"Back In My Life Again" debuted the week of September 12, 1981 and lasted only eight weeks, peaking at #72. Note how Karen is wearing flowing clothes which disguise how alarmingly thin she is -- a fashion cover-up which, of course, does not extend to the thinness of her face. Even at this point -- when Karen had less than two years to live -- her inner beauty continues to radiate. Read the book "Little Girl Blue" to learn that tragedy of her marriage to a gold-digging fraud.
I've stayed at the Hotel Atwater in Catalina. I dont remember it being that bad. They had a bottle opener mounted on the wall of the room. My dad opened a bottle and chucked the cap onto the roof of the building next to us. I would have been shocked to see Olivia Newton John and Karen Carpenter at that hotel.
@rockytheyorky No, this was 1981 and he was with Olivia Newton John so it must have been for the movie Blow Up, a terrible film. Producers tried to hit pay dirt twice by bringing back Travolta and John as co stars but the script was really weak and the acting unconvincing at best. Grease came out in 1977, if I'm not mistaken. Also, all these clothing styles look very early 80s, not late 70s
@ritter89 Yes Grease came out in 77, I remember Grease and Star Wars out at the same time and Star Wars was released in 77 May the force be with you Rocky.
She is soo skinny. They tried to hide it with shoulder pads, but you can see it in her arms and cheeks. Think she died in '81. So this wasn't to much before her death. Sad. She was gorgous in her younger days, and still one of my favorite female singers. :(
@thepouge1 She died in February, 1983. Seeing this is so sad...people knew nothing about eating disorders back then. She got what help was available, but it turns out the therapist she used was not even qualified to treat in the manner he did. He was sort of a self-appointed guru on EDs. I wish she were still alive and recording.
@whatanightmare1 Wow. Looked this bad (not ugly, just really,really skinny) two years before she passed. Sad to live like that. On a better note, they sing one of my favorite Christmas songs (Merry Christmas Darling) She was an awsome singer.
@thepouge1 Oh, how I love that Christmas song! I think I will learn that and play it for my family this holiday season. Her voice just soothes the spirit. I grew up listening to her sing. I know what you are saying, I always thought Karen was really attractive, she just looked so unhealthy from the mid-70's on, and sometimes she would look a bit better for a time, then she would show up painfully thin again. If she could have only seen the beauty in herself that we saw, maybe?
@jeffdon4 Yes - Karen is Lip-synching as she often did on television and in the last concert she gave in Brazil. She could always match up her vocals no matter what. So sad that she is no longer with us. I was living in Spain when I found out frmo a friend a month after she had died and I was a wreck for months.
Yes, her passing was untimely...this type of career must be tough. I understand that she was self-conscious about her weight . Maybe someone from the press back in the day criticized her or something. People need to watch what they say because many are quite sensitive. Her voice and musicianship is tremendous. I don't know of any other singer who has such a mellow and rich voice in the pop world and Richard Carpenter is my favorite piano player ever. I think they're wonderful.
I always made fun of the Carpenters back in the day because I was a hard rock teen. But ya know, they were really nice people, and what happened with Karen was just tragic. We didn't know as much about anorexia and bulemia then as we do now. Karen could have been saved if we did. Too bad.
Karen looks horrible in this video. She was anorexic! She would still be alive today if she was able to overcome this horrible addiction of wanting to be thin! She looks horrible. I use to love the Carpenter's in the early 70"s.
Poor Karen...she looks like Skelator. What a shame...such a great talent with a disease that IS CURABLE. Too bad no one caught it sooner so we could still enjoy her incredible talent.
Poor Karen...she looks like Skelator. What a shame...such a great talent with a disease that IS CURABLE. Too bad no one caught it sooner so we could still enjoy her incredible talent.
Wow, sad. She could pass for at least 40 in this video. Nothing "sexy" about anorexia and premature aging, which is what happens when your internal organs are starving for nutrients. Senseless loss of a great talent.
The lip synched nearly everything they did after their last 1978 live performances. I think that Karen's ability to project her voice live, was weakened by the disease.
unreal, that brings back memories when I was in 1st grade........kindergarten.......1957/58/59 area.........I'm 56 now but how did you know this? I thought this tune was sung live on marv's show???
I was addicted to this song the first time I heard it on "Made IN America" back in June,1981. I remember the DJ's playing it on the A/C stations, and being extremely complimentary! If you listen to it on a good system, it 's awesome. Cheesy is the last word I would use to describe it.
