While it isn't too difficult to locate Carly Henley's YouTube channel or the impressive CD of her music served up by her family after her death, there are many other treasures of Carly's life still accessible on the web.
This corner worries a bit for the day when some of those healthy doses of Carly just disappear from the online record without a trace. Consider the following entries from Carly's MySpace blog:
When still a High School senior Carly wrote the following:
So I finally put some of my original songs on here.
The Skin You're In: I did this one in a studio called "Soul Sound & Audio Productions" down in Edmunds (you rock DAVE), so this one is awesome (quality wise hah). But yeah, it was my Christmas present from my dad to have one of my songs professionally produced, and I picked this one. :) I also sang this at the Highline Idol at my school. You don't care though, okay great. But this one is obviously about loving the skin you're in and being happy with yourself, cause truthfully, everyone is beautiful JUST the way they are.
Wrapped Up In Your Arms: Recorded in the wonderful studio that is Jesse Mac's. He's awesome. This one is my fantasy of how it's going to be to have someone to 'wrap up into' hah.
Free From You: Also recorded in Jesse's in home studio hah. This one is really terrible and I'm trying to convince him to let me come over and fix it, but until then...yuck. BUT, this one is about, obviously, being free from someone you've had a hard time letting go of.
The Way Things Are: My little happy song :). I actually recorded this one on garageband.. you probably can tell. But yes, all by myself! Whooo, go me. But this is about one time I was ACTUALLY sitting outside by myself and I just realized how beautiful the world really is, and sometimes we get so caught up in our little problems that we don't notice the magnificent thing that we are living right in the midst of!
This Is Me: This song is about the first time I took allll my makeup off in a really long time (cause like the intro said, I just didn't like seeing myself without it on) but I started crying when I saw the real me, what was underneath it all. It wasn't a sad cry, but a happy "i'm free" cry. It was an amazing experience. But yeah, it's about how me without makeup is who I am and I'm perfectly okay with it.
Anyways, that's a little update! I love you all so so much. :)
Those are precious, first-person intros to some of the songs Carly sang and recorded, a trio of which are found on her CD "Love the Skin You're In". What yet-to-be-18yo girl has the presence of mind to sit outside and take a deep, admiring breath of the world around her before writing a song about it. Listen carefully to the lyrics of "The Way Things Are" next time you play Carly's CD, even though the song is served up by another artist. I also very much appreciate that Carly's father was so thoughtful in giving her the gift that was to have one of her songs professionally produced. Looking BACK, it was a priceless idea that inspired Carly to truly leave her own mark on the world, one which will live on long after her passing.
At about age 18 1/2 and then in her first year of university, Carly added the following:
Hello fans! (aka mom and dad hah)
Alright as you can probably see, I took off a few songs. I guess I realised how unready they were for the public ear to hear! But I balanced that out by putting up a new one I recorded in Dave Thomson's studio ("She's Beautiful"), so it's got that professional, good quality I'm comfortable with posting hah. Anyway, let me know what you think. But I'll keep cranking these songs out of the studio, that is until all my money runs out hah. Peace and love to you all and thank you so much to whoever takes the time to read these sorts of things and listen to my music. You are my inspiration. Rock on myspace.
Infinite love,
Carly
I truly love how humble she was in the little reference to her mom and dad being her only fans. Indeed you can perceive Carly's hesitation about the quality of the music she was sharing with the world back then. Some of her uncertainty about her life, and even about her music seemed the element which caused her to be approachable to the world despite her impressive appearance. You can get a grand, spoken dose of Carly's authenticity when watching the 'intro' to her YouTube cover of "Hey, Soul Sister".
When you hear her speak and perform on that video you don't seem to notice so much that this was somebody whose knockout beauty would have seen her thrive more often than not without developing that sparkling and enviable persona. I wish it were possible to help her parents understand that Carly seemed 'special' beyond the 99th percentile for reasons that the environment they created for her was central in bringing about. I feel so let-down by the ways of the human mind in my perception that her parents, for being so devastated by the end of Carly's life, won't be able to conjure up for themselves the appropriate credit connected with how Carly really touched people.
By remarkable coincidence I tuned-up for this entry by first perusing the Twitter offerings of a family member born roughly 14 months after Carly Henley came into this world. Then, this evening, I went back and sifted through many of Carly's tweets, each still preciously preserved here.
In maintaining this blog as suitable for all audiences I shan't present the tweets of my family member for contrast, but Carly Henley so often touched the world with efforts such as the following:
*All you need to do is really know who you are and not let anyone or anything else make you question that. (her last public tweet of Sept. 9, 2010)
*STILL beaming from all the love and support from last night's show...I have the greatest people in my life! <3 (July 11, 2010)
*Ahhh isn't life so good? Thank you God for it all! (July 5, 2010)
*I left without a coat and got POURED on...I should know better by now hah thank you Seattle
*I sang at an Open Mic last night on a whim...completely unprepared and in my sweatpants. Good decision? Probably not. A lot of fun? OH yeah
*Living things are always growing... It's good to be alive!
