0:00:02 > 0:00:04# Don't you remember you told me you loved me, baby... #
0:00:04 > 0:00:08There was something magical about the way Richard and Karen worked together.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10That's the beginning.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12# Sharing horizons that are new to us... #
0:00:12 > 0:00:17Karen Carpenter could sing the phonebook and it would sound good!
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Her voice was like a piece of silk.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Patsy Cline was the closest to me. Both of them shared the same emotion.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29And it was struggle and depression.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31# I'm on the top of the world... #
0:00:31 > 0:00:35When she was forced out from behind the drums to the front,
0:00:35 > 0:00:36she didn't enjoy it at all.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39# ..I can find... #
0:00:39 > 0:00:44I think that Richard and Karen both could have extremely viable careers today,
0:00:44 > 0:00:48had some different decisions been reached then.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49# Every... #
0:00:49 > 0:00:52All of our success came from the records.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56You don't forget the records and go touring around the world.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01She was the most truthful person I think I've ever met.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05But she lied like a trooper about the anorexia situation.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08# Only yesterday... #
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Every now and then, we throw that word around - "it". That person has it.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Well, she had the "it" whatever the "it" is! She had it.
0:01:14 > 0:01:21# And it's the way Only yesterday... #
0:01:31 > 0:01:33The story began in New Haven, Connecticut,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38with Richard and Karen being born into a typical suburban middle-class family.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42I was born with an interest in music.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46By the time I was two-and-a-half or three, I was
0:01:46 > 0:01:49interested in the records that my dad was playing.
0:01:49 > 0:01:56He had quite an extensive and eclectic collection of 78s which I wanted to get at.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59# Here's what a world
0:01:59 > 0:02:03# Is waiting for this summer... #
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Les Paul and Mary Ford probably had the biggest impact on me...
0:02:07 > 0:02:10well, with anybody,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14because of the over-dubbed sound.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18With these four switches, I can take Mary's voice and multiply it.
0:02:18 > 0:02:24And with this switch right here, I can take the one guitar and multiply it into an orchestra.
0:02:24 > 0:02:30Right there, by the time I was four-years-old - left such an impression on me.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33And I couldn't figure... I knew it was Mary Ford.
0:02:33 > 0:02:34Mary's voice...
0:02:34 > 0:02:36# All alone... #
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Two voices...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40# Of you I'm dreaming... #
0:02:40 > 0:02:42So I asked my mother, "How do you do that?"
0:02:42 > 0:02:48What's my mother going to say? Nobody knew, except at that time,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Les and Mary and a couple of people in the business!
0:02:51 > 0:02:54So it was like, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Practice. My mother said, "She practises."
0:02:57 > 0:03:03# All night long... #
0:03:03 > 0:03:07So I'm going around the house at four or five years old going...
0:03:07 > 0:03:11# Mm-mm-mm... # ..trying to get all these voices to come out.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13And later I learned.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17# All night long... #
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Karen, when I think back on it, would be downstairs and she'd sing it.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26And, boy, did we take to it - Karen and I! The whole multi-track thing.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28# And all the stars there never were
0:03:28 > 0:03:33# Are parking cars and pumping gas... #
0:03:35 > 0:03:39My mom wanted me to have piano lessons and I just didn't like it!
0:03:39 > 0:03:46So, after a year, it was mutually agreed between my folks and the teacher -
0:03:46 > 0:03:53"He really doesn't seem to have much talent or interest in..."
0:03:53 > 0:03:58But several years later, all of a sudden, I'm picking things up by ear and I found I could...
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- PIANO FLOURISH - ..do this kind of stuff
0:04:00 > 0:04:08all on my own and play by ear. And so by now, my parents said, "We need to find him another teacher."
0:04:10 > 0:04:16I think Agnes was a great mom. I think she knew what she wanted for her children.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19I think she had insight for Richard.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23And I think she loved her children dearly.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29During the summer, the windows are open, everybody's outside playing in the street,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33and Richard would be playing his musical scales up and down the piano.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37I think Richard's parents, Agnes and Harold, were beginning to
0:04:37 > 0:04:44feel that Richard really had talent, and there's two places you should go if you have musical talent -
0:04:44 > 0:04:47either New York or California.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53# If everybody had an ocean across the USA... #
0:04:53 > 0:04:57So, in 1963, the Carpenter family took off in search
0:04:57 > 0:04:58of the American dream...
0:04:58 > 0:05:00# Californ-i-a... #
0:05:00 > 0:05:06..to a land that was fast becoming a place of free spirits, open hearts and a vibrant music scene.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16The story is that they moved here to further my career,
0:05:16 > 0:05:21but the number one reason was my Dad wanted to get the hell out of the cold.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22And I was right with him!
0:05:22 > 0:05:24# Everybody's gone surfin'... #
0:05:24 > 0:05:28We never regretted making this move but Karen wasn't so happy.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33She had a bunch of friends back there. It turned out there was a heatwave the first Christmas,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36so she didn't like that.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37But she got over it.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Richard soon established himself as a local talent,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and joined the college choir playing piano.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48CHOIR SINGS
0:05:48 > 0:05:53It was in my first year of college, that I'd gotten to know a fella named Wes Jacobs,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57who turns out to be a tuba major,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59but I found out he could play upright bass.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I was just taken immediately by his talent.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05And we got together shortly after that,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09me with my bass, and Richard on the piano.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12And we experimented to see what we could do together.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17Karen was fascinated with the drumming,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21cos I said, "You can get out of phys-ed if you're in the marching band."
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Karen did not want to be in phys-ed.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27And I wanted also to get out of geometry cos I just don't get it!
0:06:27 > 0:06:33And when I got into marching band, I immediately fell in love with the drums.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Richard mentioned that his sister, who was still in high school at the time,
0:06:40 > 0:06:45was learning to play the drums, and perhaps we could form a trio.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52'The Carpenter Trio...'
0:06:52 > 0:06:58The Richard Carpenter Trio went on to win the prestigious Battle Of The Bands Contest at the Hollywood Bowl.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04And an RCA talent scout intrigued by their rock-tuba sound,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06offered them a record deal.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11I was a budding A&R man myself, and I knew damn well rock tuba was going nowhere!
0:07:15 > 0:07:21And we cut the four sides and - a committee, you know, a committee listened to them,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23and of course said, "Erhhh!"
