My first analysis of The Carpenters "Close To You"
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- I'm somewhat familiar with Karen Carpenter's rich, low vocals, but I've never done a deep dive analysis just yet. That changes today! This song "Close To You" has reached number 1 on a bunch of charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, and made The Carpenters an international sensation for decades to come. Color me intrigued!
Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she analyzes The Carpenters for the first time, performing "Close To You”.
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Performed by The Carpenters - Words and Music by Burt Bacharach, Hal David
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I definitely recommend watching the original video without interruptions. Here's the link: • Video
Show The Carpenters some love: / @carpenters
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
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Being 60 years old, hearing Karen Carpenter sing brings a tear to my eye.
Just now....tears...@ 70 !
Too true
yep.
65 - same. Also had to pull over to bawl when news of her passing was announced. RIP My Adolescent Love.
I'm 33 and it does the same to me.
They called her "1 TAKE KAREN." She would whisper the song to herself on the way to the studio and crank it out in one take. No lessons. Just pure angelic gift. All the harmonies dubbed Richard's and Karen's voices in different keys too. Richard was amazing as a composer. He deserves credit too. He hit a gold mine with his sister's voice and arranged all the songs for her low register. Ksren often said "the money's in the basement," meaning her low notes. Very few female singers can even come close to matching it.
Toni Tennille, Kathy Mattea, contraltos are not common.
Rainy days and Mondays is one of my favorites.
Whoever took her away from playing the drums, what she absolutely loved, took her life away, SHAME on YOU
@@gailhancocks5207 That would be the record company
All that lovely Beach Boys-esque double tracking on the backups…and her voice is forever.
But they’re not three octaves contralto like her
There's never been anyone who sounds like Karen Carpenter with the emotional depth and general touch of melancholy she had in her voice.There was a beautiful sadness in her voice.She was truly one of a kind.Even though you can find a clone out there of practically anyone.They can't match that genuine quality Karen had.
She died much too young.
Never say never. 🙏
Check out British singer Harriet. She’s blonde and has been active for a decade.
@@caleguillory5451 she’s good. Try this…keywords
Tori Holub Merry Christmas Darling
19 when she recorded the above, 20 now. Her page is her name.
Why are there giant fishing bobbers hanging over the band?
This song was written and arranged by Burt Bacharach. Their songs were the soundtrack of our lives in the 70s & 80s. I still frequently choke up & tear-up when I hear her sing for her beautiful voice, her tragic end, and my lost youth.
The song is Bacharach for sure. But I can swear I saw him in a interview saying Richard Carpenter NAILED the arrangment for this song.
The guy from Austin Powers “ what the world needs now is love, Sweet love”. He recently passed RIP.
I had a mad crush on Karen as a boy. Everyone family had at least one of their albums. Very underrated voice. She was wonderful.
@@kevinburke6055that was Dionne Warwick's song.
@@frogsterjonesiii6482 Yep ,,, I was in love with her also ... seams so long ago ... Thanks
I'm probably the 97th person to mention this, but Karen Carpenter was legendary in the industry for being able to record in one take only. She was often referred to as One Take Karen
She recorded Superstar in one take
Exactly.
The only singer I know who could match Karen in 1 take recordings is Kimberly Freeman. She did One-Eyed Doll's "Witches" album (11 tracks) in one take per song, and did the whole album in one day.
Lol that must make me the 98th. Karen Carpenter forever!
So, if you combine the fact that she was "1 take Karen" and all the techniques employed that you discussed together... I will venture that she was an incredibly intuitive singer with probably perfect pitch. Any techniques that she learned were extra
It's just not fair to be that good
Karen was only 20 years old when she recorded this. And to have this maturity in her voice is nothing more than astounding. And the thing is the older she got the better her voice got and in my opinion, no one can touch her vocally
I😢
They say she had that mature voice since she was 16 years old.
Yep shes a legend, and even when sick with anorexia she still sounded great. This was the 1970's when we had female artists that were respected for talent and not sexuality. So many great female singers and legends from 60's, 70's and 80's and none of them used sexuality to get attention.
Well, they were far from cool. Contemporary reviews often called them corny, cheesey and behind the times. The critical reappraisal of Karen's singing and Richards writing and arrangement didn't come until decades later. @@tubester4567
I’m a few days late, but in case someone hasn’t already mentioned it, the reason the sound didn’t fade when she moved the mic away is that the performance is a live vocal over a recorded backing track.
Karen was so accurate with her pitch that most people that hear it think she’s lip synching or singing into a dead mic. Fil from Wings Of Pegasus did an analysis and compared this vocal to the studio recording, and you can clearly see the waveforms of her voice were different, but they sound almost identical to the naked ear.
Amazing.
I was going to mention Fil's analysis too, but I'm late to the party, and you've already done so. I recall Fil also saying that Karen was not only accurate with her pitch, but super consistent in her performances of songs.