*Everyday is such a miracle..
*The sky never ceases to amaze me...I'm in love!
*The more you find good in another, the more you'll find good in yourself. No matter who that "other" is.
*What a perfect day. I'm so happy to be alive!
*There's nothing like falling asleep to the sound of rain. Life sure is sweet.
*It's hard when you know you HAVE to study but all you want to do is play guitar...
*You're never fully dressed without a smiiiiile! :)
*Today was one of the most beautiful winter days I can ever remember. I love Seattle!
*I wrote a song yesterday about making mistakes and how it's completely okay, inspired by the fact that I am waaay too hard on myself.
*When you fall you've just got to dust yourself off and get back up! Don't let anything bring you down!
*I really want to make a difference in the world.
*Ahhhh inspiration just came to me to write a song but I have a midterm tomorrow! Bad timing! ah well, music comes first! hah
*Why had i never watched hannah montana? I LOVE it.
*This is the greatest feeling in the world. Realizing you're doing exactly what you want to with life, following your dream.
I guess it bears repetition that those certainly do not seem like the sentiments of somebody who would land anywhere near to taking her own life (at least without significant inspiration from a powerful anti-depressant). Let me add, also, that some of my inspiration for duplicating Carly's tweets here is so they weren't suddenly lost to those who may in the future want to learn more about the gentle soul that was Carly Henley.
While passing through Carly's Twitter account there I happened across this video of her... well... standing still in an aisle at a grocery store along with classmates, for a school project. Leave it to this blog to be sure you get every sense of Carly you can get without having been fortunate enough to meet her.
Lastly, not long ago I encountered the story of an average young citizen of a far-away country who has been challenged by, and struggling against health concerns. Though I can't know for sure, it seems almost that her morale is an even greater challenge than is her physical health. I got the sense that the teenage girl might be helped by some of the depth and sincerity in Carly's musical lyrics so I offered her the link to Carly's CD. The young woman's next written online report suggested that she was listening to Carly's music from 5000 miles away!
Carly Henley was someone I'd never even heard of before she took her own life at the age of 20 while a talented, popular and attractive junior at university. She seemed the person nobody would ever guess for such a fate. The media doesn't generally cover suicide but Carly Henley could inspire so much caring and understanding and it has to start somewhere... I attempt to present this blog without hurting or offending Carly Henley's family or anyone else but suicide is a delicate subject.
I learned of the death of college student Carly Henley two days after her passing, on October 6, 2010. In the days soon to follow it became clear that scores and scores of people were wounded to the core by the loss. Wonderful evidence around the internet serves to almost suspend Carly Henley's personable allure, her impressive musical talent, and a short life the likes of which most anybody could envy.
Various reports tell of her short term struggle with depression of perhaps three months in duration. Significant in that was the introduction of anti-depressant drug Zoloft via prescription some two weeks before Carly took her own life.
Not lost on me now, finally, is the wording in the "Black Box Warning" with Zoloft, which states that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in persons younger than 25. Risk is especially heightened during the first two months of taking anti-depressants.
The labels on anti-depressant drugs in the U.S. were altered to reference young adults aged 18 to 24 just three years earlier - in 2007.
It is my belief, now, that Carly just happened to land among the small percentage of anti-depressant users who are susceptible to being so affected by a powerful drug such as Zoloft.
One need not ever have known such a remarkable woman to feel the pain all around at the loss of Carly Henley.
So many life lessons are so well represented by Carly Henley's compelling spirit. Let me see if I can help some to gain fuller appreciation for a woman who continues to inspire everyone who ever knew of her.
Various reports tell of her short term struggle with depression of perhaps three months in duration. Significant in that was the introduction of anti-depressant drug Zoloft via prescription some two weeks before Carly took her own life.
Not lost on me now, finally, is the wording in the "Black Box Warning" with Zoloft, which states that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in persons younger than 25. Risk is especially heightened during the first two months of taking anti-depressants.
The labels on anti-depressant drugs in the U.S. were altered to reference young adults aged 18 to 24 just three years earlier - in 2007.
It is my belief, now, that Carly just happened to land among the small percentage of anti-depressant users who are susceptible to being so affected by a powerful drug such as Zoloft.
One need not ever have known such a remarkable woman to feel the pain all around at the loss of Carly Henley.
So many life lessons are so well represented by Carly Henley's compelling spirit. Let me see if I can help some to gain fuller appreciation for a woman who continues to inspire everyone who ever knew of her.
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