Carpenters - And When I die

[GameShowGuy]

Quite amazing. Neat to hear Karen sing in a style that is completely different, at least to me.

[RobLuthierCba]

it is wonderful to be listening to this recording of the Carpenter brothers! this seems recorded in an assembly hall by the sound to tape. I thank to the music for give us Karen Carpenter as the loveliest voice in the world!

[landrykkb]

How ironic that she sang this one,huh?

[kcrcbest]

wooooow this is soooo cooool thanx

[lelenapereira]

NOSSA GENTEN!! COMO NESSAS FOTOS ELA ESTÁ REALMENTE MUITO MAGRA CHEGANDO A SER FEIA MESMO DE TÃO MAGRA!!! REALMENTE FOI UM SUICÍDIO!!! QUE PENA!! TÃO NOVA BONITA E TALENTOSA QUE ERA ; POIS É ISSO SÓ VEM A CONFIRMAR QUE BELEZA TALENTO FAMA E DINHEIRO NADA TEM A VER COM FELICIDADE E APESAR DELA TER TUDO ISSO COM CERTEZA ERA INFELIZ POIS TINHA UM GRANDE VAZIO DENTRO DELA QUE SÓ SERIA PREENCHIDO COM O GRANDE AMOR DE DEUS COISA ESSA QUE ELA ACHO QUE NÃO TINHA TEMPO PRA ISSO NÉ? QUE PENA!!!

[plinkymist]

thank you for this... thank you!

[tmnet123ify]

Unique song indeed !

[fredbasset1974]

wow i feel this song

[FilmFreakable2]

Is this song considered heavily copyrighted?

[pontello3]

didn't knew that carrpenters did this song.....

[cemab4y]

God, what an ironic song. Karen singing about death. What a tragedy, that she never had a child to "carry on". Wouldn't it have been a miracle, if Karen had a child ,who could have done a post-mortem duet, like Natalalie and Nat King Cole, singing ":unforgettable". Karen and her son (or daughter) could have sung a duet of "A song for you".

[wildnites558]

So great to know that there is some small connection between two greats like Karen and Laura Nyro (who composed 'And When I Die') --- two of my favorite musicians.. As we all know, it was BS&T that had the big hit with it.

[definitedoll]

She was ready to record at this time.

That Wanda can sing too, what's she doing now??

[calilammy]

awesome...classic thanks for this so very much! :)

[Ultrakatsuful]

Great! I don't imagine Karen sings out Laura Nyro's songs.Thanks for the upload,SSOKO.

[madeyes4u]

@ssoko, Is this song on a CD that Richard compiled? Where can I find it?

[ssoko]

@madeyes4u: long ago and far away... I found it in a ptp japan program... win(something)

[FilmFreakable2]

What program is that?

[ssoko]

@FilmFreakable2 Flash and movie maker...

[Sammyt97]

@ssoko

This is an incredible treat to here this. Where can we download it or can we? Thanks for sharing this.

[MrLinoventura]

c'est super....1969 ..que le temps passe....

[madeyes4u]

Beautiful, candid photo at 1:56

[FilmFreakable2]

This is chilling. Both lyrically, and that Karen sings this and died so young and sadly. It's a spooky premonition of sorts, one that must be painful for Richard and others to even listen to.

I'm using this in my horror movie.

[windstorm1000]

when you get a great song and match it with a great singer--you've got this.

[vmuto1]

A little spooky to hear this song considering what ultimetely happened to Karen, it's very Sad, but still a gem, because it's Karen.

[improvguru]

Brilliant. 

[LanieHannigan]

This would make a fun quiz. Play it for someone and see if they can tell who it is :)

[vishal8492]

@LanieHannigan I don't think it's possible you hear her voice and can't tell if it's her you can alaways tell she had that "extra" factor love her :)

[MikeHudson65]

@LanieHannigan I agree, I would get it!!!!!!

[oakwoodx88]

Thank you for posting this, a rare find indeed. All I can say is wow! I had no idea...

[formerlyaskeptic1]

Strange how the images of the Carpenter brother and sister are like that of fairies. They both look a bit anemic with long, thin narrow delicate features, and I see Richard Carpenter has narrow shoulders, which is not a common male trait and makes him look relatively a bit effeminate. I wonder if they have scandinavian ancestry.

[enolamsamoht]

@formerlyaskeptic1 wow .WITH HER NOSE AND CHEECKBONES I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT DOWN THE LINE SOMEWHERE THERE WAS NATIVE AMERICAN BLOOD.

[mnlght0snt]

she's really great even though she is still young here voice is truly a gem :)

[millvalleyrn]

laura nyro is the composer of this tune  ... check out laura's version here on YT

[lancemckellar]

This is bloody ironic!!!!!!