K seemed to get more & more nervous after she married Tom & thinner & thinner, I mean this must be the thinnest. it was as if she realised she'd made a terrible mistake by proving a point by marrying Tom, but couldnt admit her foolishness cos she didnt want to lose face in front of her parents who were againsther marrying anybody in the first place. What a psychologicl mess. Should have got therapy that taught her to assert herself as a woman foremost, instead of this terrified people-pleaser.
hi karen, love the outfit, hate the perm, thank goodness you got rid of the perm later on in 1982 and let the frizz grow out a little. karen, perms dry out your hair. love you and miss you, your friend heather( my hair is shot too!)
she was thinnest at 77 lbs when she checked into lennox hill in NYC, she is proberly under 85lbs here, poor girl, just 31 but looked a little older, karen is everything to me, I miss her so bad
Karen and Richard Carpenter -- incredibly talented. Olivia Newton John -- incredibly talented. John Travolta -- incredibly talented. Merv Griffin -- incredibly talented. With all this talent on one video why is it as boring as crap? Merv and Karen must be rolling in their graves that this lousy piece of footage is still around. The song the Carpenters sing -- garbage. They sang many great songs and this the one featured with Merv on YouTube? Awful. Bloody Awful. They all look so smug and fake.
Noone talked about annorexia back then, and as it is today, you could NEVER be "thin enough". It's really sad to see such a talented person taken so soon.
I really wonder what the people sitting next to her were thinking.
It's impossible not to see her gaunt face and emaciated frame - made all the worse by CC sitting next to ONJ - and not realize something is truly wrong ...
Yes, anyone looking at her can see she's not well (to put it mildly). The people next to her had to have realized this, too. But they're just sitting there, acting like nothing is wrong. I am asking, what was going through their minds when they saw her look so bad...
She looks sick here. I remember hearing about her death on the news, and it came as a total shock. I didn't know she had anorexia or anything until after she died. Was there any attention about her health before she died? Or was it just a total shock. to the regular public, like it was with me?
First thing I said to myself was, "Wow, she looks really bad there." It's so sad how such a beautiful girl with a brilliant voice wasted away, but she will always live on through her songs. Karen, you are so missed.
karen was a great singer. anorexia got the best of her. she kept it hidden for a long time. when she did seek help, it was to late,her cardio-vascular system had taken a real beating. it is very hard to see her like this. she passed in 1983 at age 32. r.i.p. karen,my darling.
you can tell how she is suffering....this was the beginning of the end for her emotionally i think. i always loved karen so i hope her memory lives forever in her music
I loved Karen Carpenter and miss her. I wish our society didn't make women feel like they aren't good enough unless they are skinny. Nothing has changed.
She is one of my favorite singers in the world..Anorexia is a scarey thing, and whoever said which is worse anorexia or obesity? Thats right out mean! Both is hard to deal with!
not true. it's the last album while she was alive. richard used her already recorded voice to put together the final Carpenters album after she passed away.
its ironic she died on my birthday plus i suffered from anorexia last year i was down to 73 ibs im glad to be alive! i have a differnt outlook on life now :)
Thin is always in when your a performer. They even starved Judy Garlin back in the 30's and 40's and those producers are the ones to blame. God bless Karen Carpender
Dear YouTube'rs, let's please remember the Carpenters for their music. Richard for his magnificent arrangements and Karen for her voice qualities. Let's NOT use this space as some sort of anorexia nervosa discussion forum.
I totally agree sodojoko. But remember, we live in a dumbed down and trivial society. People base everything on what they can SEE! The majority of society are very shallow tv viewers (unfortunately instead of television being used for teaching purposes, it is primarily a tool for entertainment). Hence it has become a substitute for thinking rather than a tool for enhancing thought. Thus you get all these moronic and stupid comments.
Her self-imposed starvation was a disease of her mind which in turn ravaged her body. What a terrible way to die...to fully realize that you're starving yourself to death.
new, both are equally bad in my book,,,but Obeisty seems to be swept under the rug,,to me you have to have mental problems to let yourself get to be so fat and out of shape. People Use food like alcohol and drugs in order to cope. sad.
I suppose it is possible. But in Karen's situation, I read that the anorxia started when some fashion-designer told her she needed to lose 20 lbs before she would make her the dress. She probably never liked her body image to begin with. Coupled that with a over-bearing mother and a perfectionist brother/partner, all contributing causes of anorexia.
Thank you Merv for everything,thanks Karen,Olivia,you will always be my first big crush. Thanx for still staying strong.Grace and Gratitude cd is simply heavenly.
i knew a girl who went thru the same as Karen Carpenter. They have to want to change. you can't force it on them. unfortunately, we lost a talented and beautiful female singer to this disease. My friend Amy really liked the Carpenters and felt it was such a waste, to lose her.
would anyone have blue oyster cult's appearance on Merv Griffin, from july of 1981? i see that mentioned on their site. i was 16 that year and remember well their song "burnin' for you" which is what they performed on Merv. Thanks.
