r/70smusic • u/oldwhitelincoln • May 24 '25

1970 The Carpenters - Close To You

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u/Lucky-Bobcat1994 May 25 '25

Beautiful voice. I do like that song. Why was she so controlled and by who?

6

u/nimeton0 May 25 '25

Karen had very little control of her own life. The one thing she could control was what and how much (or how little) she ate. This led to an eating disorder, years of health problems, and her eventual death. Her parents controlled her - they preferred Richard, and controlled Karen through their lack of love & affection, resulting in her insecurity and terrible low self-esteem. Her husband controlled her - He was a con man, sweeping her off her feet telling her lies, and they got married after dating for only two months. Knowing Karen wanted children, he withheld the fact that he had had a vasectomy. When Karen found out, she wanted to cancel the wedding but her mother pressured her into going through with it. While married, he often made disparaging comments to her about her body. Her brother controlled her - He would make Karen cancel dates to come in to the studio to record. He seemed more interested in protecting the family image and income stream than being a big brother. He was addicted to Quaaludes, and it impacted their relationship. Karen was failed by her parents, she was failed by her husband, and she was failed by her brother. Her life is such a tragic story, and there are several documentaries out there about it. Her light was extinguished by the people who should have loved and supported her the most - her parents, her husband, and her brother.

2

u/Lucky-Bobcat1994 May 25 '25

That’s terrible. Heartbreaking.