"We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters

Born on this day in 1950, Karen Carpenter's sweet voice - which I've always found a curious blend of haunting and soothing - made The Carpenters into superstars of 1970s radio; similarly, her gentleness is often on display in television appearances, such as this hippy-riffic performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1970, which also demonstrates her abilities as a drummer.

Carpenter's February 1983 death while recovering from anorexia nervosa was one of the first such celebrity deaths to have an impact on me; because I'd grown up listening to her, not to mention the fact that I used to be an even more melodramatic whoopsie than I am even now, I had a little bit of a breakdown when I heard the news, and got to miss school that day as a result.
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