Little Girl Blue (44 page)

“Tom made fun of Schuller during the ceremony,” recalls Walt Harrah, who sang in Bähler's chorus. He and others were unnerved by the groom's behavior. Speaking out in his distinctive, commanding voice, Reverend Schuller asked Burris, “Do you take this woman?” In response, the groom proceeded to mimic the pastor. “When he said, ‘I do,' he just
mocked
him, and the whole place laughed,” Harrah says. “It was really bizarre.”

Evelyn Wallace felt Tom was not taking the vows seriously. “He probably knew exactly what was going to happen once he got Karen. All he was in for was the money. He wasn't thinking of her; he was thinking of her money. That's all.”

In contrast, Karen delivered her vows in a very solemn and serious manner—almost stern. “So help us God,” she repeated, giving a long, firm glare and nod to her groom. “Amen.”

Following the ceremony, guests sipped cocktails as they mingled in the Maisonette Room, while Karen and Tom met with the media for a press conference in the Persian Room. Richard was also present and photographed in somewhat of an awkward trio with the newlyweds. According to one reporter, he looked “more like a father giving away his daughter.”

The Crystal Ballroom was transformed into a giant banquet hall and the site of the $25,000 wedding luncheon, which began around 3:00
P.M.
“The big attraction was Olivia Newton-John,” recalls Frank Bonito. “That was not long after the time when
Grease
was big, so there was lots of discussion about where Livvy would sit. We all told Karen, ‘Oh, Olivia can sit at
our
table!'” At one point during the reception a security officer approached Bonito as he snapped photos with his camera. “Kindly stop taking pictures of Miss Newton-John,” he cautioned when Frank was unable to produce press credentials.

“I am a guest of the bride, and she asked me to take them for her,” he fibbed.

The elegant banquet tables were decorated with lavender tablecloths and arrangements of purple orchids, Alba lilies, and African violets. The menu included Karen's favorite, shrimp salad, and a main course of chicken chasseur with broccoli polonaise, rice pilaf, strawberries
Romanoff, and Parducci Chablis wine. Karen and Tom cut the five-tiered chocolate and mocha cream wedding cake, adorned with traditional bride and groom figures on top, and Mike Curb proposed the first toast to the couple. “Excuse me, waiter!” Jerry Weintraub called out to Phil Ramone periodically throughout the meal, poking fun at his tuxedo predicament. Providing the live dance music was the Michael Paige Big Band, inviting the newlyweds to lead the first dance, which was of course to “We've Only Just Begun.”

F
OLLOWING A
brief stop in Baja California, the honeymooners flew to the Tahitian island of Bora Bora, where they planned to spend ten days on what promised to be “the most romantic island in the world.” Known for its white sand, dazzling turquoise waters, and unique overwater bungalows, Bora Bora had all the ingredients for the perfect romantic getaway for two. But instead of two, these travelers numbered four. Considering that Karen Carpenter's marriage to Tom Burris was essentially over before it began, it is understandable that she might not have had any qualms inviting her husband's brother Rick and his wife to join them on their honeymoon. She had extended the same bizarre invitation to her aunt Bernice and other family members as well, but all declined.

Arriving on Bora Bora, a location chosen by Tom, Karen immediately began to complain about the setting, which she likened to a forsaken, deserted island. She called it Boring, Boring and blamed her loathing on having grown accustomed to hotels with room service and twenty-four-hour concierge service while on tour. True, there were no phones, radios, or televisions in the resort guest rooms, but when Karen rescheduled their return flights and ended the honeymoon early, it had little to do with her dislike for the accommodations. She wanted to get back home to Los Angeles as fast as she could.

Karen and Tom made their home at 61 Linda Isle in Newport Beach, just across the Lido Channel from another of their residences at 117 Via Yella. In addition to Karen's Century Towers condo, the couple also kept a large house in Bel Air and even one in Mexico—a vacation getaway situated in the gated celebrity enclave El Pedregal, the first residential community in Cabo San Lucas. “Karen bought their house in Newport Beach, and she was paying for
all
of these homes,” Itchie Ramone recalls. “All the antennas were starting to go up between Frenda, Livvy, Carole, and myself. We knew what was going on.”