Love the Fil ❤🥰
Another indicator was the clarinet playing the trumpet solo. :-)
Yes, the layers are all pre recorded ... because it is all Karen and Richard layered together.
lol.....yes, the clarinet playing the trumpet solo that was clearly Herb Alpert tone@@Warshipmodelsunderway
Greatest, most beautiful, most listenable voice of all time. Put your headphones on and it feels like she’s whispering directly into your ears.
@divinelightshine de gustabus non est disputandum.
The reason why the harmonies are so tight and amazing is because her and her brother did them all. Not just did them all, but literally did each one as its own recording and then layered them together. Incredible to say the least, but even more so considering it was all done on tape with no auto tune or pitch correction and no post production computer trickery. They were amazing, absolutely amazing and no one will ever even come close to the talent they possessed.
EXACTLY.Y- DUH. This woman who’s commenting on it apparently has no time knowledge of technology.
Thanks for explaining singing live to a background track, I wondered who sang background vocals, it was themselves.
Richard Carpenter was extremely gifted and skilled (not the same thing). As I recall, a university in Colorado had a Masters class on his arrangements. Their combined technical mastery was unique in pop/rock. (Karen would have flourished ten years earlier in the Wrecking Crew; her virtuoso drumming would have worked well in "Pet Sounds".)
Multitracking vocal wasn't anything new.
@@Coowallsky multi tracking was definitely not new, but doing it blindly without listening to any previous track and simply recording track after track, harmony part after Harmony part without listening to what was previously recorded or listening while you were recording? The next track was never done. Even Brad Delp used multi tracking and did his own harmonies, but did it wow he listened to his previously recorded tracks.
I'm a total metalhead, but I've been a fan of the carpenters since my teen years. Karen' voice has always been amazing to me and she's one of a kind. There will never ever be a singer that sounds like her...
Yes.
The human brain was designed with the capacity to like all different genres.
I’m like you, except I also enjoy classic rock, too.
And jazz. Of course, Carpenters had their roots in jazz, probably why I love them so much.
Same pal. Love the Carpenters and i especially adore the 60s and 70s male and female singers of that era.
Same. The timbre of her voice is incredible, but it's also her timing and phrasing. She drops the words into the rhythm just so, with little bumps that are like to the millisecond. She's a great singer.
Fil, from “Wings of Pegasus” has done some deep dives on Karen and Richard’s songs…and even put her through “voice analyzer” software…and it is amazing to see that she is pretty much always “pitch perfect”.
Fil does loads of great analysis videos
Here's a link to his vid. She was truly extraordinary.
ruclips.net/video/HWB96ZLWUUw/видео.html
Love Fil. His analysis of singers is excellent.
On one of Fil's videos you could tell she wasn't lip syncing because she was hitting notes *better* than the studio version.
I seem to remember that professionally Karen enjoyed a reputation as "One Take Karen"!
Wings of pegasus does an analysis of her studio vs this live version. He was astouded at her accuracy and control. A true talent and gone way too soon. A voice like liquid, velvety chocolate. Perfect pitch and tonal control. There will only ever be one Karen Carpenter.
If you ran it through auto tune, it wouldn't even make any corrections.
I watched Fil as well, he said she actually sang the live version better than the recording. She is my all time favorite female singer.
Maybe not, there's a new girl on the scene that sings in the style of Karen and has done almost identical arrangements for 1 or 2 of their songs. Her name is Tori Holub.
I always say when I hear Karen's voice that you can almost detect the struggle and sadness in her life. Love her version of "Superstar".
especially in "I Need to Be in Love" which was her favourite track she sang on.
Don't forget A Song for You!
Their cover of Ticket To Ride is brilliant.
After all these years (I'm in a different generation than you), seeing her sing makes tears run down my face. She tried to be perfect for her brother, for her parents for everyone. She had problems but we all do. She was taken from us way too soon. If you find yourself fighting with addiction, whether it's drugs or alcohol or a family problem or with friends.... Please talk to someone, you are worth it!
To this day, I can't help but get angry when I hear a Carpenters song...angry that the people who supposedly loved her allowed her to starve herself to death. They robbed the world of decades of incredible, unparalleled music that she would have created.
Imagine hearing her today live!
@@medolfanIt’s not that they allowed her, there’s nothing anyone can actually do with that if we are being honest. As someone who has issues with food, no one can force me to eat, threats won’t work.
What a wonderful human you are, William. Beautiful comment.
Same here - even her happy songs make me sad.
Fil on Wings of Pegasus graphed Karen's vocals against true pitch, and showed how perfectly she hit each note.
Yes, I saw that video, Karen's voice is so amazing, there is not enough one can share about her talent
I also watched his analysis of Karen's vocals as well as his analyses of other artists. It's an interesting way to display who's voice you're really hearing, the artist or autotune.
