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Post by BethMosior on Jul 2, 2004 9:20:03 GMT -5
I was listening to this song today wow what a song and when Karen sings ' mom I'm afraid ', I really think she means it, and I feel for her, wanting to encourage her. thats the one thing that I have discovered over the years, how much of what K&R really let the us see about themselves, what was really going on in their minds for instance when the 2nd Christmas special was broadcast and they started singing the new years resolution song, when it was Richards turn he said basically how he wished that his sister would not always insist on him needing a chaperon when he was on a date, next was Karen and her thing was how she wished that Richard wouldn't tell her how to dress and tell her she looks a mess. when the book by Ray Coleman ' the Carpenters the Untold story' came out that was really what happened, they were saying that to each other I thought that was interesting, back to the topic I really think that Karen was really afraid. thats just my thought anyway
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Post by cam83 on Jul 2, 2004 11:47:08 GMT -5
Hi All, BECAUSE WE ARE IN LOVE is a beautiful song. One that I heard was finished the day before the wedding, and vocally sung by Karen that day as well. I read that it was a hard song to sing because it had the range from lowest note to highest note of 3 octaves. That is impressive to know that she was able to do it. Lyrically, it's a nice, poignant song. Actually, John would have written the lyric, and the bit about Mom and Karen having a heart to heart in this song, was a bit, umm...unsettling. So I don't really believe THAT. But as a songwriter and lyricist, you try to make things believable, and it's the singers job to make it believable. Now with I NEED TO BE IN LOVE, that was done by John to showcase the loneliness all three of them felt in trying to find a relationship. With BECAUSE WE ARE IN LOVE, he wanted a love song confirming Karen's wedding. I don't think Karen entered this marriage thinking it would be doomed or anything. With marriage it's never 100% sure. As I know people who have entered with a 100% chance of staying together and somewhere down the line divorced. While others who enter on a whim or whatever, stay together forever etc. She really loved Tom. She wanted the husband, kids, picket fences, the all American dream...but a gorgeous song nonetheless.
My thoughts, Cameron
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Post by Moe on Jul 2, 2004 22:33:00 GMT -5
Karen's vocal range is so impressive in this song. I love the choruses. They are classic wedding athems, but I don't care for the versuses. The mother-daughter conversation doesn't sit right with me. Maybe because if you are having doubts about the marriage, you should listen to them. If there are problems before marriage, they're not going to magically go away in the marriage. oops...I must be listening to Dr. Laura again! LOL
Great choruses and Karen's voice is wonderful. I love the way the song builds at the ending chorus and Karen sings..."we know we won't be lonely in laughter and in sorrow..."
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Post by smoothie2 on Jul 3, 2004 0:18:28 GMT -5
;DHI EVERYBODY ... I looked up the lyrics to Bec. We Are in Love on the Metrolyrics site featured on carpsonline here home page. I have listened to the song and for some reason, wasn't too crazy about it, but it has since grown on me, and I was amazed as well at how high and how low Karen could sing. Anyway, now that I have also read the lyrics to it....as a whole I'm not sure how it fit in as being a song for a wedding because overall it brings up feelings of loneliness and doubt. Of course, as you mentioned Dave, I guess a lot of folks do share these feelings before getting married even though they really love each other and want to share life together. The song really carries some serious statements. I'm not sure about the mother -daughter thing either...other than she may want some extra support and tlc from her mom. I do agree that this is the kind of song, like others where the C's give folks a glimpse of reality of their lives. It's not easy to live w/ someone..for an extended time...without butting heads now and then.
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Post by smoothie2 on Jul 3, 2004 22:50:13 GMT -5
Very Well Indeed ...that lovely woman and great talent ended way 2 soon. Dave, I think you're idea of Fiona singing to Shrek Make Bel. ...is such a wonderful thought. I have seen Shrek 1 and 2 now. It's such a wonderful and funny story. Karen's singing does have that quality where it's easy to imagine her singing to many of the songs from Disney movies...and or any movie. She surely loved kids, and would have been a wonderful mom. She probably would've been the first in line w/ or w/out any kids she might have had to go see Disney movies.
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Post by beaner on Jul 4, 2004 9:46:54 GMT -5
Hi Dave,
Mentioning Karen singing Disney songs was hitting the nail on the head. She would have wanted to do that for sure with so many theme songs being song for movies, etc. She could have done voices for animated movies and cartoons too.
What a shame we can't see this beautiful woman do what she would have had soooo much fun doing. I almost get angry when I think about it but as they say, "everything happens for a reason" but we're all still waiting on that one yet.
Take care,
Beaner
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Post by Rick Henry on Jul 4, 2004 13:14:53 GMT -5
I'm searching for their tour dates from the 70's. I'd like to know just how close our paths came to crossing. When were they in Pittsburgh or Columbus, Ohio? Here's a few dates they did in Ohio; April 15, 1972 Oxford, Ohio, Miami University April 16, 1972 Cincinnati, Ohio, Music Hall July 24, 1973 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Blossom Music Fair Nov. 14, 1973 - Columbus. Ohio, Mershon Auditorium July 14-15, 1975 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio I will list more for you, but after 1975 the concert schedule really lightened up.