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And that was it for our deal with RCA.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30# We'll be in Denver
0:07:30 > 0:07:33# Dancin' in the street... #
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Every now and again I'd ask Karen to sing.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39And she'd do it almost under duress.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43# Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear
0:07:43 > 0:07:45# Just as long as you are there... #
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Karen was a little hesitant actually about singing,
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and I think for some period of time, she really wanted to play the drums.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58The breakthrough, in a way, this is the key I wrote it in,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00was one called You'll Love Me.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- The melody was... - HE PLAYS
0:08:03 > 0:08:10# They say we're too young to ever know a love... #
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- It happens to be right... - HE PLAYS A NOTE
0:08:12 > 0:08:15And out came that sound.
0:08:15 > 0:08:21# And I'll know you'll stay-ay-ay
0:08:21 > 0:08:25# And I know you'll love me... #
0:08:25 > 0:08:28And I heard it... Oh!
0:08:28 > 0:08:31There's something here. There is something here!
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Richard formed a vocal group calleed Spectrum,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37included in the line-up was college friend, John Bettis
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and a creative partnership soon developed.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Richard was so noticeable because of his talent, for one thing.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47He was an amazing pianist then as he is now.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49So everybody knew who Richard was.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52# Yesterday I thought you'd stay... #
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Karen was having a whale of a good time.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58It was really play-time, in a way.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03A lot of hard work, but we were all together, there was a lot of laughs, a lot of fun, a lot of music.
0:09:03 > 0:09:09Renowned West Coast musician Joe Osborne had long supported Richard and Karen,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13letting them record in his garage studio and helping them refine their sound.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19He was also a very important studio bass player and also close friends with The Mamas & Papas.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21# All the leaves are brown
0:09:21 > 0:09:22# All the leaves are brown
0:09:22 > 0:09:25# And the sky is grey... #
0:09:25 > 0:09:29And so he, for some reason, had access to The Mamas & Papas' equipment.
0:09:29 > 0:09:36And we got a possibility to do an audition for a private club in Los Angeles called The Factory.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And so we were very excited, and we didn't really have proper equipment.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44So Joe allowed us to borrow The Mamas & Papas' equipment.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48It had white-stencilled on it "Mamas & Papas"!
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Mamas & Papas! Mamas & Papas!
0:09:50 > 0:09:56So we were on stage doing our best to stand in front of it!
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And who walked in, but Cass Elliot?!
0:09:59 > 0:10:01HE LAUGHS
0:10:01 > 0:10:03We were so busted!
0:10:03 > 0:10:05# California dreamin'... #
0:10:05 > 0:10:09By mid-1968, a string of rejections had taken their toll on Spectrum
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and tensions started to build so the group split.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Richard then formed The Carpenters with sister Karen.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22# Don't be afraid to love and get loved... #
0:10:22 > 0:10:28In mid-'68 we made this demo. It ended up on Herb Alpert's desk.
0:10:28 > 0:10:34And he heard the potential and that was it. We signed with A&M in April 1969.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36# It knows how to make you sing... #
0:10:36 > 0:10:42Usually I just close my eyes when listening to a new tape,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44and I did on this occasion,
0:10:44 > 0:10:50and all of a sudden this amazing voice came out of my speakers.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53And it seemed like it was sitting next to me on the couch.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57It was a real special...
0:10:57 > 0:11:02God-given, you know, instrument that I had never heard quite like that before.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07# You need cooling, baby I'm not fooling... #
0:11:07 > 0:11:14You have to understand that at that time, the world was turning into serious rock'n'roll.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17And here were these amazing kids
0:11:17 > 0:11:19doing this incredible pop material.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24We were in the era of Stones, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, whatever.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29That was the problem. We had a whole bunch of people who were hairy rock fans.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33And if their mum liked The Carpenters, then you weren't going to like them.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Most of the people at A&M didn't want us there.
0:11:39 > 0:11:46And they were trying to talk Herb into cutting his losses and just letting them go.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50But I always felt that they had that special ingredient,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53because they were so unique in what they were doing.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55They were so honest about what they were doing.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00I thought it was just a matter of time before before the audience would catch up to them.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02I was 22 and Karen was 19.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05And we were given carte blanche.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08# I think I'm gonna be sad
0:12:08 > 0:12:12# I think it's today... #
0:12:12 > 0:12:16The first album yielded the ballad version of Ticket To Ride
0:12:16 > 0:12:19which is mighty good and got on the charts at least.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22A&M was going through a rough period in 1969,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25probably the worst year in their history.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29# He's got a ticket to ride... #
0:12:29 > 0:12:35It sold substantially enough and got enough airplay,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37that it definitely deserved another shot.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42# He's got a ticket to ride
0:12:42 > 0:12:47# And he don't care... #
0:12:47 > 0:12:51What they obviously needed was a great song,
0:12:51 > 0:12:58and an arrangement, a production that would really present them in a great way.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04The search was on for the next song, and Herb Alpert turned to A&M song writer, Burt Bacharach,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08for that crucial chart-topping hit.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Herbie said I have a record, but I don't want you to hear it, I don't want anything to influence
0:13:12 > 0:13:19your arrangement except, after the first bridge, there are two quintuplets - piano.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22One octave and then down an octave.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26So in our key, which turned out to be G, it would be...
0:13:26 > 0:13:28HE PLAYS QUINTUPLETS
0:13:28 > 0:13:33# Why do birds suddenly appear
0:13:33 > 0:13:38# Every time you are near
0:13:40 > 0:13:44# Just like me they long to be
0:13:44 > 0:13:48# Close to you... #
0:13:48 > 0:13:50This thing took shape.
0:13:50 > 0:13:56And we started adding things to it. People were doing what they weren't supposed to do -
0:13:56 > 0:14:00studio protocol, and etiquette and all of that -
0:14:00 > 0:14:05you were not supposed to push open a door and walk in the recording studio!
0:14:05 > 0:14:09But people were - they'd push open the door and say, "What is this?
0:14:09 > 0:14:12"I've never heard anything like this! This is sensational!"
0:14:12 > 0:14:17# On the day that you were born The angels got together
0:14:17 > 0:14:22# And decided to create a dream come true
0:14:22 > 0:14:25# So they sprinkled moondust in your hair
0:14:25 > 0:14:30# Of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue... #
0:14:32 > 0:14:35When it's done, Herb plays it down the phone to Burt,
0:14:35 > 0:14:40and...well, smash!
