@pendell talking about Wizard of Oz and the ethereal and eternal appeal of Judy Garland reminded me of someone else like her, another young woman chewed up by stardom, and that's Karen Carpenter. I don't remember all the details but she had a miserable time as a pop star, being ordered around by her mom and her brother, she developed eating disorders, and died young. But what a voice! She elevates the sappy material by the sheer power of her voice. She's perfect for "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" because she totally sells it—you can believe that she's really trying her absolute hardest to project her words out into the Cosmos.
And an unpleasant thought comes to mind: we can believe it, because they were suffering. It's one thing to summon up a hopeful tone of voice when you're feeling joyful or contented. It's quite another to make yourself sound hopeful even when you're frayed to the point of snapping. There's a sort of evil magic, I think, in coercing a desperate person into summoning up the energy to give hope to the people with a stunning performance. They're burning themselves up to do it, and I think we feel that. We sense that we're watching something out of the ordinary, as if a phoenix had suddenly blazed up, lending their fire to the artist's performance.
It sells. You have to admit that. It sure does sell.
~Chara of Pnictogen