STOP wondering "what if....", "why she didn't...", Karen is gone, but her voice will live forever with all who enjoy her music and her inmense talent. Singing the Carpenter's songs is the best way to keep her memory alive and express our love. Olivia has done the most beautiful rendition of Rainy Days and Mondays on her 2004 CD INDIGO...... If you are a Carpenters fan (and Olivia's too) you MUST have this CD. Indigo is one of the finest and best work Oivia has done in her whole career.
compare to other anorexics like the twins from australia,with this clip, Karen looks more healthier. Im not saying that its a good thing but she could have been saved if there still enough time to do treatments and counselling. :(
The Carpenters had PLENTY of hits (but no Top 10's) after 1975. And this song SHOULD have been a huge one. The radio programmers weren't ready for this change of pace tune. The song that immediately preceded this one, 'Touch Me When We're Dancing", hit #16 on Billboard's chart, and #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. So they definitely were still able to churn out hits now and then.
I didn't think the interview was boring at all. I thought Karen was quite funny and liked seeing how close she and Olivia were. Obviously theres always a sadness that she was gone so young. I quite like the song even though it was not one of their bigger hits.
"Back In My Life Again" debuted the week of September 12, 1981 and lasted only eight weeks, peaking at #72. Note how Karen is wearing flowing clothes which disguise how alarmingly thin she is -- a fashion cover-up which, of course, does not extend to the thinness of her face. Even at this point -- when Karen had less than two years to live -- her inner beauty continues to radiate. Read the book "Little Girl Blue" to learn that tragedy of her marriage to a gold-digging fraud.
horarwgt 3 months ago
KAREN HAD A VOICE OF ANGELS
tonytarheel55 7 months ago
Saw her in concert on Oahu..Was my first concert I ever went to...Ted Nugent was my second concert...Both were awsome shows..LOL...
shootzbra 9 months ago
I've stayed at the Hotel Atwater in Catalina. I dont remember it being that bad. They had a bottle opener mounted on the wall of the room. My dad opened a bottle and chucked the cap onto the roof of the building next to us. I would have been shocked to see Olivia Newton John and Karen Carpenter at that hotel.
michaelterry1000 10 months ago
Who gives a flying crap about their boating trip.
Velvet4U 11 months ago
I also can't believe how good she looked in her wedding day, and how sick she looks a year after, sad u_u
VickyTyler 1 year ago
She looks so thin in here, it's always painful to see how sunny her personality was and how fragil she looks.. RIP KC ♥
VickyTyler 1 year ago
No One mentioned here that that guy sitting there is John Travolta,I guess when they were doing Grease.
rockytheyorky 1 year ago 3
@rockytheyorky No, this was 1981 and he was with Olivia Newton John so it must have been for the movie Blow Up, a terrible film. Producers tried to hit pay dirt twice by bringing back Travolta and John as co stars but the script was really weak and the acting unconvincing at best. Grease came out in 1977, if I'm not mistaken. Also, all these clothing styles look very early 80s, not late 70s
ritter89 10 months ago
@ritter89 Yes Grease came out in 77, I remember Grease and Star Wars out at the same time and Star Wars was released in 77 May the force be with you Rocky.
bpnsirdiealot 8 months ago
@bpnsirdiealot Grease came out in 1978, Saturday Night Fever came out in 1977.
CarpenterKittens 8 months ago
@ritter89 OLIVIA WAS'NT IN BLOW UP SHE WAS IN TWIST OF FATE
tonytarheel55 7 months ago
She is soo skinny. They tried to hide it with shoulder pads, but you can see it in her arms and cheeks. Think she died in '81. So this wasn't to much before her death. Sad. She was gorgous in her younger days, and still one of my favorite female singers. :(
thepouge1 1 year ago
@thepouge1 She died in February, 1983. Seeing this is so sad...people knew nothing about eating disorders back then. She got what help was available, but it turns out the therapist she used was not even qualified to treat in the manner he did. He was sort of a self-appointed guru on EDs. I wish she were still alive and recording.
whatanightmare1 1 year ago
@whatanightmare1 Wow. Looked this bad (not ugly, just really,really skinny) two years before she passed. Sad to live like that. On a better note, they sing one of my favorite Christmas songs (Merry Christmas Darling) She was an awsome singer.
thepouge1 1 year ago
@thepouge1 Oh, how I love that Christmas song! I think I will learn that and play it for my family this holiday season. Her voice just soothes the spirit. I grew up listening to her sing. I know what you are saying, I always thought Karen was really attractive, she just looked so unhealthy from the mid-70's on, and sometimes she would look a bit better for a time, then she would show up painfully thin again. If she could have only seen the beauty in herself that we saw, maybe?
whatanightmare1 1 year ago
@whatanightmare1 If only. :(
thepouge1 1 year ago
OMG !!! you can see the effects of her disease in this clip ,1981. Poor Karen.
sydneygayboi 1 year ago
Merv Griffin was GAY . its a pity he never came out .