0:14:40 > 0:14:43# ..all around
0:14:43 > 0:14:46# Just like me
0:14:46 > 0:14:52# They long to be close to you... #
0:14:52 > 0:14:58It came in at 56, 37, 14, 7, 3, 1.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Then it stayed there for a month.
0:15:00 > 0:15:06It was just one of those things you hear, and you say, "What did I do to deserve this?"
0:15:06 > 0:15:09# Wah-ah-ha-ah
0:15:11 > 0:15:13# Close to you... #
0:15:13 > 0:15:16When the wah came on, they went, "OK, that works."
0:15:16 > 0:15:19# Wah-ah-ha-ah... #
0:15:19 > 0:15:24I was driving along on a street in Connecticut, had the radio on,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29and I heard them singing Close To You - their first big hit.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32I almost hit the telephone pole.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37Wow, that's Karen and Richard. Oh, it's beautiful.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41It's all of your dreams coming true. You can't put it into words. It's so exciting.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48You go from having time on your hands to not having enough time in the day.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53Looking for a follow-up to Close To You, Richard knew of an A&M writing team -
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Roger Nichols and Paul Williams - whom he particularly admired.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02Paul would drop by and sing with us when we were rehearsing in the sound stage,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04so I was well aware of his voice.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09# We've only just begun
0:16:09 > 0:16:10# To live... #
0:16:10 > 0:16:12This really good commercial comes on.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16I knew it was Paul immediately, which means it's a Nichols/Williams song.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19And I'm thinking, "This sounds like a hit record to me."
0:16:19 > 0:16:23A bank commercial fell out of television set.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25# We've only just begun... #
0:16:25 > 0:16:30Richard just heard it and he was on the phone, probably before the programme went back on, saying,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33"Is that a whole song? Please tell me that's a whole song!"
0:16:33 > 0:16:39So I saw Paul and I said, "This song - We've Only Just Begun - does it have a bridge in the third verse."
0:16:39 > 0:16:41"Yes, it does."
0:16:41 > 0:16:43# We start our walking and learn to run... #
0:16:43 > 0:16:48I mean, "Oh, I can't wait to get this out. This is a hit."
0:16:51 > 0:16:55# We've only just begun
0:16:55 > 0:16:59# To live
0:16:59 > 0:17:04# White lace and promises
0:17:04 > 0:17:10# A kiss for luck and we're on our way
0:17:10 > 0:17:13# We've only begun
0:17:13 > 0:17:21# Before the rising sun we fly... #
0:17:21 > 0:17:23That was the sky-diving moment for Richard.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28That was like, when he got... When he caught that, it was like, "Great!"
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Because that was a gift from the gods to have We've Only Just Begun laying there.
0:17:32 > 0:17:38# And yes we've just begun... #
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Well, as soon as Close To You was on its way down,
0:17:41 > 0:17:48Begun... And that became the wedding song for a generation.
0:17:52 > 0:17:59As the records continued to sell, A&M struggled with marketing the wholesome brother-and-sister duo.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Richard always said he liked the phrase, "Goody-four-shoes!"
0:18:02 > 0:18:03Not goody-two-shoes,
0:18:03 > 0:18:08even though it was indeed making fun of how squeaky clean their image was.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11They did wear sweaters, they did have schoolboy haircuts,
0:18:11 > 0:18:12they did sing nice songs.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15And she did do needle-point, you know!
0:18:15 > 0:18:17It ain't very rock'n'roll.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23And A&M records, not to their credit, played that up even more with the artwork and the album covers.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26They just didn't know how to package us.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I really put up a fuss over the Close To You one,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33because it was a rush-job.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38And management said nothing about it and to this day,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41that thing is still in print, thankfully,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45because it's a good album but it is one crappy cover.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Their image on the album covers was not the only problem.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55They realised Karen's own presentation needed some work.
0:18:58 > 0:19:04# Love, look at the two of us
0:19:04 > 0:19:10# Strangers in many ways... #
0:19:10 > 0:19:15Richard and I tried desperately to get her away from the drums.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19And that's something, early on, we had to work on,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22because she wanted to drum and sing.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25People did not want to see her behind the drums.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28She was only 5'4", she had this huge drum kit
0:19:28 > 0:19:30and it was tough to see her.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37# Aaaaahhhhhh... #
0:19:37 > 0:19:40She was very, very happy being Richard's sister
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and not being the star of the group.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47She had no desire to stand up and be out in front.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Very shy
0:19:50 > 0:19:54and she found her ground, literally, behind that drum set.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56And when they finally said,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59"You're gonna go out front and hold that microphone,"
0:19:59 > 0:20:02I think she was terrified the first few times.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04# ..I knew you well
0:20:04 > 0:20:09# For only time
0:20:09 > 0:20:12# Will tell us so
0:20:12 > 0:20:18# And love may grow for all we know... #
0:20:35 > 0:20:38I've never felt it was a coincidence that Karen played the drums.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42So when she was forced out from behind the drums to the front,
0:20:42 > 0:20:43she didn't enjoy it at all.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46But it was a must.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49She couldn't... she HAD to be out front,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52that's where people wanted to see her.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53This was the voice.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58# Talking to myself and feeling old
0:20:58 > 0:21:01# Sometimes I'd like to quit... #
0:21:01 > 0:21:05There's so many singers that you turn to one another and say,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07"Was that so and so?"
0:21:07 > 0:21:12Karen Carpenter sang two notes and you knew exactly who it was.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17# ..Rainy days and Mondays always get me down... #
0:21:17 > 0:21:19She'd be rehearsing a song in the car
0:21:19 > 0:21:22and you could barely hear her voice.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26# ..What I've got they used to call the blues... #
0:21:26 > 0:21:28But then you'd do into the studio
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and you'd hear her sing it on a microphone
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and the microphone loved Karen Carpenter's voice.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37It was like velvet.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40It was like something I've never, ever heard before.
0:21:40 > 0:21:46# ..Rainy days and Mondays always get me down... #
0:21:46 > 0:21:49She had an incredible tone in her voice,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52it was rich and full and it was barely a whisper
0:21:52 > 0:21:54but it sounded really strong.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59# Long ago
0:21:59 > 0:22:03# And oh so far away... #
0:22:03 > 0:22:07You cannot touch that emotion today. There's no way. There's nobody.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09There's nobody out there that's touching that.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Patsy Cline was the closest. To me, both of them shared the same emotion.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15And it was struggle and depression.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22# Your guitar... #
0:22:22 > 0:22:28You saw this fabulous girl out front singing the songs with such emotion,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32but, again, through her vulnerability,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34she really felt those lyrics.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37And so to watch The Carpenters, that's what you were getting -
0:22:37 > 0:22:40the most incredible interpretation of wonderful songs.
