Little Girl Blue

The Life of Karen Carpenter

By: Randy L. Schmidt

Narrated by: Cheryl Bentyne

Little Girl Blue is an intimate profile of Karen Carpenter, a girl from a modest Connecticut upbringing who became a Southern California superstar.

Karen was the instantly recognizable lead singer of the Carpenters. The top-selling American musical act of the 1970's, they delivered the love songs that defined a generation. Little Girl Blue reveals Karen's heartbreaking struggles with her mother, brother, and husband; the intimate disclosures she made to her closest friends; her love for playing drums and her frustrated quest for solo stardom; and the ups and downs of her treatment for anorexia nervosa. After her shocking death at 32 years of age in 1983, she became the proverbial poster child for that disorder; but the other causes of her decline are laid bare for the first time in this moving account.

Little Girl Blue is Karen Carpenter's definitive biography, based on exclusive interviews with her innermost circle of girlfriends and nearly 100 others, including childhood friends, professional associates, and lovers.

©2010 Randy L. Schmidt (P)2013 Randy L. Schmidt

Revealing

Very good read. Revealed many aspects of Karen’s life and career that I did not know. Worth reading.

Interesting to learn about family and friends behind the Carpenters sad story.

It was wonderful to learn about their dedication to music and all they gave to us in a short time. It was just so sad to learn of Karens deterioration over many years. Why couldn’t they address it sooner!

I love karen

very informative. easy to follow and insightful on the life and loss of the amazing star: karen carpenter

Tragic story

Well-presented story of the woman with the greatest pop voice of all time. This will make you understand the sorrow in her voice.

Say Goodbye to Love

Say “Good Bye to Love” is the reason why Karen left us a 32 years old…a voice for the ages. The lyrics say it all in the second verse especially:

“So I've made my mind up I must live my life alone
And though it's not the easy way, I guess I've always known
I'd say goodbye to love
There are no tomorrows for this heart of mine
Surely time will lose these bitter memories
And I'll find that there is someone to believe in
And to live for something I could live for”

Her who life was rooted in not being loved or excepted by who and what matters most; her family. She longed for being loved and never got it. Her fans loved her,but than didn’t matter. Her friends adored, but that didn’t do it either. She longed for being just once to not be second fiddle. In her mind, love would never be given in the way she wanted it. She had no control over it; ever!

But, what she could control was her weight. A 5’4” overweight little girl, then a Tom Boy who played drums for her brother’s band and then sang as well. One of the guys was enough for her. To be accepted for her talent was what kept her going until it didn’t. Always under the magnifying glass to do this or that the way everyone wanted. Sheltered by her fame and eventual popularity and ultimate fortune. That was not enough.

But, her weight was too much. Reminded as a young girl by an oppressive overbearing mother did her in.?it never stopped. She was never enough for anyone and most importantly not even herself. So, the only thing left to control was her weight. Wanting it to never be an issue. She obsessed on it every second of every day. Compulsive to lose it and then eventually to control it in anyway possible. Until, it was also uncontrollable. She couldn’t stop, until her body gave up.

A talent gone too soon, why?? Because she could never find what she was looking for all of her life. So, she said goodbye to love and had no more tomorrows.