P.S. gotta love the Carpenters!!!
sydneygayboi 1 year ago
is karen lip sincing? It seems too close to the sound of the album.,
jeffdon4 1 year ago
@jeffdon4 Yes - Karen is Lip-synching as she often did on television and in the last concert she gave in Brazil. She could always match up her vocals no matter what. So sad that she is no longer with us. I was living in Spain when I found out frmo a friend a month after she had died and I was a wreck for months.
lucycow 1 year ago
Yes, her passing was untimely...this type of career must be tough. I understand that she was self-conscious about her weight . Maybe someone from the press back in the day criticized her or something. People need to watch what they say because many are quite sensitive. Her voice and musicianship is tremendous. I don't know of any other singer who has such a mellow and rich voice in the pop world and Richard Carpenter is my favorite piano player ever. I think they're wonderful.
11sljaz 1 year ago
I always made fun of the Carpenters back in the day because I was a hard rock teen. But ya know, they were really nice people, and what happened with Karen was just tragic. We didn't know as much about anorexia and bulemia then as we do now. Karen could have been saved if we did. Too bad.
kirbygene 1 year ago
Karen looks horrible in this video. She was anorexic! She would still be alive today if she was able to overcome this horrible addiction of wanting to be thin! She looks horrible. I use to love the Carpenter's in the early 70"s.
RalphVasquez49 1 year ago
heartbreaking
Sparxe 1 year ago
Poor Karen...she looks like Skelator. What a shame...such a great talent with a disease that IS CURABLE. Too bad no one caught it sooner so we could still enjoy her incredible talent.
mmutzu 1 year ago
Poor Karen...she looks like Skelator. What a shame...such a great talent with a disease that IS CURABLE. Too bad no one caught it sooner so we could still enjoy her incredible talent.
mmutzu 1 year ago
So sad, she looks so sic in this clip.
jmstudio 1 year ago
Fuck Anorexy !
PsychotikPandora 1 year ago
Karen and ONJ's daughter both anorexic. Coincidence? Poor Travolta just sitting there:-(
zefallafez 1 year ago
Do you have all of this show? Is this the one ONJ came out in?
jetson7731 1 year ago
who is the great looking guy playing guitar?
jamesdalphonse1 2 years ago
I meant sax solo....lol.
NostalgiaBob 2 years ago
Actually, you're both right. Tom Scott played the saz solo on the actual recording, and Bob Messenger mimed to it here.
NostalgiaBob 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I have no idea who this band is but the Carpenters are so talented ..I called them back and hired them to build my shed.
kevykev38 2 years ago
I am now 45 and I will never forget the Carpenters!
padude64 2 years ago
I'm 45 too and I've never stopped loving the Carpenters! I remember going and selling Coke bottles to buy their records in the early '70's! LOL
shreve99 2 years ago 3
She was so funny!!
KCalita 2 years ago
i think that's tom scott on the tenor solo
mitjazz 2 years ago
actually that's Bob Messenger - long-time Carpenters band member - on Tenor Sax...
Cubby O' Brien on drums...Cubby was one of the "original" Mousekateers with Annette Funicello...
tonyf734atl 2 years ago
the tenor player sounds great - i've played the show chicago and bernadette peters with Cubby O 'Brien.
mitjazz 2 years ago
ITS SAD HOW THIN SHE WAS THERE
YankeeDoodlePoodle 2 years ago 10
wow, that first song was SO 80s
not much like their classic tunes
commentsonly559 2 years ago
depression and eating disorders are horrifying
wen790 2 years ago
she looks like 60 not 30.
poor karen, what a terrible disorder.
deansmee 2 years ago
she lost her beauty
bonekagotika 2 years ago
LOVE KAREN CARPENTER!!! But Griffin was Republican self hating FAG!!
vegas787 2 years ago
this is cheesy as fuck
Aleksi4321 2 years ago
they invented chesse
halobebe 2 years ago
what's "chesse?"