0:22:40 > 0:22:46# Don't you remember you told me you loved me, baby
0:22:46 > 0:22:52# You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby
0:22:52 > 0:22:58# Baby, baby, baby, baby Oh, baby
0:22:58 > 0:23:00# I love you
0:23:00 > 0:23:04# I really do
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I can't sit here after all these years
0:23:07 > 0:23:11and tell you she actually lost herself in it.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16Karen could walk in and sing a lot of these things just in one take.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19I feel that there was something bigger going on,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23that we probably will never know what was going on
0:23:23 > 0:23:27because that voice had too much soul, too much heartbreak, too much pain in it
0:23:27 > 0:23:30to be just an insecurity.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34# Loneliness
0:23:34 > 0:23:40# Is such a sad affair... #
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Karen and I were at a restaurant in Los Angeles
0:23:43 > 0:23:47and Karen and I were walking out having had dinner
0:23:47 > 0:23:51and John Lennon was walking in
0:23:51 > 0:23:54and as he drew up to us, he stopped
0:23:54 > 0:23:59and just looked at her and said, "I wanna tell you, love, you've got a fabulous voice,"
0:23:59 > 0:24:00and just walked on.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04She was absolutely incredulous about it.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09She couldn't believe it. "He couldn't have meant it. Did he mean it?"
0:24:09 > 0:24:13I said, "Well, of course he meant it.
0:24:13 > 0:24:19"This was Lennon. Why on Earth would he stop to tell you you've got a great voice if he didn't think so?"
0:24:19 > 0:24:23But she had a problem believing it, she really did.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26# I love you
0:24:26 > 0:24:31# I really do. #
0:24:32 > 0:24:37We would ask her to come and sing at a charity event a cappella.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39She was never comfortable doing that
0:24:39 > 0:24:43and that's because she wanted Richard's arrangements and Richard there
0:24:43 > 0:24:50and I feel like I don't think she knew just what a raw, beautiful, melodic voice she possessed.
0:24:50 > 0:24:57She wanted to have it surrounded by the expertise of her brother.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01For all the beauty of Karen's voice,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05ultimately Richard was the key behind The Carpenters' unique sound.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10# After long enough of being alone... #
0:25:10 > 0:25:14There are many songs that they did that I thought were quite amazing.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19I think it comes down to the way they were arranged.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Richard had a lot to do with the way the orchestration worked.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27# The pain I was going through... #
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Richard was and is an astonishing instrumentalist.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33A great tune-writer.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Richard had this magic gift of not only WRITING great songs,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41but knowing where to find great songs and how to pick them out.
0:25:41 > 0:25:48# Maybe you can't see how much you mean to me... #
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Richard kind of ranks right up there with Brian Wilson to me.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55He had the same kind of perfectionism
0:25:55 > 0:26:00and really did some interesting things with the productions and the arrangements he put together.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03# And when I hold you
0:26:03 > 0:26:07# baby, baby, feels like maybe things will be all right... #
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Are the songs technically... Can I sit down and play them?
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Yes, they are easy-breezy.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17But could you match it and beat them? Absolutely not.
0:26:17 > 0:26:23# Only yesterday when I was sad and I was lonely... #
0:26:23 > 0:26:27As the hits kept coming, the demand for new material was high
0:26:27 > 0:26:32and Richard asked A&M Records to find his old college friend and music partner,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35whom he'd not seen since the Spectrum days.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37I knew I'd see them again, you know what I mean?
0:26:37 > 0:26:41I was very proud of and for them and I just had this instinct
0:26:41 > 0:26:43that we would do lots of stuff together.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47The first single and a hit that he and I put together was Goodbye To love.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51# When you hear a real hepcat... #
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Late at night, we were home from the studio and they were running an old Bing Crosby film
0:26:55 > 0:27:03and Bing played a ghostwriter to the successful Basil Rathbone, who was going through a dry spell.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Nothing will ever quite come up to Goodbye To Love.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Ah, I wrote that myself...
0:27:08 > 0:27:12I mean, er... That really came from my heart.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17Rathbone's most famous song is called Goodbye To Love.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21You never hear it, they just refer to it. "Oh, he wrote Goodbye To Love."
0:27:21 > 0:27:26It's no use, Willy. I haven't been able to write a good song on my own since Goodbye To Love.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30And I heard that title and pictured...
0:27:33 > 0:27:40..the opening, "I'll say goodbye to love, no-one should ever care if I live or die."
0:27:40 > 0:27:43That's all the lyrics I came up with but I like the...
0:27:45 > 0:27:52# And all I know of love is how to live without it
0:27:52 > 0:27:56# I just can't seem to find it
0:27:56 > 0:28:00# So I've made my mind up I must live my life alone... #
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Constructing the arrangement to Goodbye To Love,
0:28:03 > 0:28:09I, er, pictured something that was a little off the beaten path,
0:28:09 > 0:28:14two things that ordinarily don't go together, which would be a melodic fuzz guitar solo.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I didn't think it was a good idea but what do I know?
0:28:22 > 0:28:23It's a soft ballad
0:28:23 > 0:28:26and nobody had ever put rock'n'roll guitars on a ballad.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38We heard it on the radio and we were all up in Richard's room listening
0:28:38 > 0:28:43and then the DJ said, "And there's The Carpenters doing a Jimi Hendrix song."
0:28:43 > 0:28:46They just had to make cracks about it.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49The DJs couldn't help themselves cos it was so odd.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Richard actually got hate mail
0:28:52 > 0:28:58based on the fact that he'd sullied The Carpenters by using a fuzz tone electric guitar.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04We actually wrote Goodbye To Love on one day and Top Of The World on the other.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07It was a good two-day period!
0:29:07 > 0:29:10# On top of the world looking down... #
0:29:10 > 0:29:15It was 1973 and The Carpenters were "on top of the world"
0:29:15 > 0:29:19while America was in turmoil, with troops being pulled out of Vietnam
0:29:19 > 0:29:22and President Nixon was on the road to impeachment.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26# Your love's put me at the top of the world... #
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Their success was not only domestic.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38They were now truly international superstars.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40To come to a foreign country,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43it's really hard for you to think
0:29:43 > 0:29:45that somebody who's never seen you ever
0:29:45 > 0:29:49can automatically spot you, you know?