I saw that and how amazed he was at how good she was live versus recordings. Perfect pitch and absolutely perfect voice.
It's such a loss that we can't hear her today showing the young kids how it's supposed to be done. With pure talent, no gimmicks or autotune.
Thanks for mentioning that. I watched that analysis and was blown away, but couldn’t remember where I saw it.
I saw that, too!
Not only is Karen’s voice angelic but she was an incredible drummer.
This. One of the biggest reasons Karen had such incredible air control came from being a singing drummer...or a drummer who sang.
Fun fact: She started out as the drummer for her brother's band and did not want to sing, so much so that when she was convinced to start singing she did it from behind her drum set.
Did you know Karen won a best drummer award over John Bonham of Led Zeppelin? Bonham didn't take it lightly (sore loser).
People think I am joking when I say what a great drummer she was. Extremely underated!❤🎉
@@kens.4198 true story
Although the Carpenters weren't considered cool to listen to amongst the rock crowd, a music critic for Rolling Stone said that her voice was like that of a lover whispering in your ear. I hear that every time I hear her now.
Karen’s voice was so heavenly, it was one of a kind. This song and “rainy days and Monday” are my favorites! 💯
That's so true, her voice was so heavenly, she had the voice of an Angel, didn't she! Don't you agree?
@@markdermody9698 Yes totally agree, a voice of an angel. Won’t be another like her.
Me too
Solitaire is my favorite by them. Might be the saddest song they ever recorded. I also agree that Karen's voice was
heavenly. Mellifluous if you will.
@@32a34aOuu I love that song, and that horizon album was so under appreciated as well 💯
So happy you are covering the Carpenters. Karen's voice was amazing and Richard's arrangements are timeless.
I’m traditionally a rocker & a drummer but the beautiful voice I’ve always loved when hearing Karen singing any song melts my heart. She’s a an icon and I pray she knew how much she was loved by millions before her untimely passing. R.I.P. Karen 🙏
I was raised on The Carpenters. Being a punk rock kid I couldn't stand it without ever realizing how much they had already influenced my own writing. Now as an adult I find myself listening to them more than I would like to admit. Listening to Karen sing is like being wrapped in a marshmellow pillow and the songs are just simply delightful. Saccharine? Yes. But delightful.
One of, if not the most beautiful natural voices ever. She always considered herself as a drummer who could sing, and it took a while for her to step out from behind the drums since she was a bit shy. This is a great song to first analyze as would be "Rainy Days and Mondays". In the recording studio her nickname was 'One take Karen'. She would usually nail it the first time rarely needing to do another take. Her brother Richard, playing the piano, would also use over dubbing of her voice like how Les Paul would do with his wife Mary Ford.
Her voice is so magical, soothing, breathtaking, classy and timeless!!
"Rainy Days and Mondays", "Superstar", "Yesterday Once More", "We've Only Just Begun" and "Solitaire" are some of my all-time faves. Reminds me of Eva Cassidy too 😊❤️
As a kid in the 70’s, her voice was ever present on AM top 40. As I grew older, even as a rock fan, I knew her voice was special!
Likewise. In the early 70's even at 4 years old her voice became part of the fabric of my musical soul. It was everywhere, and the most soothing voice I know of in recorded music. She was a gift to us all.
To me Karen had the best female voice I've ever heard. So smooth, always on pitch, effortless. I still listen to her.
Her and Peggy Lee
Her tone is otherworldly, like creamy milk and honey.
Pure, iconic, timeless.
Her voice was analyzed as being almost pitch perfect. So pure and sweet. I hope she's singing in heaven. Thanks for your great reaction!
I think it was analyzed as being perfect pitch
Burt Bacharach.. One of the most wonderful songwriters.. They do several of his songs..
And Karen is an AMAZING drummer as well..
R.I.P. Karen..
I literally lost it in the grocery store when the tabloids printed the news of her death. Uncontrollable sobbing for days. Very few “ celebrity “ deaths have gotten to me the way hers did. Princess Diana and The Queen came close. Karen was my childhood crush. Her voice got me through a million teenage struggles and triumphs!
Thank you so much for putting her on your show.
Yeah, we all watched her performances and interviews where she just kept getting so small. It was sad.
When Elvis and John Lennon passed can remember very well. Great artists in their own way just like Karen carpenter. She was Some vocalist - her breathing technique ! Wow !
The chorals in the background are actually Karen and her brother singing different parts. She was such an awesome singer and her interpretation of a song is just the best. When I hear her singing, it brings tears to my eyes. So many memories from this era with her songs in the background.
To me, hearing the vibrato all perfectly lined up and in tune on those huge stacked vocal parts is bonkers. She and her brother were insanely precise. No Melodyne or time alignment back then. They had to absolutely nail every take, and that's what they did. Her vibrato control was second to none imo. I can't think of many female singers I hold in higher regard than her, and I'm a metalhead born long after she died. What an incredible voice.
