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Post by cam83 on Oct 5, 2003 18:01:25 GMT -5
Great idea Guys!!
Well I have some DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Karen was given the chance to record the song YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE but she passed it up. She thought it wouldn't be a hit. How wrong she was when it hit Number one for 10 weeks, and won countless awards and made Debby Boone a star...
Speaking of Debby Boone, she was part of the famed BOONE FAMILY(descendants of Daniel Boone)...her Dad was Pat Boone...mom Shirley(father Red Foley...country singer)...and sisters Laury, Lindy and Cherry...
The Boone family recorded Please Mr. Postman, but around that time...the Carpenters version zoomed to the number one position. But there were no hard feelings between the singing families...
The Boones were friends with another musical family of the 1970's...The Osmonds...and Karen dated Alan Osmond for awhile.
Cherry Boone(also a beautiful singer), Debby Boone's sister, had battled anorexia nervosa and got down to 80 pounds on her 5 ft 6 inch frame...she was writing her story...and had given a copy to a girl suffering from anorexia...in the hospital, who was Levenkron's patient too...and thru that...Karen was able to borrow and read Cherry's story....and Karen and Cherry were able to talk in more detail...I believe there first conversation with her anorexia came in late 1981...and then she eventually read more of the book in 1982 some time...the book was STARVING FOR ATTENTION...and got a lot of critical sucess...a best seller...a few years later, she came out with another book called DEAR CHERRY...and in the Dedication section, she wrote...We've Only Just begun to live...sung by Karen Carpenter...and went on to mention about Karen...when a fan had written in to Cherry, and had written that she felt such loss at losing Karen, as Karen was her favorite singer... Cherry went on to write, "Yes, we all lost a friend when we lost Karen. She had so much more to sing. Thru her death, there has been much interest in eating disorders, evidenced in her cover death story of Feb 21, 1983...The Best Selling People magazine issue of that year...But we must remember that her she must not die in vain. That these eating disorders are lethel."(I am not quoting word for word...but that was the gist of it)...
Cameron
PS. I love doing connection between Carpenters and other artists...and come back full circle...
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Post by CarpentersFan2003 on Oct 5, 2003 20:21:39 GMT -5
Cherry also asked Karen to write an opening to her book "Starving for Attention" however Karen was not comfortable with going public with her battle with anorexia....
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Post by Christian on Oct 7, 2003 3:20:14 GMT -5
Hi Cam!
Where did you read that Karen turned down You Light Up My Life? I can`t remember reading this anywhere, all I remember reading was that neither Karen nor many of her friends and associates thought the song has such hit potential and were ssurprised on how well the song did.
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Post by cam83 on Oct 7, 2003 3:29:52 GMT -5
Hey Christian,
I think it was in the Ray Coleman book THE CARPENTERS THE UNTOLD STORY...if memory serves to correct me...
Cam
;-)
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Post by Christian on Oct 7, 2003 4:44:23 GMT -5
Think that was where I read it aswell but has been along time since I read it so my memory might not quite reliable. Must check again as I cannot remember reading that she was ever offered to sing it.
Great book though the Coleman book
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Post by Moe on Oct 12, 2003 3:21:53 GMT -5
Concerning "You Light up My Life," in Ray Coleman's book, and I am paraphrasing, 'Karen said, "I should have recorded it!" As it rose on the charts, she and many others didn't register it to be such a potential winner.'
I have never read officially that the song was offered to Karen and she turned it down, but the biography does seem to imply it. In my own opinion, even if Karen had recorded "You Light up My Life," I don't think it would have been the hit that Debby had with it. It just seemed to fit the way Debby belted it out. It was magical with her voice, the lyric, and music. I'm sure Karen would have done a wonderful job with it, but the hit belonged with Debby.
Here is another little connection with Karen and Debby, both recorded "End of the World." Karen's version is on the "Now and Then" album and Debby's is on the "You light up my life" album. Debby's sounds a little more country than Karen's, but both are nice versions.
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Post by Christian on Oct 12, 2003 6:19:08 GMT -5
Hi Moe.
Then my memory wasn`t all that bad as I also remembered that it didn`t say that Karen was offered to sing the song, she just said "I should have recorded it"
To me, it doesn`t imply that she was ever offered it and turned it down. If she did, it would have been mentioned too.