0:29:49 > 0:29:53But with the strain of being in the spotlight and a relentless schedule,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56the cracks were beginning to show.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00She definitely, as she was a little older,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02began to worry about the weight thing.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07I can remember Karen reading and being hurt by quotes.
0:30:07 > 0:30:14I don't know if they said "Cherubic", "plump". I said, "Why does that bother you?"
0:30:14 > 0:30:17And she said, "But it never leaves me."
0:30:17 > 0:30:20And it became a real monument for her.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Karen stayed so basic.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26She wanted the white picket fence.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31She just wanted to get married, have children, be cooking Thanksgiving dinners
0:30:31 > 0:30:34and that was her real goal in life.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37But then she got into this early success
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and then you're driven and you want more success
0:30:40 > 0:30:45and you have to perform and you have to keep on the merry-go-round
0:30:45 > 0:30:49and I think that took its toll on her eventually.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54JAPANESE NEWSREADER SPEAKS
0:30:56 > 0:31:00The amount of touring in '74 was nuts.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02It wasn't only all of Vegas and Tahoe,
0:31:02 > 0:31:07it was also the UK and it was Japan and it was nutty.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09When the hell you gonna make an album?
0:31:09 > 0:31:14Richard, I think to this day, feels like he toured too much.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18Test one, two, test. Richard Carpenter.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Somebody listen to me.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23I think it was partly their own desire
0:31:23 > 0:31:28to realise upon this great opportunity that they had.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32They'd been working towards this for so many years.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36We had been so laser-focused on success
0:31:36 > 0:31:43and once it came, we knew that you could not let it go.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47And, er, our personal lives were kinda over there
0:31:47 > 0:31:50and that left a huge hole.
0:31:50 > 0:31:57They had a manager and an agent who frankly profited greatly from booking them.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59It wasn't very smart.
0:32:02 > 0:32:07All of our success sprang from the records
0:32:07 > 0:32:11so you don't forget the records and go touring around the world.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15I don't think he was ever truly happy on the road
0:32:15 > 0:32:18because once there was an audience,
0:32:18 > 0:32:23the audience obviously loved and adored Karen.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28There was tremendous love and respect between the two of them,
0:32:28 > 0:32:33but I think Richard was jealous.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35DRUM ROLL
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Richard Carpenter.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40APPLAUSE
0:32:40 > 0:32:45'You couldn't go and explain to the thousands of people every night'
0:32:45 > 0:32:50who were sitting out in the audience, "I wrote this. I produced it."
0:32:50 > 0:32:54What they came and they saw is, "She's singing it."
0:32:57 > 0:32:59He looks like a piano player back there,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02even though we had lights on him and all of that.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07# Learning all the latest records From the radio by ear
0:33:07 > 0:33:12# And I was dreaming I'd be famous when the big surprise appeared
0:33:12 > 0:33:15# She was a five foot four tornado
0:33:15 > 0:33:18# A pair of drumsticks in her hand... #
0:33:18 > 0:33:22I think it bothered Richard that his contribution wasn't recognised
0:33:22 > 0:33:23as much as it should have been.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Because he really was the force.
0:33:34 > 0:33:40They did go around the roses at times but I think the relationship was really sweet. It was tender.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42I think they admired each other.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49You never saw such support in your life between artist and producer
0:33:49 > 0:33:52back and forth as you did with those two. And it paid off.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00# Stop! Oh, yes Wait a minute, Mr Postman
0:34:00 > 0:34:03- # Wait - Wait a minute, Mr Postman
0:34:03 > 0:34:06# Please, Mr Postman Look and see... #
0:34:06 > 0:34:10Where earlier I said I was tripping over the songs,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13I wasn't tripping over them so much any more.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17It was getting harder and harder to find really good ones.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21# There must be some word today
0:34:21 > 0:34:23# From my boyfriend so far away... #
0:34:23 > 0:34:26To be honest, Richard procrastinated writing.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30He'd have ideas but wouldn't force himself to sit down and flesh them out.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33I didn't feel comfortable saying, "We've gotta write a song!"
0:34:33 > 0:34:37# If there's a letter in your bag for me... #
0:34:37 > 0:34:41And of course we were human and the bloom was off the rose.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45It wasn't as exciting as it was when it all first happened.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47It wouldn't be for anybody.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51By 1975, the constant touring and studio work
0:34:51 > 0:34:55had taken their toll on Karen's health with visible effect.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59I hadn't seen them in a while. I was away for the summer
0:34:59 > 0:35:05and when I got back to the States, I went to Las Vegas to go see them
0:35:05 > 0:35:11and I was quite appalled at what her appearance was.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14She had lost considerable weight.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19She was normally loaded with energy
0:35:19 > 0:35:24and in Vegas, she was having to have a lie down between shows, which is not like her,
0:35:24 > 0:35:29and of course she was too thin
0:35:29 > 0:35:32and she'd come out in what she thought she looked great in
0:35:32 > 0:35:35and the audience would gasp.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37- It's The Carpenters! - APPLAUSE
0:35:39 > 0:35:43- # Stop - Oh yes, wait a minute, Mr Postman
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- # Wait - Wai-ai-ai-ait, Mr Postman
0:35:46 > 0:35:51- # Mr Postman, look and see - Oh yeah... #
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Usually it was Richard or I, Richard mostly,
0:35:54 > 0:36:00who would convince her not to go out without putting on a jacket
0:36:00 > 0:36:07because she had gotten so thin, there were truthfully people who came up to me
0:36:07 > 0:36:10and were convinced that she had cancer.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14# If there's a letter A letter for me... #
0:36:14 > 0:36:19We just thought she was being compulsive in her dieting and in her exercising.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24We would always encourage her to eat and if we were all out to dinner,
0:36:24 > 0:36:29she would have a habit of saying, "This is delicious. Taste this."
0:36:29 > 0:36:34And she'd put it on your plate. Before you knew it, she had put food on other people's plates
0:36:34 > 0:36:36and she wasn't eating very much.
0:36:37 > 0:36:38# Stop! #
0:36:38 > 0:36:41CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:36:41 > 0:36:43We all knew that something was wrong,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46but we just didn't know what we were dealing with.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51They were supposed to then go immediately to Japan
0:36:51 > 0:36:56and I really didn't see how she could even survive such a trip, you know.