Ella Fitzgerald was a huge Karen Carpenter fan, considering her the best female voice of that generation. High praise, indeed. (Oh, the air comment -- I have tried to catch Karen taking a breath so often and it's almost totally invisible.) And she was renowned for doing the same thing over and over on each take. She was a freaking amazing genius.
There is a video somewhere here on RUclips of Karen and Ella singing a medley together. Burt Bacharach songs, I think.
I never liked it,when a person takes a breath,between phrases,words,you are right,Karen ,is so good at avoiding that.
Ella guest starred on one of their specials. Amazing!
You can catch an inhale at 6:18 , but yes, her phrasing was super good.
ruclips.net/video/AIVLrzmRBLA/видео.html
Who could ever hear Karen Carpenter’s voice and not love it? Thanks for reviewing another Carpenters song, Elizabeth. It is so refreshing to watch you hear it for the first time and experience that first time vicariously again.
Her voice was absolutely beautiful and that is why it was so very sad when we heard the most dreadful news back in the early 1980's that she had passed away from Anorexia Nervosa which she had been struggling with for many years!
A voice soft as warm butter, luscious as chocolate, consistent and reliable. Everything just where it needs to be.
Angelic perfection from one of the greatest singers ever! And Bacharach's music is timeless, mesmerizing and flawless! RIP Burt and Karen, your music will live forever🙏❤️❤️!
Karen had the purest voice of any female singer. While listening to hard rock bans such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, Deep Purple, ZZ Top, and others, the Carpenters entered the music scene with soft songs led by Karen and her brother. They were EXTREMELY popular yet for some of us "rockers" the Carpenters were our guilty pleasure. Karen had a deep voice but it felt like you were being hugged by it. When she sang the phrase "I love you, I really do" at the end of Superstar all of us guys melted as if she was singing directly to us. My brother and I saw them at Las Vegas Hilton at Christmas 1972. I sat 6 seats away from the stage. When Karen came out into the audience to sing, she brushed against me! I felt like I had just gone to Heaven.
Same for me.
Absolutely Bob
Same here. The Carpenters and Abba, in my case. Superb musicianship, loved across genres.
I was going to leave similar comment. She gets so much respect from fans of all genres
I grew up loving hard rock and metal, bands like Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Rush, Floyd, Iron Maiden, etc. and never admitted to any friends that I liked the Carpenters. I found out recently that Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots was a huge Carpenters fan. I'm glad to see these comments and realize I wasn't the only rocker out there who enjoyed this music too.
Us older folks will recognize this song immediately. It was a monster hit for the Carpenters.
Yes!!!! When she started singing, I thought of my mom and began to cry. Such memories!
It's impossible to listen to The Carpenters with objectivity, this sound being so intertwined with lived experiences in the era and moment that it dropped. I don't even want to. It's another world altogether.
I first heard this song while I was in the Army, stationed at a Navy Base, on a NCO club jukebox. I had not heard of them, and I thought it was an all-girl group...the harmony vocals were recorded with multi-track recording, which I knew very little about back then.
My most favorite female singer of all time. So beautiful. 💙💙
Always a special place in my heart for the Carpenters. I will never forget my mom walking us down their parents house to watch them practice in their garage after they got home from school.
How cool is that! 😊
Lucky dog.
oh my! wow! incredible!
Hey now fellow former Downey resident. 👋That is so cool. I walked by their house when I would go to my friend's house. I think their parents were still living at the time too. I mean, this was back in the 90s but I remember seeing their mom a couple times. But to see them practice in their garage, that's awesome. 😎👍
One interesting thing about Karen is that she never had vocal lessons and it just came naturally. She also had incredible jazz chops on the drums and she used to play and sing simultaneously seemingly without effort.
To be clear, Karen was indeed live here, with a background track. Only her mic was live, everything else on a track. She was the most accurate live singer in history to the extent that some professional musicians, even today, insist she was not live. But careful analysis reveals she almost always was.
It would be great if you reacted to the video when she's drumming. She was a recognized and great drummer.
As you figured out, indeed this is the studio version. I remember reading that Karen and Richard were not keen on this song. That moon dust and angels stuff they though was a bit "corny." But the co-writer Burt Bacharach pushed for it. It came off their second album and they had attracted serious songwriters by then. Additionally, 16 track tape machines were coming into play (when just a few years earlier it was just 8 - think early Beatles). As a student of early audio production, the Carpenters were required in study. As you alluded to, Karen's technique was VERY precise. The producers realized that and layered her (and Richard) over and over again, track after track, bouncing them all down to the "new" 16 track technology (we are talking 1970 here). The voice layering at that level was a cutting edge recording technique at the time and Karen was the perfect person to pull it off.
