Last night we went to Ipswich and watched ‘The Carpenters Story’. We heard Richard and Karen Carpenter’s rise to fame, and we enjoyed remembering many of the songs that made them famous in the 1970s. I learnt that ‘I need to be in love’ was Karen’s favourite:
The hardest thing I’ve ever done
Is keep believing
There’s someone in this crazy world for me
The way that people come and go
Through temporary lives
My chance could come and I might never know
I used to say, no promises
Let’s keep it simple
But freedom only helps you say goodbye
It took a while for me to learn
That nothin’ comes for free
The price I’ve paid is high enough for me
I know I need to be in love
I know I’ve wasted too much time
I know I ask perfection of a quite imperfect world
And fool enough to think that’s what I’ll find
Last night I remembered ‘Close to You’, ‘Top of the World’ and ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ – optimistic, easy-going songs. ‘I Need to be in Love’ is more reflective, perhaps more honest. It’s about looking for love that seems out of reach, discovering that freedom’s not free and seeking perfection in life’s imperfections.
Much has been written about the toll that fame and success had her Karen Carpenter’s mental and physical health, her self-esteem and body image issues, that led to anorexia and eventually her tragic and untimely death at the age of 32 in 1983. This song seems to capture something of her struggles in a way that we, her audience, can identify with.
So here I am with pockets full of good intentions
But none of them will comfort me tonight
I’m wide awake at 4am
Without a friend in sight
Hanging on a hope, but I’m alright
Life doesn’t always turn out as we hope or expect it to, and so, with Karen Carpenter, we reflect on the things that are important… which for me is grounded in my Christian faith
I know I need to be in love… Love continues to be central, foundational, vital for… Love given freely and generously… Love received humbly, gratefully love… Love shared with family and friends… Loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength… Loving my neighbour, loving my enemy?
I know I’ve wasted too much time… I have the honesty to acknowledge that my life has been and is imperfect, that I haven’t made the most of all of the opportunities I’ve had… I take responsibility for my mistakes and failures
I know I ask perfection of a quite imperfect world… I cling on to the idealism that wants the best for me and those around me, that retains high expectations and expects the best. It’s about optimism, hopes and dreams that we aim at, work towards and don’t lose sight of.
And fool enough to think that’s what I’ll find… I return to my faith that brings certain hope and involves the love that Karen Carpenter was looking for.
St Paul says: ‘Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.’
malcolmsmusings.org 