0:36:56 > 0:37:02Literally, it was bad. She was rather gaunt.
0:37:02 > 0:37:10Our secretary of many a year, Evelyn Wallace, happened to read an article on eating disorders.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14It mentioned anorexia nervosa. She brought it to our attention,
0:37:14 > 0:37:16we looked at it and said, "This looks like it."
0:37:16 > 0:37:19# There's a kind of hush
0:37:19 > 0:37:23# All over the world tonight
0:37:23 > 0:37:25# All over the world
0:37:25 > 0:37:29# You can hear the sound of lovers in love
0:37:29 > 0:37:32# You know what I mean
0:37:32 > 0:37:33# Just the two of us... #
0:37:33 > 0:37:35You had two people in The Carpenters -
0:37:35 > 0:37:39Karen Carpenter, who was killing herself with anorexia
0:37:39 > 0:37:44that no-one in her family would recognise or do anything about
0:37:44 > 0:37:51and Richard Carpenter, falling further and further into a world of Quaaludes.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55# Whisper in your ear "I love you"... #
0:37:55 > 0:37:57There was a sleeping pill at the time.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01Not being a party animal, I didn't know it was being used recreationally.
0:38:01 > 0:38:07It was prescribed by my doctor and taken properly, it was damn good,
0:38:07 > 0:38:13but it had a side effect of making you a little bit high is what it did
0:38:13 > 0:38:16and I kind of enjoyed that at the end of the day
0:38:16 > 0:38:19and it got out of hand after a few years,
0:38:19 > 0:38:25certainly by '76/'77, I was in trouble.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31# It isn't a dream
0:38:31 > 0:38:35# The only sound that you will hear
0:38:35 > 0:38:39# Is when I whisper in your ear
0:38:39 > 0:38:41# I love you... #
0:38:41 > 0:38:47It didn't help that that was going on at the same time Karen was experiencing her problems.
0:38:47 > 0:38:52That meant both of them in their own way were chaotic.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56Instead of getting a little bit annoyed that somebody did this thing
0:38:56 > 0:38:59you'd be raging because somebody did that thing.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Things came to a head between Richard and his manager
0:39:03 > 0:39:05while on tour.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08# You can shout 'We're all brothers'
0:39:08 > 0:39:10# And even pretend... #
0:39:10 > 0:39:15They were playing in Las Vegas. Neil Sedaka was the opening act,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17The Carpenters came on afterward.
0:39:17 > 0:39:24And Tom Jones had come from the hotel he was working in to see the show.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29# ..For love is surrender You must surrender if you care... #
0:39:29 > 0:39:33When there's a big entertainer who comes to the show,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37the headliner - in this case, The Carpenters -
0:39:37 > 0:39:39would introduce them.
0:39:39 > 0:39:46Well, stupidly, Neil Sedaka, the opening act, introduced Tom Jones.
0:39:46 > 0:39:52Because of that, I'm fired, he fired Neil Sedaka that night,
0:39:52 > 0:39:58and subsequently Neil Sedaka fired me for putting him together with The Carpenters!
0:40:00 > 0:40:03In need of a new manager,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06The Carpenters turned to impresario Jerry Weintraub.
0:40:06 > 0:40:12Jerry's plan was to take the duo in a different direction, with their own television special.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15People are always asking why Karen plays the drums.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18I can answer that in two words -
0:40:18 > 0:40:20why not?!
0:40:20 > 0:40:23But Richard still wasn't happy.
0:40:23 > 0:40:28Mentally, I wasn't in the mood to be doing these things once we finally got one.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33# And we'll have fun, fun, fun Now that daddy took the T-Bird away... #
0:40:33 > 0:40:38And, secondly, I didn't want anything with skits, I didn't want canned laughter. I hate that.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41LAUGHTER
0:40:41 > 0:40:47Karen, on the other hand, just loved all of this stuff and... so she took to them.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57By this point in time, when it came to the specials,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01they really should have been Karen specials, because what do you do with me?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04I'm a behind-the-scenes guy.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08He was so nice about it, Richard was.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13It didn't bother him how much screen time I gave her,
0:41:13 > 0:41:18because he knew, by that time, that she was the star.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27As I was walking to my car in the parking lot after the show,
0:41:27 > 0:41:32Mrs Carpenter sidled up to me and said, "Bob, wasn't Richard wonderful?"
0:41:32 > 0:41:36I had to stop a minute because...
0:41:36 > 0:41:41for MY two cents' worth, that show would be remembered
0:41:41 > 0:41:44for Karen Carpenter's vocalising.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48# Are we really happy
0:41:48 > 0:41:52# With this lonely game we play?
0:41:52 > 0:41:59# Looking for the right words to say... #
0:41:59 > 0:42:03I think Richard had been "the favourite" or the golden boy
0:42:03 > 0:42:06while they were growing up
0:42:06 > 0:42:08and, as a result,
0:42:08 > 0:42:12she developed these feelings of low self-esteem and self-doubt.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17# My funny valentine... #
0:42:17 > 0:42:22Despite Karen's insecurities, the shows were a huge success.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26But, for Richard, the sleeping tablets were causing serious problems.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32I was getting to a point I couldn't even sign my name,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34I couldn't play the piano worth a damn...
0:42:34 > 0:42:38It was do something or die, is what it was.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42So, with great support from family and friends,
0:42:42 > 0:42:44I went off to a rehab.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47January 10th 1979.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51- How is he?- Well, he's coming along. I talked to him last night.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54He feels a little better. What actually happened, seriously,
0:42:54 > 0:42:59two days before we were going to come over, he caught himself a real nice case of the flu...
0:42:59 > 0:43:04I said to her, "Karen, I don't know why all of this has happened and it doesn't much matter.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07"But I'm here taking care of my problem -
0:43:07 > 0:43:10"it's time you face up to yours."
0:43:10 > 0:43:15And I remember saying, "We can go into the '80s the same way we went into the '70s.
0:43:15 > 0:43:20"We have our talent, our record contract...you know, we can set the world on fire again."
0:43:20 > 0:43:28Ignoring Richard's pleas, Karen would not be deterred from her plan to record a solo album.
0:43:28 > 0:43:35When she called, she wanted my blessing. "I can't go do this unless I know that you're behind it."
0:43:35 > 0:43:41I said, "Other than the fact that I don't think you're well enough to do it...you certainly have my blessing!
