Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
And it was only ten years earlier that Karen was hale and healthy and in her prime. Karen Carpenter in 1971 and 1981 makes for quite a disturbing juxtaposition.
Interesting how some would prefer to have not seen this video while others of us it has really made us happy.
I don't hear pitch problems... strangely enough. Perhaps tired, yes... similarly to "uninvited guest" the soft approach kind of suits the song in my opinion. [snip]
I don't hear pitch issues either, although I do hear subtle variations from the recorded track of course. Perhaps ears keener than mine can hear it. She does sound "wispy" to me, though. Whether that's an intentional choice by Karen - convey the song in that manner - or her illness, dunno.
She put her heart and soul into her performance, so I'm sure it was a reflection of the state of both at the time.As I've mentioned before, Karen is very worn and tired sounding, to the point of sounding winded and pitchy. Definitely not the Karen we all know and grew to love over the decades sadly enough.
She sounds wispy for sure but there are definitely pitch issues in this clip. I know we're talking minute differences, but they're there. That could be down to any number of issues, from studio monitor quality to Karen's general poor health. I think because we've never heard this song performed live until this point and because many people focus on this part of her life, we obsessive fans were always going to scrutinise every syllable of it.
I'm sorry but if we're going to scrutinize and I don't mean to make you go through the trouble,
But can you give specific examples?
I must be tone deaf then. Lol
A few exact phrases or words you can pinpoint in this video compared to the studio version would help me out.
Maybe I expect everything KC did to be pitch perfect because she always was on record.
I assume the queen of pitch wouldn't have any problems.
However, fans point out these few things from outtakes, but to the untrained ear there's little difference.
I've had some music training (limited) but I guess now you can't get away with too much these days. It's analyzed and criticized. That's how it is.
No wonder now contemporary artists rely heavily on technology to make everything just so.
I can hear different timing than expected or a breathy note in the lesser known bonus tracks or live versions.
That is also a technique and stylistic choice as is vibrato to distort the note a bit tricking the listener into thinking you'd hit it. Which the artist did, but not "exact".
First and second verse she's very slightly out on many notes. If you don't hear it, that's fine. I don't want to sit here and rip her to pieces over nuances because she's my favourite singer but they're there and in such contrast to almost all other live performances she ever gave. She was human and very ill when this was filmed. It's a miracle she sounded this good given her condition.