The Carpenters - Awesome Love Songs to Make You Sad, Lonely and Depressed

Music Wed - I will confess that I dig The Carpenters. Yes, I know they are the height of "easy listening" to the point they are almost elevator music without the Muzak touch. Be that as it may, I like them and their sweet, sad songs. Yes, their songs are profoundly sad. They have a reputation as singers of love songs, but if you listen closely, you will note that they actually sing songs for the deeply depressed, the maudlin and morose, the lonely and obsessed. Consider some of their biggest hits - "Rainy Days and Mondays"; "Solitaire"; "I Need To Be In Love"; "Close to You". A huge hit was about domestic abuse - "Hurting Each Other" (http://youtu.be/sqkVNHwJfKc) while another mega-hit featured an obsessive, perhaps even dangerous, stalker - "Superstar" (http://youtu.be/u4VlpT52f0o). Really creepy stuff. Even their biggest hit, "We've Only Just Begun" (http://youtu.be/beFIpOs_qJ0) seems happy, but the whole tone and melody shifts signal bad times to come for this young couple. To prove my point, check out near the end of the song as they move to the final verse when they alter the  tempo and change to a minor key, I always expect Karen to sing "And when the evening comes, we sigh" not "smile" (which is the actual lyric), because the whole musical shift seems to indicate that something bad is coming. So, check out The Carpenters because Karen has a truly gifted, special voice, and her brother Richard is a brilliant musician and producer - but just don't put them on if you are feeling bummed or on a downer, because their so-called love songs have a darker, gloomier side that will drag you deeper into your sadness. Enjoy!