:/
aubreytube 2 years ago
its made from milk which comes from cows goats and buffalos etc didnt you know
halobebe 2 years ago
i think that's 'cheese.' let's learn how to spell, shall we?
aubreytube 2 years ago
please teach me
halobebe 2 years ago
Wow, sad. She could pass for at least 40 in this video. Nothing "sexy" about anorexia and premature aging, which is what happens when your internal organs are starving for nutrients. Senseless loss of a great talent.
ritter89 2 years ago
John Travolta looks good:)
dida1209 2 years ago
i wonder why she lip sinced this and yet she has a live band behind her????
jeffdon4 2 years ago
The lip synched nearly everything they did after their last 1978 live performances. I think that Karen's ability to project her voice live, was weakened by the disease.
steveatl40 2 years ago
She looks really bad in this clip. That's sad.
krishnalite 2 years ago
if karen was still with us she would still be on the top of the charts!
2olivemartini 2 years ago 8
@2olivemartini
Karen would be 60 years-old in 2010. I would paid to see her in concert today!
hoorano 1 year ago 2
she was so down to earth! so sweet
shinznay 2 years ago
Her fingers were all bones. They dressed her in puffed sleaves to try and hide her wasting body. I wish she were still with us.
melvinhartwinkle 2 years ago
Karen was already looking ill in this clip... poor thing. What a loss.
sookiestackhouse2u 2 years ago
i absolutely love this song! i wondered if the carpenters ever recorder anything really, REALLY, 80s, and this is my answer!!
MISS YOU SO MUCH KAREN. you should still be among us... i guess your death saved a million lives, later on... god bless you
buffster89 2 years ago
The drummer is Cubby O'Brien, from the 1950's Mickey Mouse Club. He is a brilliant drummer and 62years old these days.
todbeck 2 years ago
unreal, that brings back memories when I was in 1st grade........kindergarten.......1957/58/59 area.........I'm 56 now but how did you know this? I thought this tune was sung live on marv's show???
pkappel006 2 years ago
Karen Carpenter was, no is, unique and so talented. Sad she died so early.
Wonderful Voice - thank You for the beautiful Songs.
mamamanics 2 years ago
her voice will not be replaced
bobbonuts 2 years ago
I was addicted to this song the first time I heard it on "Made IN America" back in June,1981. I remember the DJ's playing it on the A/C stations, and being extremely complimentary! If you listen to it on a good system, it 's awesome. Cheesy is the last word I would use to describe it.
NostalgiaBob 3 years ago 2
I miss you Karen.
Guardian223 3 years ago
Yeah. She doesn't look good here. It is painful. Even a couple years before this, it was easier to listen to her music than watch her perform.
sager610 3 years ago 3
It's too painful to see her like this.
SkylarBry 3 years ago
this song sucks. it's unbearably cheesy, even by 80s standards. no wonder no one bought it. lovely voice, horrible material.
chthonic19 3 years ago
Is that Cubby O Brien on the Drums?
Chubby from the original Mickey Mouse Club?
noland628 3 years ago
i wonder what olivia thought of her looking like this
eclecticfire73 3 years ago
she is so frail at this point. I dont see how she could still get her voice out like she does.
okrabay 3 years ago 3
it sounds lip synced
rawoctopus 3 years ago
That's because it is. But we all know she is one of the best singers of ALL times.
erginakif 3 years ago 3
I miss the sing talent in the female singers today, Karen was the best and still is......
sneyder69 3 years ago
The saxophone almost blew her over.
turnipgreen17 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Cadaver Carpeter looks so much better here than before she lost all that weight.
unclealand 3 years ago
that tacky/empty 80s sound creeped into the carpenters. what a shame.
they were so much better than this performance.
the 90s brought them back in a big way, where they belong.
oranger2525 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
she's done here. Not a great song or album. Very sad.
wrsawy 3 years ago
Oh my...she is so thin here. What a shame!
PaOsfan 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
i woulda fucked olivia right there on stage !!
getchasumm 3 years ago
K seemed to get more & more nervous after she married Tom & thinner & thinner, I mean this must be the thinnest. it was as if she realised she'd made a terrible mistake by proving a point by marrying Tom, but couldnt admit her foolishness cos she didnt want to lose face in front of her parents who were againsther marrying anybody in the first place. What a psychologicl mess. Should have got therapy that taught her to assert herself as a woman foremost, instead of this terrified people-pleaser.
eclecticfire73 3 years ago 2
Actually she got even thinner. She was 77 lbs when she finally got medical help and was fed through a tube.
shoponline831 3 years ago 3
sad to watch, i couldnt watch it complete
ABSURDISMAL 3 years ago 2
she is so thin. somebody should have helped her before it was too late.
azintp 3 years ago 4
I like this song ... this is one of the few Carpenters records I need to get.