[sponge2]

What a different style for Karen! I love it. The lyrics are very sad considering everything that happened.

[takumainc]

Thanks for posting. I've always wanted to get people to listen to this song. Maybe the lyrics are too poignant for the fans to listen to or for Richard to release on cd but I believe this is a classic and one of the precious recordings that prove how well Karen could sing in her early days.

[cummeister]

@takumaincisimply agree

[octave7]

Wow, she just belts this one out! I think the pitch of the recording is a half step too high. We should hear this at her normal pitch.

[Starlifter88]

@octave7 This may be a stupid question, so please excuse my ignorance. When you say the pitch is a half step high, does that refer to the playback speed of the recorder, or they are singing a half key too high?

[2Dawgz]

Full info on this: Karen Carpenter & Wanda Freeman, Cal State Long Beach A Cappella Choir conducted by Frank Pooler, Richard Carpenter at the Piano. I think the arrangement is Richard's. Private recording made by the Cal State Long Beach Choir in around 1969. This was never recorded commercially. Wanda is still singing, but I'm witholding the location for privacy reasons.

[ssoko]

@2Dawgz : Thank you.

[Iwakuni8]

@2Dawgz Well, Ms. Freeman sang beautifully, in the best possible singing company.

[vmuto1]

@2Dawgz Your 100% right on your description on everything! It was almost recorded, but like many things that come along in life, it was kind of forgotton about.

[jeffsoule2010]

wow. Just when I thought I had heard all things Carpenters--I find this. Great post!

[ogomez02]

La voz de Wanda Freeman me hace recordar la voz de Toni Tennille, ¡se parecen!

Wanda Freeman's voice reminds me of Toni Tennille's voice, they are alike!

[reymansd]

Awesome, just awesome - Karen really holds her own (at 19) with what sounds like a very accomplished (I'm guessing upperclassman) singer...

[jnvecc]

WOW!! I never heard THIS one. Thanks for sharing!

[nakluts]

Im karen Spirit

[Starlifter88]

Thank you for this posting. Never heard it before, and I really enjoy it!!

[MonaHere28]

It's like she new. Wow!

[aknowneemus]

It's amazing how her voice was perfectly in tune. She nails every note without being flat.

She has no problem going higher or lower on octaves without jumping or dropping.

smooth with perfect pitch and then of course she had that "charm" in her voice that can't be copied.

I have to put her number 1 on my top ten female vocalists.

[ais312]

@aknowneemus That "charm" in her voice, or the "it" that others will never be able to copy - it's the smile in her voice, and her heart singing. I remember years ago in secretarial training being told to smile before answering the phone so your smile comes through in your voice. One can almost always hear the smile in her voice when she's singing.

[oneputtsteven]

@aknowneemus Agreed I would put Barbara Streisand, Julie Andrews, Dionne Warwick along with Karen in the top five.

[Phil4545]

The late, great Laura Nyro wrote it.

[swebb4312]

this is the greatest thing....ever. thank you for this rare, rare, rare gift!

[espacio58]

Fue y sera la mejor cantante de todos los tiempos... You Are The Best Karen!!

[ogomez02]

Estoy de acuerdo contigo!!!

[julikell]

There is only one Karen Carpenter.

Only she can capture that melancholy that makes her voice such a treasure.

[mrshinyshoes]

No one will ever duplicate Karen's voice. Even those who come close to her voice still don't have "it"----that unique undescribable quality.

[irish89055]

@mrshinyshoes yes, love Karen as my fav up there with other greats like Maureen McGovern

[mrshinyshoes]

@irish89055 There's something about her voice that is just sooo pleasant to the ears. Not necessarily on this song, but in their Carpenters' album songs, and especially in their Christmas songs like "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Smooth and rich, a very mature sound that is sweet to hear. I find almost all female singers out there today have screechy, tinny, hollow voices. Or they yell and emote excessively to cover up their bad voices.

[irish89055]

@mrshinyshoes Yes, though i didn't really care for this too much, but a gem so rare. My favorite song by Karen is "Merry Christmas, Darling" incredible, truly the voice of an angel... and yes absolutely smooth and rich, and of course kudos to Richard for his orchestrations.... regards from Richmond, VA

[mrshinyshoes]

@irish89055 Ahh, I love "Merry Christmas Darling" too. Every Christmas, when it comes on the radio, or when I hear it at a mall shopping, it calms my soul during that stressful time of the year. Her voice was, as I always describe it, "an extremely pleasing, mature woman's voice", sensuous and warm, with a very romantic quality to it. Yes, Richard was a great talent too. The first Christmas song I ever heard by the Carpenters? "Home For the Holidays". I love that song.