Yes, this 80's and 90's rocker still goes on Karen deep dives on a regular basis. She is absolutely one of the gems of our lifetime and can still draw a tear after all these years.
This was a live preformance but in (I believe) 1995 some one took a bunch of their old TV shows and replaced the audio with studio audio. If you watch all of the 1971 BBC special you will see the original of this performance. I overlayed the two and they are identical except the audio. The original has clapping covering the first few notes and last few notes and is in 1971 TV audio. In 71 most TVs had 1 5in speaker and they recorded with that in mind (NOT GREAT). Their full tours are the best place to get original audio. Watch the full show as if someone removed a performance from one of the tours good chance they messed with the audio. Watch 1971 BBC, 1972 Australia, Japan1972 or 76 .
I love hearing her isolated tracks. It's a gift that those exist.
@Earl Harbeson Our B/W GE brand TV was certainly an exception then. It was an upright, with spindle legs, and the speaker, with open back, was oval approximately 24" x 12". Great sound - vintage early 60s.
@@graybeard2113 You should have kept it! The normal spindle legged GE had room for a 3 x 6 in speaker. the only sets with big speakers were the console which also had a stereo phonograph and radio. and most of them had 2 8 inch speakers and 2 3 in speakers. They all used the subpar amplifier in the TV for sound from the TV. Only used the slightly better stereo amplifier for the radio and record player. I would be interested to know where they found room for a 24-inch speaker there was just barely room for the picture tube and electronics for the TV.
@Earl Harbeson The speaker was in its own compartment across the entire bottom, of course facing the front, and the picture tube was most of the upper portion, in its own compartment. This placed the screen about the height of the viewer's vision sitting down. So there was no looking down, as you would with a console, or most TVs of that era. The thin tapered spindle legs were that 50s style, contemporary futuristic look. Wood cabinet was med dark mahogany. The lower speaker portion had a gold metallic 3/8" grid with beige fabric behind it. The fabric had some tiny gold flecks embedded. This is my memory from when I was a kid. We replaced it with a tabletop 19" color TV about 1969/70. Eventually, Dad replaced that with a 25" model. Those color models definitely didn't have the style factor that the 50s model did. Hope that gives you a better picture (no pun intended).
There is a guy on RUclips who analyzed her singing. Studio vs live. He said he was blown away by her perfect pitch. He was using some kind of device that shows how she was almost always spot on the note. (not a musician here obviously) He also said that she was even better live.
The Wings of Pegasus channel
Karen Carpenter's voice is like silk. She started out as a drummer. Other Carpenters songs to check out - Rainy Days and Mondays, We've Only Just Begun, Superstar
Then, there's this "floating in a cloud" song: ruclips.net/video/Tt1MqAZ9XHw/видео.html
... and "Goodbye to Love". Amazing singing, as always by Karen, with a fabulous electric solo that plays into some amazing harmonies on the fade-out!
KAREN KNOWS THAT WE ALL MISS HÉR... I LISTEN TO SO MUCH MUSIC IN MY LIFE AND THERE IS STILL MORE FOR ME TO HEAR. BUT THERE IS NO ONE THEN NOW OR NO WHERE IN THE FUTURE LIKE HER.
She was taken from us FAR too early. I get instant chills as soon as I hear her voice. What a talent.
She wasn't taken.
@@kimmytuna5180 - Indeed. A sad lesson still not learned to this day.
Bless her......
I grew up with The Carpenters at same time listening to the Who and more. Always loved her sweet lyrically lilting angelic voice! Today I listen to her in my audiophile HIFIMAN headphones and it’s like she is singing in my living room.
This song won Grammy for best song in 1971 over Simon and Garfunkel’s legendary Bridge over trouble eaters and Beatles Let it Be. Let that sink in for a while.
Close to You was their breakthrough song that put them on the map for history. I think she was 19 years old. Artistic perfection and beauty. Thank you Karen!
She was known as one take Karen when they were recording. Her voice gives me chills still 40 years after she was taken from us way too soon.
How did she die? I'm 32 years old, but my dad adored Karen Carpenter. I think he told me she had body issues fueled by her husband that caused her to die from Anorexia or Bulimia? What a waste of a once in a lifetime voice. So many great people abused and take their own lives, for what? :/
@@sinseer3856she died of heart failure brought on by about 9 or so years battling anorexia.
@@sinseer3856Her anorexia was brought on by the press commenting on her body when she was just a teenager. Something like "chubby Karen has a voice like an angel". She battled anorexia for the rest of her life. Heartbreaking she couldn't see what everyone else saw.