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Post by Rob813 on Jul 4, 2004 22:37:20 GMT -5
Boy, you guys really come up with some intense stuff. As far as Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song), the lyrics were written by John Bettis, Richards songwriting partner. Of course we don't know what really went on behind closed doors, but, John must have known Karen quite well. Karen had only met Tom 3 or 4 months before marrying him. Richard has said he didn't think the marriage would last. He has said Karen went about finding a mate in the wrong way - by having him measure up to a mental checklist she had instead of really getting to know the person. K and R hit big when they were very young and inexperienced in life. Their astronomical careers percluded they're doing normal things like freely dating and finding about themselves through those relationship experiences. Karen was very sheltered by her family and tried to distance herself from them. Unfortunately her eating disorder had taken firm hold long before this. Anyway, I think John Bettis wrote from his experience of the Karen he knew. I believe that she must have been afraid of the responsibilites of marriage and her role as a wife. BWAIL is both a broadway musical sounding song fused with a lovely pop type of song. It's just a shame that she wasn't healthier when she married. She deserved to have love and joy, but they consistently escaped her.
Rob
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Post by cam83 on Jul 5, 2004 10:44:09 GMT -5
Hi Guys, I think Karen wanted to be married, and that she indeed loved Tom. But we are not privy to details surrounding their breakup. Her anorexia must have played a big part in their marriage. I mean, he was married to this beautiful, albeit thin woman during the wedding and the she shrinks to a skeleton size...that has definately got to be upsetting for him. Cherry Boone O'Neill says in her book Starving For Attention, that her fiancee Dan knew she had problems with food before the wedding, and everything came to a standstill after one evening out at a restaurant and she ate a normal meal, although she was terrified, as he helped her thru that situation. He took her back to her parent's home, and she was to go to bed right away, so as to not be tempted by food and anxieties about weight. So he turns to leave, she enters in the house, and she spots pork chops in her dog's dish, which meant the family gave the leftovers to her dog Summa. As it would be, Cherry loved the fat off the side of the porkchops, so she squatted down to tear into the meat, and she heard a rap at the window, and to her horror, she saw her fiancee Dan at the door, looking in. It almost broke their engagement. And so that always makes me wonder, that it is possible Tom Burris did not know the full effects of Karen's anorexia pre-wedding...as she would have been joyful, happy, radiant, and that the anorexia could have been swept under the rug for the time being but after the wedding, he would have found out the seriousness of it. It has got to be tough for him...to see someone he loved, he cared about, disinegrate before his very eyes. The lyrics never bothered me...I always thought it was beautiful...an old big band type song from another era. A gorgeous multi octaved song.
My thoughts, Cameron
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Post by Rick Henry on Jul 5, 2004 11:00:11 GMT -5
Boy, you guys really come up with some intense stuff. As far as Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song), the lyrics were written by John Bettis, Richards songwriting partner. Of course we don't know what really went on behind closed doors, but, John must have known Karen quite well. Karen had only met Tom 3 or 4 months before marrying him. Richard has said he didn't think the marriage would last. He has said Karen went about finding a mate in the wrong way - by having him measure up to a mental checklist she had instead of really getting to know the person. Rob Yes, it does seem we come up with some pretty intense conversations from time to time. But it makes sense if you think about it. The topic of Karen Carpenters is not a light one. she was the singer of some the most intense and darkest love songs ever recorded. Karen herslef was a complicated interesting human being having died at a young age from a disease, that a lot of people still don't understand to this day. There's definitely some interesting stuff to discuss here. By the time "Because We Are In Love" was written (1980). John Bettis had been part of the Carpenters camp for about 13 years. So I would say he knew both Karen and Richard very well. I'm sure he spoke with Karen quite a bot about her feelings and emotions. I've also heard that statement a few times, that Karen had this mental checklist of what and who her perfect mate would be. I wonder what was on that checklist. I know that she was very concerned about meeting a man who had his own money - which would mean being a multi-millionaire as she was. She also wanted a man who had as demanding a career as hers. Does anybody know any her other checklist items?
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Post by BethMosior on Jul 6, 2004 0:06:47 GMT -5
Hi Dave I know how you feel, I've thought alot like that, wish I could have done something for Karen, but we can dream can't we and yes I really like stargate SG-1 and i know that Richard like sci-fi too I really do feel like I can share things on this web site that other sites would scare me if I shared anything Thanx alot
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Peteruk
CERTIFIED GOLD MEMBER
Posts: 148
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Post by Peteruk on Jul 12, 2004 13:05:54 GMT -5
The Wedding Song ....great original composition by Richard & John Bettis ....some of the latter's best lyrics ... Often feel that this should have been 1980 single for Carpenters ....coupled with Wedding Songs compilation album to raise awareness of Carpenters return to active music making .....both could have been worldwide hits and prepared fans / radio / media ....more fully for Made In America studio set in 1981 Wedding Song could have been edited down to 3:50 / 3:55 length for radio play -possibly omitting opening mother verse -to maximise impact ..... Peter
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