0:43:41 > 0:43:47"I know this is something you want. Not that it's any of my business,
0:43:47 > 0:43:50"but do me one favour - do not do disco!"
0:43:50 > 0:43:56Disco was hot. "You are not cut out to do disco. This is not you."
0:43:57 > 0:44:05Top New York record producer Phil Ramone took on the challenge of producing Karen's solo album.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07It was an interesting challenge.
0:44:07 > 0:44:13I did not want to go down the road of having an outside Carpenter producer,
0:44:13 > 0:44:15which would be ridiculous for her and for me,
0:44:15 > 0:44:19and tackle things that she really was too comfortable in.
0:44:19 > 0:44:25# My body keeps changing my mind Keeps changing my heart... #
0:44:25 > 0:44:29Well, they played it for the powers that be in A&M.
0:44:29 > 0:44:34Both Gerry Moss and Herb Alpert - and Richard - were in the control room.
0:44:34 > 0:44:39And it was quite silent... the end of like three or four cuts,
0:44:39 > 0:44:46and she's looking at me and I'm ready to bite my nails and I'm not sure what's going on...
0:44:46 > 0:44:50It was rather negative, shall we say.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54We didn't think it would get a really great reaction and...
0:44:54 > 0:44:58we didn't want to have Karen go through that.
0:44:58 > 0:45:03It's been reported through the years that I put the stake through it...
0:45:03 > 0:45:07or our mother came in and said, "Absolutely not."
0:45:07 > 0:45:10It's all poppycock!
0:45:10 > 0:45:16It was all up to Karen and she listened to all the people whose opinions she respected
0:45:16 > 0:45:22and it was her decision...and she said, "We're not putting it out."
0:45:22 > 0:45:24And that was the end of that.
0:45:24 > 0:45:29If there was this lack of support and it wasn't the right move,
0:45:29 > 0:45:34she would rather be known as The Carpenters, and it was easier to put on the shelf.
0:45:34 > 0:45:40Work finally began on the next Carpenters' album.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44But for Karen, a new distraction was just around the corner.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48# As a child I was known for... #
0:45:48 > 0:45:54Well, we'd hardly gotten started on that in 1980, when she meets...this fellow...
0:45:54 > 0:45:57Tom Burris.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01# ..Like a child... #
0:46:01 > 0:46:06He was a dashing real estate man and he had lots of personality and she was so happy.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09# ..Finding answers to my prayer... #
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Well, it seemed like they got along very well
0:46:12 > 0:46:15but I never dreamed that two months later, they'd be married.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19It was a whirlwind romance
0:46:19 > 0:46:22and they got married on August 31st of 1980.
0:46:22 > 0:46:27# ..It's a new day for those good old dreams
0:46:27 > 0:46:30# And it's all because of you... #
0:46:30 > 0:46:35She was very anxious to be married, but she picked the wrong guy.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41It was the first time I'd been attracted on the first date.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44Usually, you open the door and you go, "Argh!"
0:46:44 > 0:46:47- But from then on, it...- Degenerated.
0:46:47 > 0:46:54I was worried about it and discussed with her the fact that there was some issues,
0:46:54 > 0:46:56but she was determined.
0:46:59 > 0:47:06I know that Karen's mom Agnes, and Harold, tried to counsel her that, you know...
0:47:06 > 0:47:12you do have to be careful when you are in the arena that you're in,
0:47:12 > 0:47:18that you marry someone that's not just after money or fame.
0:47:18 > 0:47:24He had a jet plane and he had a boat and, er, lived lavishly.
0:47:24 > 0:47:30At the end of the day, there was really nothing of financial substance left.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37Even like the influence that her family had or that I had...
0:47:37 > 0:47:40And he didn't treat her too well.
0:47:46 > 0:47:52Ultimately, I think he reached the conclusion that the marriage was not successful
0:47:52 > 0:47:55and wanted it terminated. And she agreed with that.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05It was obviously a tough time for her
0:48:05 > 0:48:09because with the marriage not working out and...
0:48:09 > 0:48:15her being painfully thin, she had to know by this time that something was wrong.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19# Such a feeling's coming over me... #
0:48:19 > 0:48:26Richard talked to her about it. She went to New York to be in the care of a self-styled doctor.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31TV: 'Steven Levenkron treated Karen Carpenter for anorexia...'
0:48:31 > 0:48:38He said, "For all you know..." in so many words, "..when we get to the bottom of what this is,
0:48:38 > 0:48:42"Karen may find out that she doesn't even enjoy being a singer."
0:48:42 > 0:48:46And I'm thinking, "Bull-shit!"
0:48:46 > 0:48:49# ..Is the love that I've found
0:48:49 > 0:48:51# Ever since you've been around
0:48:51 > 0:48:55# Your love's put me at the top of the world... #
0:48:55 > 0:48:59I think the idea that she would never sing again was an exaggeration.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04The sentiment was that she would like to be able to choose what she does.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08But she probably would have loved to sing to some extent,
0:49:08 > 0:49:12she just needed more say in who she was and how it all happened.
0:49:12 > 0:49:17# Play us a song we can slow dance on
0:49:17 > 0:49:21# We wanna hold each other... #
0:49:21 > 0:49:24She came back out in April for a visit.
0:49:26 > 0:49:27I mean, so thin!
0:49:27 > 0:49:34She wanted to cut a few songs. She sounded marvellous - it didn't matter what shape she was in!
0:49:34 > 0:49:38# ..Touch me when we're dancing
0:49:38 > 0:49:41# You know you've got that loving touch... #
0:49:41 > 0:49:46Karen headed back to New York, but her condition deteriorated
0:49:46 > 0:49:51and she was admitted to hospital weighing just 5½ stone.
0:49:51 > 0:49:56Here she is and I'm saying, "Karen, this is crap! Don't you understand?!
0:49:56 > 0:49:59"You're going about this all the wrong way.
0:49:59 > 0:50:04"This guy isn't getting anything accomplished cos you're in the hospital!"
0:50:04 > 0:50:12When you don't know what's wrong with someone you love, usually, your reaction is to become afraid
0:50:12 > 0:50:16and, when we get afraid, we quite often cover it with anger.
0:50:16 > 0:50:21Unfortunately, putting her on the defensive would not have helped.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23It doesn't usually help obsessionals.