GQBlue3 3 years ago
I would love to see Stallone's interview on Merv Griffin bashing Marlon Brando...
DanielTheWalrus 3 years ago
Great video. Thanks for sharing this nice piece of history.
spazzman90 3 years ago 5
Saw them in high school in 1973...GREAT
swkccr 3 years ago 4
hi karen, love the outfit, hate the perm, thank goodness you got rid of the perm later on in 1982 and let the frizz grow out a little. karen, perms dry out your hair. love you and miss you, your friend heather( my hair is shot too!)
babsfocker 3 years ago 3
she was thinnest at 77 lbs when she checked into lennox hill in NYC, she is proberly under 85lbs here, poor girl, just 31 but looked a little older, karen is everything to me, I miss her so bad
babsfocker 3 years ago
She was a superstar, who would still be popular today.
is1531 3 years ago 5
do you not have the first pert when they interview travolta this is cool thanks for posting it
tausney78 3 years ago
Karen and Richard Carpenter -- incredibly talented. Olivia Newton John -- incredibly talented. John Travolta -- incredibly talented. Merv Griffin -- incredibly talented. With all this talent on one video why is it as boring as crap? Merv and Karen must be rolling in their graves that this lousy piece of footage is still around. The song the Carpenters sing -- garbage. They sang many great songs and this the one featured with Merv on YouTube? Awful. Bloody Awful. They all look so smug and fake.
TotoFrancey 3 years ago
It was the 80's.
erginakif 3 years ago
Karen Carpenter - R.I.P.
TommyGun465 3 years ago
is anybody even talking about the performance or the appearance of the other members of the band or the setting of the show ?
Sad that all people want to talk about is her dying, it was her living that brings me joy.
JoeLynnTurnerRocks 3 years ago
I miss Karen and Merv.
TitoAGoGO 3 years ago 2
She had a wonderful sense of humor...Wonderful lady....
MKBaughan 3 years ago 2
Wow, she was really skinny at the time. Her face is starting to look like Steve Nash here.
FallGuy82 3 years ago
Today is been 25 years ago that Karen Carpenter passed away....My she rest in peace
sneyder69 4 years ago
aside from her appearance i love to watch her give interviews cos they never really spoke much on stage and she's so funny.
1angel23 4 years ago
Noone talked about annorexia back then, and as it is today, you could NEVER be "thin enough". It's really sad to see such a talented person taken so soon.
bonsaipal 4 years ago 3
This is horrible. She is clearly sick here and the early-80s end-of-disco music sucks. Lousy way to end.
louminatti 4 years ago
I really wonder what the people sitting next to her were thinking.
It's impossible not to see her gaunt face and emaciated frame - made all the worse by CC sitting next to ONJ - and not realize something is truly wrong ...
YyQq987 4 years ago
Nah, do you think she looks thin? No shit, Sherlock! Guess what, Santa doesn't really exist either.
GrossbergerXXX 3 years ago
please read my post again ...
Yes, anyone looking at her can see she's not well (to put it mildly). The people next to her had to have realized this, too. But they're just sitting there, acting like nothing is wrong. I am asking, what was going through their minds when they saw her look so bad...
YyQq987 3 years ago
read my post again. Yes, it is obvious she is unwell to anyone who sees this, even if you don't know a thing about KC.
I am asking, what was going through the minds of the people sitting next to her - acting like everything is all right, but obviously it isn't...
YyQq987 3 years ago
She looks sick here. I remember hearing about her death on the news, and it came as a total shock. I didn't know she had anorexia or anything until after she died. Was there any attention about her health before she died? Or was it just a total shock. to the regular public, like it was with me?
TrueNovice 4 years ago
It is so sad to watch this video. And I don't think it sounds much like Karen.
janeelliotsucks 4 years ago 3
Poor Karen, she is like a singing bag of bones.. so sad... just so sad.....
GuyJon57 4 years ago
1983-2008 WILL BE 25 YEARS SINCE, THE VOICE ANGEL KAREN CARPENTER PASSED ON. God Be With You Karen
blueberryjames77 4 years ago 2
Karen has sung many great songs, but this is not one of them.
neal1960 4 years ago
First thing I said to myself was, "Wow, she looks really bad there." It's so sad how such a beautiful girl with a brilliant voice wasted away, but she will always live on through her songs. Karen, you are so missed.