For a period of time Karen played the part of the happy newlywed, at least to anyone she thought she could fool. “
I love it
,” she said of her marriage during a phone interview broadcast to Japanese radio audiences. “I'm having a wonderful time. I'm very, very happy.”

The couple's time in Newport Beach was short lived. Karen preferred to stay at their two-and-a-half-acre rented estate in Bel Air, where Frenda Leffler was close by. From the time Karen moved to Century City she had established a small circle of friends and acquaintances. “She made friends in Century City,” Frenda explains, “but she still had never really been on her own. This was Bel Air now, and she was a married lady and on her own.”

“N
OBODY
'
S BEING
stolen,” Karen assured the press during a public appearance in the fall of 1980. Richard and Tom did their best to uphold smiles for the cameras but were ill at ease. Work on the Carpenters' next album had ceased with the couple's engagement and wedding plans, but Richard had stayed busy making preparations for Karen's return to the recording studio. Jerry Moss suggested that the duo stick with their tried-and-true Carpenters formula, which they had abandoned in some ways for the mishmash selections on 1977's
Passage
album.

Perhaps in an attempt to recapture the 1973 success of Joe Raposo's “Sing,” the Carpenters told Paul Williams they wished to record his and Kenny Ascher's “The Rainbow Connection” from the highly successful 1979 film
The Muppet Movie
. “I saw Karen after I won the Oscar for
A Star is Born
,” Williams says. “She was really sweet about that
and also said that ‘Evergreen' was a great song. Then the same thing happened with
The Muppet Movie
. They loved the songs from that movie and wanted to record ‘Rainbow Connection.'” But Richard was bothered by the syllabification of the song, notably the opening phrases written for Muppet character Kermit the Frog to sing. “Richard wanted me to change some of it,” Williams recalls, “but this song was nominated for an Academy Award! The song is written in Kermit's speaking rhythm, and I wouldn't change it. It was written for Kermit; it should be recorded the way that Kermit recorded it.”

Although the Carpenters went on to record “The Rainbow Connection,” they took artistic license and altered the rhythm and melody to suit their wishes. Even so, Karen was displeased with the outcome, and her work lead was filed away with the album's other outtakes. It was not until 1999 that Richard completed the recording, which ultimately saw release on the
As Time Goes By
collection. “I really wanted them to do ‘Rainbow Connection,'” Williams says, “but I didn't like the changes they made in it. Still, it's always a treasure to hear her sing my words.”

A surprise call came in November 1980 from legendary guitarist Les Paul. He wanted to meet Karen and Richard, who were busy working in A&M's studio D. Like Lester William Polsfuss, his given name, Evelyn Wallace grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin. “He was a neighbor of ours when I was a kid,” she says. “He went to the same school as we did and lived just down the street.” Wallace phoned Richard at A&M and explained Les Paul would like to sit in on a Carpenters recording session. Karen and Richard had often cited Les Paul and Mary Ford among their earliest musical inspirations, making this meeting especially meaningful. They discussed with him their recording techniques and the evolution of the overdubbing process, which Les Paul essentially pioneered.

A few months later on January 20, 1981, Karen arrived at A&M Studios wearing a new patriotic-themed running suit with large block letters across the chest:
MADE IN AMERICA
. Although the Carpenters had Republican ties, neither was known to be political. But this was Inauguration Day, and Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the fortieth
president of the United States. Richard noticed the suit and immediately said, “Well, there it is!” He felt “Made in America” was a perfect name for the duo's forthcoming album. Karen agreed.

