Yeah, long time no read. Just a bit busy with the wedding and all.Yes, guys, I am going there. Finally!
I just heard my dad play those classic songs again and it hit me: I haven't paid tribute to one of my favorite singers yet! My parents "discovered" that I could sing when I was in primary school and from then on, they bought a lot of multiplex tapes (Google, my dear young friend, Google.) to let me "rehearse" my "pieces". One of my influences was, is and will forever be Karen Carpenter. Though she left us all too soon, her voice was very soothing and distinct.
So, here's some of the Carpenters' songs that might not have been overly commercialized but has meant a lot to me and maybe to a lot of die-hard hopeless romantics like me. :)
MUMOMOMENT HIT #5 FOR ALL WE KNOW
For All We Know was actually written for the movie Lovers and Other Strangers in 1970. It was written by famous musical scorers during that time (Fred Karlin, Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin and was originally performed by Larry Meredith.
FAVE LINES: We've got a lifetime to share | So much to say | And as we go from day to day
KAREN FACT: Karen Carpenter loved playing the drums. She was even praised by fellow drummers at that time. Proof? Listen to the Carpenters' album Ticket To Ride.
MUMOMOMENT HIT #4 GOODBYE TO LOVE
This song was composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis released in 1972. This is the one of the first few who used the fuzz guitar. This was my theme song when I was preparing myself for the spinster life. Hehehe!
FAVE LINES: All the years of useless search have finally reached an end | Loneliness and empty days will be my only friend | From this day love is forgotten I'll go on as best I can
KAREN FACT: She was just 32 when she passed away due to, we all know, anorexia nervosa. This led to a number of celebrities being open about their eating disorders. Her family founded the Karen A. Carpenter Memorial Foundation which was changed to the Carpenter Family Foundation. Aside from raising funds for people with eating disorders, the foundation also finances the arts, entertainment and education.
MUMOMOMENT HIT #3 MAKE BELIEVE IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME
Written by Bob Morrison and Johnny Wilson, Karen recorded Make Believe It's Your First Time intended for her solo album which was eventually shelved and was posthumously released in a very far away era named 1996 under the album Karen Carpenter.
FAVE LINES: This moment's ours | Tonight's the night | And if we fall in love | Well, that's alright
KAREN FACT: Cynthia Gibb played as Karen in the made-for-TV movie The Karen Carpenter Show on January 1, 1989. She lip-synced the songs to Karen's recorded voice except for the song The End of the World.
MUMOMOMENT HIT #2 MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING
Yes, I know you are expecting that I would start with "Since Christmas is just around the corner, yadda yadda, Yoda...". Sorry.
Since Christmas is just around the corner (sly me), I added up one of the most popular Carpenters' songs from the album Christmas Portrait. This was written by Richard Carpenter and Frank Pooler originally recorded in 1970.
FAVE LINES: Merry Christmas, darling | We're apart, that's true | But I can dream | And in my dreams | I'm Christmasing with you
KAREN FACT: Karen's musical inclination started when she was already in 1st year high school. She played the glockenspiel and was later interested with the drums, thanks to Frankie Chavez. She practiced with the use of a pair of chopsticks and a set of bar stools.
MUMOMOMENT HIT #1 ONE LOVE
Now, I would really go cheesy on this. This is my secret love song to my first crush who's now my fiance. You know, those days when you just stare at something and start daydreaming.
It was written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis in 1971 for the album Carpenters. Sounds like a filler to me.
LYRICS:
One love in my young life
Took me somewhere I had never been
And I want to live again, breathe again
In the shelter of his brightly woven love song
So long I have wanted love to be
Sitting just this near to me
Now my waiting heart is free
Few are the choices we are given
The sands of time pass quickly by
One dream of my young life
Now stands holding out his hand to me
Now I can't help but believe that my whole life will be
Spent in one love
KAREN FACT: Other than Wiki, you may visit THE CARPENTERS' OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
God bless us all!
Let's make the world a better place.