[mrshinyshoes]

@irish89055 Warmest wishes from Kingston, Kitsap County, WA.

[Myrtle791]

Little did she know how prophetic this song would turn out to be, and that her nearly perfect replacement would be a Japanese singer, Akiko Kobayashi. Life can be stranger than fiction! Who'd have thought we'd hear that voice again, and from such an unlikely source? Too bad she doesn't qualify for American Idol.

[faithcesari]

Karen is just great awesome

[nakluts]

IM KARENCITA SPIRIT

=0

;)

[ChevKen]

This just gave me chills.

[yomama532]

This is a rare great find! Thanks for posting!

[Iwakuni8]

These words hurt too much as to Karen, but it is still greato hear her young, beginners voice.

[virginQ]

this is fuckin awesome, great duet! Karen as well as the other singer (Wanda Freeman)sound amazing.

Karen Carpenter is a Rock Star!

[coronet72]

Thanks for sharing. This is certainly a wonderful find. Great hearing KC sing.

[GaRbAllZ]

All I can say is WOW and is there more? Love it!

[JonKonLA]

Like this a lot, of course. But kind of sad to hear KC singing these lyrics considering what happened to her

[SWILLY36]

Was this sons performed on any of there albums? I'd love to get a copy.

[KarenFan4Ever]

Still Karen Always sounds beautiful!

[KarenFan4Ever]

oh Baby girl there certainly is a Heaven :) Praise JESUS for that! But there is a hell too and JESUS is coming soon :)

Love to all

"Let GODS Light Shine in 2009!"

[rouselonline]

I really love Karen's voice here, very powerful and really sounds great!

love you my K.C!

[TessDancer]

Wow!  This is really cool! Where did you find it? I've never knew that Karen sang this song!

[suntorypop]

This is Karen with Wanda Freeman, a fellow music major at Cal State Long Beach. The recording was done in 1969.

[ssoko]

Thanks for the information.

[sandramay]

this is Karen with Ella Fitzgerald.

duet. and the choir.

[Strumrr]

No. Sooooo not Ella

[octave7]

It probably played too fast. If it is a reel to reel recording, sometimes they can distort the pitch a half step higher. I noticed this when listening to cassette tapes.

[earcandy2008]

terrific ssoko. I now wonder if this is the track that people have been referring to as "Church Choir" that has never been heard or released...

[no1cfielder]

In my opinion, there are three voices here, and Karen sings very little of it, toward the end.

[germanbalaguer]

Hey Karen, te extrañamos mucho, demasiado princesa!!!!!!!!!!!!!Gracias por tanto talento KC!!!!!Te queremos!!!!!! Yerman.

[florcha34]

Hoy regreso despues de un tiempito largo y semejante sorpresa gran q encuentro!!!

Gracias Ssoko x ponerlo !!!!!!! GEnial Hallazgo y video!!!!!

....y Gracias Carpfan64 x enviarmelo!!

[germanbalaguer]

Por Dioooooooosss!!!!! Impresionante Silvia!!! Millones de gracias por tanta belleza y por tanta emoción!!!!!!Extraordinario. Besos. Yo.

[carpfan64]

Hola Silvia !. Dónde lo conseguiste?.Te felicito . Excelente la edición.Besos.

[ssoko]

Lo conseguí con emule... tres días para que baje, pero valió la pena. :-)

[tinydeaths]

this is so great, my first hea rof this song, thank you!!

there was 'goodnight' here at youtube, but i cannot find it anymore.

[sisterlead02]

WOW! I didn't recognize the voice that it was Karen's...Thanks for this great post!

[kboyzrock]

Wow, fantastic footage of Karen in her early years, that is definitely her singing her voice is somewhat higher but later she developed her range later on. Yeah, don't recoginize the other female voice either. Thanks for sharing though!

[tranhoanghuan]

no heaven , yet no hell . The words are similar to John Lennon's Imagine , but are so great :D

we miss you Karen , rest softly in heaven Karen :x

[ssoko]

I got it with emule, the p2p program. I had to wait three days to download it but it was worth every minute, right?

[push555push]

sure was worth it, ssoko. richard says there's a whole bunch of unreleased stuff in the vaults. i can only imagine.

[atisaseret]

@tranhoanghuan - Actually, LAURA NYRO wrote this song way before John Lennon wrote his IMAGINE. LAURA NYRO wrote many hit songs for other artists and she, in turn was one of the most remarkable SONGWRITER/MUSICIANS/SINGERS that has ever existed!