The most beautiful female singing voice of all time. Yes, I know that’s a huge statement but Karen Carpenter’s voice was incredible – effortless, joyful…,so……pure. For me, her voice conjures up images of clear springs running down a hillside, the sunshine glinting and bouncing in the waves and eddies. The joyous songs – of love’s giddy moments, of friends and wonderful memories – they just bring unbidden smiles to the face, as if by magic. The sad songs, of partings and despair are gorgeous, resonating deep inside, leaving you marvelling at the beauty of each note. For me, every Carpenters songs kind of feels like I’m being hugged by a best friend – I suppose that’s why we all loved their music so much. 

My sister Barkha and I owned a copy of the “Carpenter’s Singles 1969 – 1973” album, it’s simple, burgundy cover with the Carpenters logo holding twelve incredible songs. However, pretty much from the day we bought it, it was never at our house. I remember the album resided next to the record player at the Sharma residence for four or five years?. Everyone there absolutely loved the record and we didn’t mind either – every evening, the D-Block gang would go over, drink the endless cups of tea Aunty would make for us while we hung out, playing Carrom and listened to the Carpenters. Some of the best days of my life! 

The Carpenters were staples on the radio. “A Kind Of Hush”, “Yesterday Once More”, “Rainy Days & Sundays”, “Please Mr. Postman”, “Jambalya”, “They Long to be”, “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “Sweet Sweet Smile”, “Sing”, “Close To You”…. I bet we all still know every word and every note of every Carpenters song by heart! The first Carpenters song I ever heard was ‘Yesterday Once More’ and the memory of that is still fresh in my mind. I can’t have been more than 11 or 12. ‘In The Groove” was playing through our radiogram in the drawing room in our house in Saket, and Karen Carpenter was singing the chorus – ‘ every sha-la-la-la, every Wo-o-wo-o’ . It absolutely captivated me and I fell in love with that voice forever. 

With Karen as the drummer with the golden voice, and brother Richard the pianist and producer, the duo achieved quick success in ’69, and then over thirteen years, became one of the biggest acts of the 70s, captivating us and millions around the world with their sound. The crowds absolutely adored Karen, but of course, the Carpenters sound was actually created by Richard – writing the songs, taking huge risks with soft, melodic harmonies in an era of hard rock. His arrangements are sublime, the musical edifice that allowed Karen’s incredible voice to shine like a star on top of a Christmas tree. 

Karen died of a heart attack brought on by her anorexia nervosa, at just 33. What an irreplaceable loss – RIP Karen!