32 years old,why did nobody help her with her anorexia
It is near impossible to help someone wit anorexia. It is like dealing with an alcoholic. No matter what you tell the person, they use your words against you. It is a horrible and helpless thing to watch a loved one go through.@@pauldolan9077
This is a terrific analysis. I've listened to this song hundreds of times since I was a teenager and never noticed some of the things you pointed out. I never thought Richard got (or gets) enough credit for his song writing and production. Karen, of course, is one of the best and saddest stories of the pop music industry. Such a talent, but the pressure of the business ultimately took her life. RIP Karen Carpenter. I will cherish the sound of your voice forever. BTW - The Carpenter's Christmas album is still my fav year after year.
I definitely agree with you. Karen had the voice, the best ever in my opinion. But Richard was and probably still is a genius when it comes to arrangement and writing. He knew exactly what to do with his sisters amazing voice.
I would love to have been in the room when he first realized just how great she is, was.
It's disappointing to me that, for some reason, I haven't been hearing Carpenters Christmas songs on the radio for a couple of the past few years. I hope she's not being forgotten.
Richard’s song, Karen’s Theme, written posthumously for her, is an unsung masterpiece.
I first heard about them as boring (decades after they had been big and she had sadly passed away), so I never gave them a chance, trusting what little I heard to be typical of them. Then, later in life, I heard a voice that struck me hard. That was Karen. So clear, so precise. Since then I have been a fan.
Burt Bacherach said in an interview that her and her Brother Richard did there recordings in on take then would multi layer the harmony vocals each twice never making a mistake. Richard arranged all there music. Karen hated singing and being the front person, she loved the drums and saw her self as a drummer and a incredible one at that! that's her drumming on the studio recordings. the fact she could sing and play at the same time is incredible! thanks for this one.
Actually Karen drummed on Offering and Now and Then. Hal Blaine did most of their drumming for the records. Hal did Jambalaya on Now and Then. Karen loved Hal and visa versa. The drumming mutual love thing. Karen was one of three people to buy the Hal Blaine Monster Drum Kit. It was a custom drum kit designed by Hal and his drum tech Rick Faucher (sp?) It was built by a drum maker in L.A. the others were Dennis Wilson and George gifted Ringo a set. If you want to see the set it’s on the green shirt Karen drum solo for the TV special. It’s separated but the huge row of Tom’s is the main feature.
As good a drummer as singer. What a talent.
Hal Blaine played drums on all Carpenters recordings.
@@maceomaceo11 all no. Many, yes. Karen did all or most of Offering. She did Now and Then except for Jambalaya, which Hal did. Various others were scattered throughout the history. But Hal and the Monster Set did most for sure.
Karen makes it look effortless. She was just about perfect in every way. I remember when she died, I was utterly heartbroken.
Yes, we were ALL heartbroken.... :(
To me it's still the most beautiful love letter ever written, and I'm almost 60 now.
Karen’s voice always reminds me of a mother’s hug. It makes you feel safe, warm, and cozy. 🙂
Yes, comforting!
Like you're a baby and Mom is singing to you with total mutual love.
A Fluffy , Perfect Pillow LOL
YES! That's a perfect comparison!
Would've went with We've Only Just Begun from Ed Sullivan when she was at her drum kit
Or this amazing medley where we got to watch her sing and play drums for 6 full minutes: ruclips.net/video/yrsuLCF9FtI/видео.html . I also like this one because you get to see more of Richard's talent doing backup vocals as well as on the keyboard and the musical arrangement.
Greetings from Uruguay 🇺🇾 Karen's voice will always be remembered as one of the greatest, finest and flawless female voices of all time.
The thing I really notice with Karen, is seeing she was a great drummer, her rhythmic devices. She makes these impeccable choices on which words to sing short and rhythmically and when to just float over a phrase or hold a note. It sounds completely natural but it's so full of nuance.
Yes! Super unique
Perfect pitch, deep resonance, and fabulous breath control. Yeah, one of the greats.
And perfect vibrato.....
Just watched wings of Pegasus and I guess what they did was run the studio vocal and Karen sang it live as well. He said her live singing was actually more accurate than the studio. I always loved Karen. Love watching you.
What an incredible talent. I’m not super educated on all of the minutiae of singing technique, but it feels like she uses back-of-the-throat consonants or vocal fry in concert to engage her larynx before she centers her notes, especially in her chest range. Also her vibrato is so slow and relaxed that it’s mesmerizing. Incredible singer, such a tragic loss.
I hear it! I sort of half read your comment and then felt like independently I noticed that she starts off with kind of an “unn” right before starting the actual word. Eg “unnwhy do birds?” But then I read your comment again and I think now I was primed to suddenly hear that after all these years (my parents had this cassette and I remember listening as a kid in like 75) by your comment. Thanks!
Karen Carpenter was a once in a lifetime talent. So unfair that she was taken at such a young age. Her voice gives me shivers.
