

Bacharach and David are music legends

My first experience with this song wasn’t this version, but B.J. Thomas’ as the B-side to “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head”. That version had a quicker, more upbeat tempo, and Thomas singing it about a female love interest gave it a different feel.

The other recordings were awful, over done and over blown. Richard stripped it down to the essentials and then balanced it all out.

She was voted a better drummer than John Bonham. For real.

Old Argyll true. Richard deserves much ore credit. He created the sound.

Thank you

her voice is magical.

They ended up in Downey CA not too far from me. Carpenter's are still beloved by the citizens of Downey ✌️🎼🎵🎶

Same!!!

Yeah me too 💖

It's so weird to see the singer as the drummer in my mind.,

Yep

@@jaybrielakoi7747 Check out "Jackie Blue" by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. The drummer sang the song, and the drummer was a guy.

A timeless voice like that of an angel. Dear sweet Karen was lost too soon.

Coolrockndad especially at that time period.

Now that's a brain teaser. I can't think of ANY other (not considering girl bands in general, but even there.) regardless of time period or genre.

Sheila E is the only other that comes to mind but she can't come close to Karen Carpenter.

@@seansullivan4709 I was going to say the exact same thing. Sheila E did it, but not to Karen's level.

Amen, sister!!! The best music ever!!!!

Desperado was a tremendous song! The Eagles version was priceless. I am about to try to find the Carpenters' version of it.

Oh wow! I'll have to find it!

Wasn't Linda Ronstadt the one that covered Desperado ?

@@Caprizonica the Carpenters did cover it, but Linda Ronstadt did cover it also.

@@nickimontie kzfaq.info/get/bejne/erShjM6ev8vQj30.html

Timeless, just timeless! I loved Karen Carpenter!!!!!!

Yes please do! My favorite Carpenters song!

Thanks for requesting 🙏🏾

My brothers favorite song...may he RIP

I am 65 also and a musician. I couldn't agree with you more! Oh and the memories this brings back!

...and Paul Williams too!

Her brother wrote most of the music

@@Proverbs--tx6yr But not this one!

AWelsh Celt you’re right, he had an ear for hearing songs that he knew he and Karen could make work with a little rearranging. Never failed!!

The lilt of a Burt Bacharach song is unmistakable -- a musical genius.

You're so lucky!!!!

Thank You🙏🏾

@@jamelakajamal You're very welcome.

Karen Nyere better than The Beatles IMHO.

Yep I remember Dionne sing a lot of Burt Bacharach songs.

Did not know that.. Thanks!

her voice is like perfect.

Mine, too!

Mike Beautifull

Yes, that's what it is. It's on their Christmas Portrait album. One if my faves!

Yes, it's exactly like that! Written by Frank Pooler (Richard's university choir director) in 1946, tune rewritten by Richard around 1967, released as a Christmas single in 1970 and subsequently also on the "Christmas Portrait" album. Jamel has done a reaction to that song too (suitably Christmasy with a wreath and a hat, et cetera...)

There's a story there with Nat. He and the young Oscar Peterson were contemporaries; both were superb jazz pianists, both were also excellent singers (and in fact in early recordings of Oscar singing the similarity is spooky). Ultimately, for career reasons, they came to an agreement with each other that Nat would concentrate on singing while Oscar stuck with piano. Now Nat was one of those who thought smoking was beneficial vocally, and smoked like crazy. And died young in 1965. Oscar lived, and performed (even after a stroke!) into his 80s. Karen was happiest when drumming (look up her 1976 TV drum solo; you'll never see her happier). But she had That Voice, and was coaxed out front to sing. Where her heaviness was visible (and yes, that is a trainload of sarcasm; I don't think KC ever weighed over 110), leading to what happened happening. Had she stayed behind the drums...might she have emulated Oscar Peterson's longevity, and still be with us? Perhaps eventually singing as well, just as beautifully? KC would have turned 70 two months ago. She died at 32 in February 1983...

@@stevetournay3731 Didn't know that about Nat and Oscar, thanks!