0:50:23 > 0:50:28There were rumours that you were suffering from anorexia nervosa.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32No, I was just pooped. I was tired out.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37She was the most truthful person I've ever met about almost everything.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41But she lied like a trooper about the anorexia situation.
0:50:41 > 0:50:47- You went down to about six stone in weight, didn't you?- I have no idea what six stone in weight is!
0:50:47 > 0:50:53- It's very difficult to work out! About 84lb...- No.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55- No?- No.
0:50:55 > 0:51:01The doctors said to be more physical, grab Karen and tell her you love her.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05Maybe, you know, she needs to hear that more.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09And her mother was very hurt by that.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12She loved Karen very deeply
0:51:12 > 0:51:18and it just was very hurtful to hear doctors say, "Show her love."
0:51:21 > 0:51:24By Thanksgiving, she's decided she wants to - of '82 -
0:51:24 > 0:51:27she wants to come home.
0:51:27 > 0:51:34We were just so glad to have her back, but we didn't feel that she was in any way a lot better.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39We really differed with the doctor, I guess, on that point.
0:51:39 > 0:51:45She had marvellous eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49I could see in her eyes that she was not well.
0:51:49 > 0:51:56I reported this to our long-term financial advisor, who is still with me today,
0:51:56 > 0:52:02and it got back to Karen who found out where I was - shopping, one particular evening.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06When I walked out of the department store,
0:52:06 > 0:52:11here's my Jaguar and here's her Jaguar. Oh-oh!
0:52:13 > 0:52:18This is trouble! If she sought out where I am, then there's trouble!
0:52:18 > 0:52:21And, oh, she read me the riot act!
0:52:21 > 0:52:25"I supported you and you should support me!" And so on.
0:52:25 > 0:52:31I said, "Karen, I'd support you through anything if I felt you were doing the right thing,
0:52:31 > 0:52:36"but I can look right into your eyes and tell that you are not well!
0:52:36 > 0:52:41"The only reason that I am raising red flags to the folks
0:52:41 > 0:52:45"is because I believe you are still sick and I love you."
0:52:45 > 0:52:49And am I glad I said that! Within weeks...
0:52:49 > 0:52:52she was dead.
0:53:07 > 0:53:13The last time I saw her, it was actually two days before she died,
0:53:13 > 0:53:15she had come to my office
0:53:15 > 0:53:20to review her divorce agreement...
0:53:20 > 0:53:22from her husband.
0:53:22 > 0:53:27And, er, it had to be revised in a couple of respects
0:53:27 > 0:53:31so we made a date to sign it on Friday which was the day she died.
0:53:32 > 0:53:37Karen Carpenter died today of cardiac arrest. She was just 32-years-old.
0:53:37 > 0:53:44A spokesman for the family said that Miss Carpenter had battled anorexia nervosa for years.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48Anorexics are compulsive dieters, sometimes to the point of starvation.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54No-one actually dies from anorexia nervosa -
0:53:54 > 0:53:59it's complications due to. But it doesn't much matter in my book.
0:53:59 > 0:54:05She wasn't treated properly and that's all there is to it.
0:54:11 > 0:54:16An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death of Karen Carpenter.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20She died in California today at the age of 32 of cardiac arrest.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23A coroner says it could take weeks to find out why she died.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26I don't think we'll ever know what killed Karen.
0:54:26 > 0:54:33I do agree with everything I've read that she didn't want to die. She wanted to stop the way things were
0:54:33 > 0:54:37and I think she desperately wanted time for herself to think about
0:54:37 > 0:54:43what she wanted out of her life. She felt she didn't have what she wanted.
0:54:43 > 0:54:48But I do wish Karen had been here now because we know so much more now.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52It wasn't that she had bad treatment, there wasn't enough knowledge.
0:54:52 > 0:54:59# When I was young I'd listen to the radio
0:54:59 > 0:55:05# Waiting for my favourite song... #
0:55:05 > 0:55:10She was and will always be well loved and well remembered.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13I will always love her voice.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17Her legacy is going to be around for a long, long time.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20# ..Those were such happy times
0:55:20 > 0:55:24# And not so long ago How I wondered... #
0:55:24 > 0:55:32I was picking up a gift this morning at the mall and heard a song that she was recording while we were dating
0:55:32 > 0:55:36and just... I just got goosebumps.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40It's still difficult after all this time.
0:55:40 > 0:55:46# ..Every sha-la-la-la Every woh-oh-oh
0:55:46 > 0:55:49# Still shines... #
0:55:49 > 0:55:52To me, nobody can touch Karen Carpenter's emotion.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56That was from another... that was another place, another time.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00# ..Starting to sing... #
0:56:00 > 0:56:07This is a very sad day and, at the same time, a very special and beautiful day for my family and I.
0:56:07 > 0:56:13My only regret is that Karen is not physically here to share it with us.
0:56:13 > 0:56:19However, I know that she is very much alive in our minds and in our hearts.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23# ..It's yesterday once more... #
0:56:23 > 0:56:26I certainly miss her.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29We all do. The whole world does.
0:56:29 > 0:56:34She's the greatest singer that ever lived and I got to play with her!
0:56:34 > 0:56:36# ..Every sha-la-la-la... #
0:56:36 > 0:56:40There's no stigma about liking them now. There's no stigma
0:56:40 > 0:56:45about saying the Carpenters are fabulous. It's such a shame that Karen's not around to see that.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48# ..Every shing-a-ling a-ling... #
0:56:48 > 0:56:52To me, they are musically so superb,
0:56:52 > 0:56:56they deserve to be a major part of the history of our industry..
0:56:56 > 0:56:58# ..All my best memories... #
0:56:58 > 0:57:05I get chills. I still do. Their music is so beautiful and what I love is that, er,
0:57:05 > 0:57:10Richard is still able to have that success today
0:57:10 > 0:57:14and impart it to his children and enjoy life.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18I just wish that Karen were able to be in that position as well.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21# ..Every sha-la-la-la
0:57:21 > 0:57:24# Every woh-oh-oh
0:57:24 > 0:57:27# Still shines
0:57:30 > 0:57:33# Every shing-a-ling a-ling
0:57:33 > 0:57:40# That they're starting to sing's so fine
0:57:40 > 0:57:44# Every sha-la-la-la
0:57:44 > 0:57:47# Every woh-oh-oh
0:57:47 > 0:57:50# Still shines
0:57:52 > 0:57:55# Every shing-a-ling a-ling
0:57:55 > 0:58:02# That they're starting to sing's so fine... #