:(
piddlepie 4 years ago 3
Man what a travesty. Karen already looks so bad in this video. So, so sad.
pcs56 4 years ago
Karen is still a babe in my book! God Bless you karen Carpenter!
padude64 4 years ago 2
karen was a great singer. anorexia got the best of her. she kept it hidden for a long time. when she did seek help, it was to late,her cardio-vascular system had taken a real beating. it is very hard to see her like this. she passed in 1983 at age 32. r.i.p. karen,my darling.
scrapkeem 4 years ago
you can tell how she is suffering....this was the beginning of the end for her emotionally i think. i always loved karen so i hope her memory lives forever in her music
jeffdon4 4 years ago
great video
coolpower988 4 years ago
Karen died at age 32. She had a voice that was magical. Richard was also extremely talented.
joshpembers 4 years ago 3
This sound is like Blondie. I wonder what thier sound would have been like today?
Pathfinder767 4 years ago
Caren is a good singer! Too sad what happend. Great Talent. Olivia Newton-John is great also!
kcaag1985 4 years ago
I cant even watch this video......too sad......if anybody in your family looks like this physically intervene........
nicestrat 4 years ago 2
I loved Karen Carpenter and miss her. I wish our society didn't make women feel like they aren't good enough unless they are skinny. Nothing has changed.
ladylike1980 4 years ago
Really I adore Karen but her anecdote about sailing bored me to tears.
shinybear 4 years ago
It's not about "thing being in". She had a mental illness, of which one of by-products is weight loss.
sophiejanebailey 4 years ago
She is one of my favorite singers in the world..Anorexia is a scarey thing, and whoever said which is worse anorexia or obesity? Thats right out mean! Both is hard to deal with!
MsCharamut1969 4 years ago
please tell me what song they sing its beautiful!!!!!
candygurl80000 4 years ago
It's called "Want you back in my life again"
from their "Made in America CD" from 1981.
The next to last album produced before Karen Passed.
BestKacFan 4 years ago
not true. it's the last album while she was alive. richard used her already recorded voice to put together the final Carpenters album after she passed away.
erginakif 3 years ago
You ARE Correct! I was thinking about Voice of the Heart. Thanks you for bringing that to my attention. I appreciate it very much!
Have a great day!
BestKacFan 3 years ago
its ironic she died on my birthday plus i suffered from anorexia last year i was down to 73 ibs im glad to be alive! i have a differnt outlook on life now :)
candygurl80000 4 years ago 2
Three queens and two ladies!
islezeus 4 years ago
Thin is always in when your a performer. They even starved Judy Garlin back in the 30's and 40's and those producers are the ones to blame. God bless Karen Carpender
Frank33314 4 years ago
I love the Carpenters, but this was a totally impassionate and disconnected performance by Karen.
bepinlv 4 years ago
I think she does a good job with her presence, but it is lip-synced. Weird choice to use such a "produced" song for a stage performance, though.
RLviddy 4 years ago
Dear YouTube'rs, let's please remember the Carpenters for their music. Richard for his magnificent arrangements and Karen for her voice qualities. Let's NOT use this space as some sort of anorexia nervosa discussion forum.
sodojoko 4 years ago
I totally agree sodojoko. But remember, we live in a dumbed down and trivial society. People base everything on what they can SEE! The majority of society are very shallow tv viewers (unfortunately instead of television being used for teaching purposes, it is primarily a tool for entertainment). Hence it has become a substitute for thinking rather than a tool for enhancing thought. Thus you get all these moronic and stupid comments.
LashBridges 4 years ago
Nice post you are right
lukejake777 4 years ago
Good to remember, but sad to see ...she anorexic ..lost talent...
MUSIKANTIGA 4 years ago
ahh john..what a cutie <3
nightrunnerbucket 4 years ago
Her self-imposed starvation was a disease of her mind which in turn ravaged her body. What a terrible way to die...to fully realize that you're starving yourself to death.
TheNaturalWoman 4 years ago
Karen, Richard, and Tony all look like they needed to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet.
rustyoo2006 4 years ago
Which is worse, anorexia or obesity?
newmark401 4 years ago
new, both are equally bad in my book,,,but Obeisty seems to be swept under the rug,,to me you have to have mental problems to let yourself get to be so fat and out of shape. People Use food like alcohol and drugs in order to cope. sad.
Clemburke1111 4 years ago
I imagine you're a Blondie fan with that name. I don't think Debbie ever had any problems with her figure, sensible girl!
newmark401 4 years ago
I was given that name in college because some one thought I looked like him.