I'm 66 and grew up with The Carpenters, so Karen's voice was not the surprise to me like it was to you, but for me, the best part of this video was watching you fall in love with her. So sweet. The 70s had the absolute BEST music. I'm so glad I found your channel.
Yes, the 70's and 80's had the greatest music vocally and harmony wise.
And Karen played the Drums as she sang with The Carpenters.
I love "rainy days and mondays".....and "only yesterday".... Two of the best melancholic songs ever, by a great voice! Way to check out the diversity...Queensryche to The Carpenters.....Burt Bacharach....the writer of some of their best hits just passed and im sure you know Karens sad part of history....
My mom loved the Carpenters and could sound a lot like Karen. I miss my mom terribly and listening to this takes me down memory lane! ❤
Ditto!
Carpenters were phenomenal………what a voice❤❤❤❤❤❤
I was six years old when this was released in 1970 and became the Carpenters' first #1 on multiple U.S. charts.
I don't remember hearing it on the radio at that time, but vividly (and audibly) remember my nine year old sister singing it over and over as she walked around the house.
Fond memory! And Karen Carpenter's voice is angelic!
Miss Carpenter was popular when I was very young (dob 1963), and I can't hear this song in particular without weeping. I LOVE the uncomplicated clarity of everything, and each part of each element. I miss being able to deeply enjoy each component.
It's sad that I can't disassociate the was she suffered and left us from my enjoyment of her music. Complicated doesn't always mean better.
Yes, absolutely. I remember hearing it while riding the bus. 1963 as well.
It has been said here that its sad that she is no longer here to teach our youth how to do this without autotune, but thanks to youtube and young content providers discovering her she is here, just like yesterday once more.
Vocally, “Superstar” is an amazing song and sample of her voice.
And “Goodbye to Love”. Great song.
she needs to do that one that is a great song
Agree! One of like 6 Carpenters songs i listen to over and over!
Goodbye to Love always brings me to tears if not openly weeping.
She was one in a lifetime and she had no clue how incredible she was
She had one of the most beautiful voices ever recorded on tape. Thank you for this
Thank the Lord that it was recorded!!!
I've been a metal/hard rock guy since about 1970 but I'm so glad to see Karen C. on this channel. Her and Simone's tones (though different) are two of the most beautiful sounds on the planet. Edit; Can't wait for more of her voice and Richards genius!
She gave advice to a new artist to “Just sing it pretty” once. She always sang pretty. And she and her brother did all the back up singer tracks so it would seem like she’s not always singing but she is. Gorgeous singer, fierce drummer and bubbly personality
As a teenager I loved The Carpenters and obviously I had a crush on Karen. She had such a silky voice, to me she is one of the best female voices all timea along with Aretha, Whitney and Ella
Oh yes, Karen Carpenter, what an angelic voice. This song is one of The Carpenters biggest hits
Oh I’m looking forward to this! I grew up with The Carpenters. I always thought she had the most beautiful voice, with a perfect vibrato. I’m not fond of a fast vibrato, they sound forced, or fake, to me. But I’m not an expert, I just know what I like to hear. She was also an amazing drummer, calling herself ‘a drummer who sings’. She has amazing drum solo videos out there that would blow you away!
Karen has one of the most recognizable voices in recorded music history and on the male side I believe Michael McDonald has the crown for the guys. You can hear and know its them right away. AND a side note... Karen was a very good drummer and played on her records and also in live shows too. So sad she passed so young and she is missed. AND a great Bacharach & David too.
I grew up on Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, Metallica, Maiden,Dio. You get the idea. Even I can appreciate how beautiful her voice is. I imagine this is how angels sing. It's sad she wasn't with us longer.
The voice is unmatched to this day . Richards arrangements . When music was fantastic . They Weber just huge in the early 70s. I pray younger generations find and experience this magic! ❤
Karen's control and range are a once in a century happening - you can listen to the first stanza and understand that this is a generational talent.
Enjoyed this. All of these years I never noticed her lower note vocal technique until you pointed it out here. Amazingly astute. Now I am paying even more attention to her mesmerizing voice. This is Bacharach and David at their very best. And they could not have had better artists perform this magical masterpiece than the Karen and Richard. Yes, this is a track, but you should also analyze her singing live, it’s virtually identical. She was a master vocalist in any situation. Cheers.
I'm not sure how to characterize this, but one thing I have always loved is how every line of lyric in Karen's singing feels connected to the one before, and the one after. That is, instead of the song being a series of lines or phrases, her delivery makes it feel like one uninterrupted piece of flowing fabric. Warm, soothing fabric. I grew up with a mom who played Carpenters albums anytime the TV wasn't on. And never grew tired of them.
Modern singers will record each line dozens to hundreds of times, and then the studio will stitch together the best take of each line to make a song.
Maybe what you’re describing is a result of her doing an entire song perfectly in one take?