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Post by Benn on Apr 12, 2004 11:59:34 GMT -5
Although, I wish Karen had not turned down recording "You Light My Life", I am not sure if her take on the song would have been the same as Debby Boone's. Debby sang it to God, Jesus. If Karen had sung it as if it were just another love song to a man, it might not have had the same impact. Compare Barry Manilow's and the Carpenters on "Trying to Get the Feeling Again". Compare the Beatles and the Carpenters on "Ticket to Ride" and "Help". I am just not sure if Karen had recorded it, it would have been a song to God, and had the same feeling as Debby Boone's did. People sing love songs and spirtual songs differently. I am not sure if the people who bought a gospel song to God, who have bought a love song to another person. It's not just how Karen would have sung it versus how Debby sung it, it's how the public would have reacted to Karen's version. I still wish that Karen had sung it. Benn   ;D  |
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Post by enigma on Apr 12, 2004 22:49:15 GMT -5
I agree with benn in that the song would have been changed if the Carpenters had recorded YLUML (just note how they changed Superstar's lyrics and hence its meaning from Bette Midlers version) and doubt it would have been #1 for 10 weeks if done by them. A songs meaning can determine its popularity and I think in this case that was true.
BTW Cam Karen never dated Alan Osmond; That was an ongoing rumour and was adimantly denied by both parties. They were good friends thats all. I know thats the standard answer to couple wanting to rermain private but I would believe their account over some biography or the press.
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Mariah Andrews
CERTIFIED GOLD MEMBER
I'm 29/Transsexual M2F/Lesbian from Southern NV. Now a first-time author on the market!
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Post by Mariah Andrews on Aug 13, 2004 21:21:15 GMT -5
Dirt, dirt, dirt. You know, reading the Coleman book, writers and journalists dug really deep in the early days to find dirt on Karen and Richard and found nothing. Reading the book, the only thing negative I read about them was Richard's addiction to Quaaludes. (I went through a period of that myself when I was in a bad relationship 3 years ago.) But that's minor compared to other rock stars.
My parents and family, who put the Andrews Sisters on a pedistal (I still love the trio myself, don't get me wrong- I named myself after them) were never big on the Carpenters. Yet, reading books about the WW2-era singing siblings, I saw a lot of dirt on them. How Laverne was a drunk, Patty was not a very friendly person, a (too much of a lady to say it) and did not wear any...fill in the blank, Maxene was not a straight woman (neither am I). The point is, my dad thought those sisters were like peachy perfect women, yet he wasn't too much into Karen Carpenter. (By the way, Patty Andrews loved the Carpenters and the Beatles herself.)
Sad to say, my parents are homophobic and do not accept my lifestyle at all- being a tranny and still liking girls, placing myself in the lesbian category too.
Karen, from what I read, was a decent woman. And it's interesting that she wore layers of clothing and probably layers of...something Patty Andrews didn't wear. Who knows.
I guess they say that the good die young. Karen was one of the good.
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Mariah Andrews
CERTIFIED GOLD MEMBER
I'm 29/Transsexual M2F/Lesbian from Southern NV. Now a first-time author on the market!
Posts: 113
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Post by Mariah Andrews on Aug 14, 2004 18:10:17 GMT -5
Well, Dave, I am viewed two different ways by people. Some view me as a straight male who hates wearing boy clothes and never does, and some view me as a lesbian female who was born with the wrong transmission system. My brother told me back in high school, two of his ROTC buddies dressed in drag and to their girlfriends, they hollered out "We're lesbians".
However, I am inbetween relationships and love is not easy to come by. I have no desire to date men nor want to even try it. I got raped by a man 2 years ago on Easter Sunday. Three fellow transsexuals sexually molested me in my own home, all because I refused to sleep with men. They thought I was in denial so they tried to shake it out of me. I was so frightened....I really don't want to talk about that anymore...I'll start crying all over again....that is why I ran away from California.
So far, relationships are hard to come by. The whole world tries to force me to date men. I refuse to. I am iron clad and set in stone about who I am and how I describe myself!!! I will not sell out my principles like Karen did when she recorded that Phil Ramone-produced solo album. One thing I loved about the Carpenters, they stayed true to their principles, according to the book. Yet, they weren't quite perfect.
Now, this subject about myself at this forum I will try to keep to a minimum about discussing. Thank you.
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magiclamp
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"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, Is just to love and be loved in return" {NATURE BOY}
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Post by magiclamp on Jul 13, 2006 15:55:49 GMT -5
<<<<deleted text>>> BTW Cam Karen never dated Alan Osmond; That was an ongoing rumour and was adimantly denied by both parties. They were good friends thats all. I know thats the standard answer to couple wanting to rermain private but I would believe their account over some biography or the press. Hi Enigma, First let me say, it's nice to meet you! RE: Karen and Alan Osmond. I recall seeing some old home movies of the Carpenter family at home, and Alan Osmond was there having dinner with the family, and holding Karen's hand. For whatever that was worth, I trust they did indeed share a close friendship. Kindest regards, magiclamp |
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Post by theeaceman64 on Jul 4, 2021 21:08:19 GMT -5
Hi magiclamp. Do you remember from seeing that Karen and Alan video if Karen had her fingers together or if her fingers were interlocked with Alan's fingers? I figure that you haven't been here in quite a while but worth asking.
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