Clemburke1111 4 years ago
I suppose it is possible. But in Karen's situation, I read that the anorxia started when some fashion-designer told her she needed to lose 20 lbs before she would make her the dress. She probably never liked her body image to begin with. Coupled that with a over-bearing mother and a perfectionist brother/partner, all contributing causes of anorexia.
rustyoo2006 4 years ago
If that were true, treating anorexia would be easy...antibiotics.
rustyoo2006 4 years ago
Why was John so quiet?
rustyoo2006 4 years ago
Anorexia is a psychological problem, not from a bacteria. The sufferer has a need to be in control, and not eating is her way of being in control.
rustyoo2006 4 years ago
Too bad it's not live.
ludwig222 4 years ago
Wat a woundeful voice im only 15 and i love her music
shaspassren 4 years ago
Thank you Merv for everything,thanks Karen,Olivia,you will always be my first big crush. Thanx for still staying strong.Grace and Gratitude cd is simply heavenly.
giantship 4 years ago
Love you Merv and Karen - I speak from the heart.
davidtoddsingleton 4 years ago
i knew a girl who went thru the same as Karen Carpenter. They have to want to change. you can't force it on them. unfortunately, we lost a talented and beautiful female singer to this disease. My friend Amy really liked the Carpenters and felt it was such a waste, to lose her.
brendaleake 4 years ago
would anyone have blue oyster cult's appearance on Merv Griffin, from july of 1981? i see that mentioned on their site. i was 16 that year and remember well their song "burnin' for you" which is what they performed on Merv. Thanks.
brendaleake 4 years ago
Sun 12 Aug 20007. RIP, Merv Griffin
encierro75 4 years ago
STOP wondering "what if....", "why she didn't...", Karen is gone, but her voice will live forever with all who enjoy her music and her inmense talent. Singing the Carpenter's songs is the best way to keep her memory alive and express our love. Olivia has done the most beautiful rendition of Rainy Days and Mondays on her 2004 CD INDIGO...... If you are a Carpenters fan (and Olivia's too) you MUST have this CD. Indigo is one of the finest and best work Oivia has done in her whole career.
morik1 4 years ago
R.I.P Merv Griffin.
riesen2b 4 years ago
I still don't get it.. Hurts a lot to me :( ! She looks pretty bad in this interview
VickyTyler 4 years ago
It's a SHAME, SHAME, SHAME , Olivia and Karen never recorded a song together. Can anyone imagine that duet??
It would have been the closest we ever get to an Angels Choir!!!
morik1 4 years ago
This is a great workout song! Has the same feel as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", IMHO.
kcro25 4 years ago
compare to other anorexics like the twins from australia,with this clip, Karen looks more healthier. Im not saying that its a good thing but she could have been saved if there still enough time to do treatments and counselling. :(
Supernap1 4 years ago
Am I mistaken or is that a Vocoder that I hear at 3:34? It's pretty rare to hear one on a Carpenters tune, I'll tell you that.
kcro25 4 years ago
this is gd but do u have the part when the interview Travolta
03tausnc 4 years ago
WOW. Really tough watching this. This was in 1981, 2 years before her death.
skycubphilly 4 years ago
Painful to watch. Her voice was great but I always thought that disco was crap. A sad waste on a couple of levels.
michaelterry1962 4 years ago
The Carpenters had PLENTY of hits (but no Top 10's) after 1975. And this song SHOULD have been a huge one. The radio programmers weren't ready for this change of pace tune. The song that immediately preceded this one, 'Touch Me When We're Dancing", hit #16 on Billboard's chart, and #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. So they definitely were still able to churn out hits now and then.
NostalgiaBob 4 years ago
I love the Carpenters but Merv is wrong. The Carpenters stopped having hits basically after 1975.
markxxx21 4 years ago
Love the song, Love Carpenters, Love Karens Voice. too bad she didnt eat. Karen R.I.P
soulsam 5 years ago
Karen Carpenter had one of the sweetest alto voices on the planet. Just Beautiful, such a terrible loss.
sweatintotheoldies 5 years ago
FEED ME!!
skog63 5 years ago
I didn't think the interview was boring at all. I thought Karen was quite funny and liked seeing how close she and Olivia were. Obviously theres always a sadness that she was gone so young. I quite like the song even though it was not one of their bigger hits.
SirbearofSydney 5 years ago
Could you show the 'Olivia Newton-John's Don't Stop Believin' part.. ?' & whatever else?
please & thank you.
Karen does have a heavenly voice.. :o
aabbay02 5 years ago
Exact date of interview: October 2, 1981. Karen would be gone just 16 months later. Such a loss...
daffylatke 5 years ago