Karens voice is just so soothing and perfect. There never has and likely never will be anyone one like her again. Im 42 and grew up with my mum listening to her. She just makes you feel warm and fuzzy.
Karen Carpenter was my first Female singer I listen to on the Radio. I was in awe of her singing voice. Karen was so special. "Superstar" 'We've only just begun." "Top of the World" are 3 of my favorites.
“Superstar” brings me to tears her voice is so beautiful. I’d love to see it on this channel.
Karen's life story is so heartbreaking, we'll always miss her beautiful voice.
Karen Carpenter's voice was full of soul not the cliché but the soul-stuff itself. When she sang she imbued everything with a piece of herself and it touches something deep within the listener. If you have the ears and the heart it doesn't matter if it's Mr Postman or Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (!) she *will* touch you.
Elizabeth's commentary on the need for lower voices touched me: she *gets* it! ❤️
Karen’s voice is angelic. Crazy to think she wasn’t initially the vocalist. We’ve Only Just Begun and Superstar are some of my favourites. Close To You is a fine example of the musical genius of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. There’s an ‘interesting’ video of Burt playing this song with Barbra Streisand on YT. Speaking of Babs, I’d highly recommend an analysis of her song Evergreen at some point, another incredible voice!
Truly tragic what happened to Karen.
I'll second a recommendation of Streisand's "Evergreen."
@@EvieDelacourt Hell yeah. A fabulous track.
Angelic. A good word.
This was definitely the studio version - both instrumentals and vocals. But the Carpenters were known as perfectionists and wanted their live performances to sound like the records, so they practiced what they did in the studio over and over again and, after a while, it just becomes second nature. Karen Carpenter was one in a billion. I was just five or six when their second album, Close To You, came out and the Carpenters became my favorite group, not to mention Karen became my first crush. Even though it wasn't "cool" back then to be a Carpenters fan, I didn't care. Over fifty years later, they're still in my top five. My heart sunk when I learned she had passed in 1983 and I've shed many tears over her untimely death. I thank God that they made so many recordings that I can enjoy whenever I want. Their music will last for many, many years to come.
If you look at their 1971 BBC special starting at 40:45 (on the version of it I found) you can see the original recording of this performance. Someone pulled this out of that show and put the studio sound on it. When she gives that little bow just before she starts sing it is because people were clapping. Most of the singles on RUclips by them are removed from live shows and studio sound added. When I first found Carpenters on RUclips I thought "I don't remember the audio on TV being that good in 1971" did not need to be as TVs had 1 5inch speaker in 1975 you could get good audio, on a few stations (not on the TV carrier, but on a FM radio station which simulcast). You turned the sound down on your TV and up on your FM radio. The first station to start caring about the quality of their audio went live with stereo on their carrier was in 1983 the year Karen died.
The view of the clarinet is accompanied by the sound of a trumpet played by Chuck Findlay... And I don't see any choir of female backup singers in the video.
Well said.
@@jondhuse1549 yes you're so right obviously they are performing backing tracks!
@@A-whiter-shade-of-pale thank you for your very detailed comment, it's quite amazing that these techniques now can be performed, live on stage!
There probably will never be a contralto voice like hers. Smooth, like warm honey.
Karen is one of the all time best voices. Her brother Richard (playing the piano) is one of the all time best writers and arrangers ever.
Her voice is like "warm chocolate." She left this world too soon.
I love that description
You are correct, this sounds like the studio version dubbed on the live performance.
my mom told me that when I was 3-4 years old when the Carpenters would come on the radio I would set down as close to the radio as I could get and just look at the speaker and smile
Karen Carpenter was an Angel 😇 sent from Heaven and left us way too soon! One of the most beautiful voices ever heard! The compositions are the direct result of her brother Richard Carpenter who really played to Karen’s strengths as a singer! I LOVE ❤️ the music of The Carpenters! RIP Karen!
I didn't truly appreciate her until I saw a live performance which was visualized with a tuner. She was perfectly on pitch every single time!!! No scoops or going flat. Pure tone every time.
Karen voice was like a mother's hug. Have you considered doing a video on George Michael performing 'Somebody to love' together with queen? There's a rehearsal as well as a performance video on youtube, which also makes it a really interesting one
Karen's rich voice is what always drew me to her. Her brother Richard (playing the piano) is an amazing arranger and his arrangements are a great enhancement to Karen's voice. The way Richard uses instruments to fill the sound and build momentum. Together they were a great team. The Carpenter's Christmas album is the most magnificent album blending voice and instrumentation.
I know nothing about music and singing except what I hear, but I think Karen Carpenter was the finest voice of the 20th century.
Something else impressive about Karen, she was only 19 when this album was recorded, and didn’t really take up singing until joining her university choir. She got some training from the choir director to develop a 3 octave range. That was pretty much it. She was the girl next door that just decided to start singing.