Released June 16, 1981,
Made in America
was the Carpenters' first traditional studio album in nearly four years. Although the inner photograph showed Karen looking comfortable and seemingly fit, it had been heavily retouched by A&M's art department. The original, untouched photo reveals her bloodshot eyes and drawn appearance. In just the few short months between that John Engstead photo session and the album's release, Karen had lost even more weight.

The standout track on
Made in America
was “Touch Me When We're Dancing,” the obvious choice for debut single. When the demo for “Touch Me” arrived from Welk Publishing, Karen and Richard needed only one listen to know it was the right song to launch their return to Top 40 radio. And it did. The debut single was released a week prior to the album's release and soon peaked at #16. “Touch Me” had all the ingredients of a 1971 Carpenters hit packaged neatly in a 1981 production. “
When all the ingredients gelled
, the result was irresistible,” wrote John Tobler in a review. “That's what we have here, a perfect Carpenters confection, reminiscent of the classic days of the early Seventies.”

“(Want You) Back in My Life Again” was one of the most 1980s-influenced recordings in the Carpenters catalog. Incidentally, the synthesizers were manned by two well-known artists in their own right—Daryl Dragon, the “Captain” of Captain and Tennille, and Ian Underwood of the Mothers of Invention. With its strong, melodic, singable hook, “Back in My Life Again” seemed a wise choice for the second single, but it did not fare as well as “Touch Me.” Reminiscent of “Top of the World” was “Those Good Old Dreams,” a country-tinged collaboration by Richard and John Bettis released as the album's third single. “When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)” was another tune with a country ballad feel, sounding a bit like “Two Sides” from
Passage
. Randy Handley's poetic lyric tells of an aching, unrequited love. Judging from the effectiveness of Karen's interpretation, it sounds as if she penned it herself.

Where's the word for the sadness

Where's the poetry in the pain

Where's the color in the stain where the tears have fallen

It's gone, it's just gone

Karen still loved oldies, and somehow an “oldie-but-goodie” seemed to find its way onto every Carpenters album after 1973's
Now and Then
medley.
Horizon
had “Please Mr. Postman.”
A Kind of Hush
opened with the title track and closed with Sedaka's “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.” Then “Man Smart, Woman Smarter” from
Passage
reached all the way back to a 1956 Harry Belafonte album, and Karen even cut a work lead of “Jimmy Mack” by Martha and the Vandellas during her 1979 solo sessions. “Richard and I always talked about bringing back songs,” says Mike Curb, who was treated to a preview of the Carpenters' next oldie. “I've gotta play a song for you,” Karen told him. “You'll get a kick of out it. It is really fun! It'll bring back memories.” After playing the recording of “Beechwood 4-5789” down the phone line she asked, “So, what do you think of this as a single?”

Curb was encouraging and unable to bring himself to tell her it lacked Top 40 potential. “That was the last song she played for me,” he says. Whereas “Postman” was a case of the right song at the right time, “There's a Kind of Hush” was overkill, and remaking the Marvelettes' “Beechwood 4-5789” was a waste. A promotional video for “Beechwood,” shot on A&M's Chaplin Stage, further relegated the song to the most syrupy sweet category of bubblegum pop. Karen looked ill at ease—to say the least—as a thirty-one-year old woman sporting a poodle skirt and swaying her way around a faux malt shop. “Beechwood” was released on Karen's birthday, March 2, 1982, and became the Carpenters' lowest-charting single at #74 and their final appearance on the U.S. singles chart during Karen's lifetime.

From listening to demos and writing new material through to the mastering process,
Made in America
took over a year to create, twice as long as the average Carpenters record. Considering the wealth of quality leftovers and outtakes from their 1980–1981 sessions, namely “The Uninvited Guest” and “Kiss Me the Way You Did Last Night,” both of
which saw posthumous release,
Made in America
could have fared much stronger. In his review for
Billboard
, Paul Grein explains: “
Innocuous ditties like
‘Postman' and ‘Beechwood' don't begin to tap the depths of Karen's voice. She needs a meaningful lyric to really show her stuff.”