You Light...Up The Charts
- Thread starter goodjeans
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I agree. If R&C had first choice on the song, it's a testament to Richard's good taste that he turned it down.
There is an entry for the song on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Light_Up_My_Life_(song)
But no mention of the song being offered to the Carpenters.
There is an entry for the song on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Light_Up_My_Life_(song)
But no mention of the song being offered to the Carpenters.
Calvin R Murty
Member
I think it is an okay song - nothing spectacular - and perhaps, it worked best within the context of the movie (with the same title) in which it was featured.
It was mentioned in Ray Coleman's biography, though I can't recall whether she was offered the song or not. I do recall it being mentioned in the book that she did not realise the potential of the song (it was No.1 for 10 weeks and eventually ended up being the top song [i.e. the longest no. of weeks a song was at No.1] of the 70s decade) and if she did, she would have recorded it (or something to that effect) since she was in touch with the song's writer or producer or something (Mike Curb) at that time.
Calvin
It was mentioned in Ray Coleman's biography, though I can't recall whether she was offered the song or not. I do recall it being mentioned in the book that she did not realise the potential of the song (it was No.1 for 10 weeks and eventually ended up being the top song [i.e. the longest no. of weeks a song was at No.1] of the 70s decade) and if she did, she would have recorded it (or something to that effect) since she was in touch with the song's writer or producer or something (Mike Curb) at that time.
Calvin
Marilyn, I think that was many people's reaction to the song - mine included.
In reality, it WAS a really good song, but perhaps overly-catchy, to the point that after repeated hearings, it lost its specialness and became grating.
I recall a trip with my girlfriend down to Miami where we were going to stay a few days with her cousins. The matriarch of the family fashioned herself quite a singer (she had a decent voice - that's about it) and absolutely LOVED the song, "You Light Up My Life". She picked us up at the airport and had a cassette tape blaring the song, raving about Debby Boone. We didn't have the heart to tell her that the version she had wasn't Debby Boone's version! It was the soundtrack version with Kasey Cisyk singing for Didi Conn.
And all of this came just after our flight down there where the film was, you guessed it, YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE, with squeaky-voiced Didi Conn! After hearing the Debby Boone record over and over on the radio that year, this trip just put the capper on it for me. I never wanted to hear that song again.
Harry
In reality, it WAS a really good song, but perhaps overly-catchy, to the point that after repeated hearings, it lost its specialness and became grating.
I recall a trip with my girlfriend down to Miami where we were going to stay a few days with her cousins. The matriarch of the family fashioned herself quite a singer (she had a decent voice - that's about it) and absolutely LOVED the song, "You Light Up My Life". She picked us up at the airport and had a cassette tape blaring the song, raving about Debby Boone. We didn't have the heart to tell her that the version she had wasn't Debby Boone's version! It was the soundtrack version with Kasey Cisyk singing for Didi Conn.
And all of this came just after our flight down there where the film was, you guessed it, YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE, with squeaky-voiced Didi Conn! After hearing the Debby Boone record over and over on the radio that year, this trip just put the capper on it for me. I never wanted to hear that song again.
Harry
Johnny Angel
New Member
It's mentioned in the Coleman biography (page 229) that Mike Curb played the Debby Boone song for Karen, "who declared, 'I should have done it!' She and many others had not registered it as such a potential winner."
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
For my part, I'm glad she didn't bother with it. In my opinion, it isn't that much of a song and it's positively astonishing that it did as well as it did.
Ed
Ed
Dave
Well-Known Member
I kind'a gotta agree--a Karen Carpenter singing it we would not have missed, nor would we if a Ray Conniff, Johnny Mathis or Debby Boone hadn't bothered with it, either...! Fail to see how it became such a Smash Hit, too...
Dave
--Now with "the over-whelming desire to punch someone's lights out"...!
:bigevil: 
Dave
--Now with "the over-whelming desire to punch someone's lights out"...!
Maybe that was after it had been #1 for ten weeks and sold a bazillion copies....heck, I wish I had done it!
Dave
Well-Known Member
JMAR5 said:
Yes, she's done a couple o' real neat Rock 'N' Roll/Disco songs, "Jamie" and "Meet Me On The Dance Floor" backed by The Seawind Horns, following the success of her Big Hit on a self-titled LP, as well as made a fairly decent album, entitled Midstream, produced by Brooks Arthur and Joe Brooks, featuring good songs like "California", "Oh, No, Not My Baby" and especially the tear-jerker, "Another Goodbye"...!
Dave
JMAR5
New Member
I am a huge Seawind/Pauline Wilson fan. I will have to check that one out. I remembered seeing those 1970's Pat Boone Specials. Debby and Cherri Boone O'Neill were always guest stars on them.
I did hear she married Rosie Clooney's son and did an album dedicated to her on Concord Records.
I did hear she married Rosie Clooney's son and did an album dedicated to her on Concord Records.
Actorman
Well-Known Member
Yes, she's been married to Gabriel Ferrer (son of Rosemary Clooney and Oscar-winning actor Jose Ferrer) since the late 70s. Her brother-in-law is actor Miguel Ferrer, currently starring in the new "Bionic Woman" series on NBC.
The tribute album JMAR5 mentioned was called Reflections of Rosemary and came out in 2005. I actually almost bought it purely out of curiosity, but ended up passing on it in the end. Would probably still pick it up if I found it for a couple bucks somewhere.
I'm not sure what I think about a hypothetical Karen-version of "Light Up." Maybe as an album cut. It might have fit in on Passage since that album was such a mishmash of styles. From an arrangement perspective, it would have been interesting to see what Richard would have done with it. Who knows, he could have taken it a whole different direction.
I have, however, always thought that Rosemary's "Hey There" would have been a great song for Karen to have covered.
The tribute album JMAR5 mentioned was called Reflections of Rosemary and came out in 2005. I actually almost bought it purely out of curiosity, but ended up passing on it in the end. Would probably still pick it up if I found it for a couple bucks somewhere.
I'm not sure what I think about a hypothetical Karen-version of "Light Up." Maybe as an album cut. It might have fit in on Passage since that album was such a mishmash of styles. From an arrangement perspective, it would have been interesting to see what Richard would have done with it. Who knows, he could have taken it a whole different direction.
I have, however, always thought that Rosemary's "Hey There" would have been a great song for Karen to have covered.
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