Susan Boyle became an overnight international star after her unexpected performance on Britain’s Got Talent last weekend. She sang ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Miserables and virtually stopped the show. Since then, the internet has been buzzing with praise for her talent and viewing of her YouTube video. There’s also been some discussion of whether the buzz is because of her talent or Simon Cowell’s marketing hype. Read about it below and see photos and the video and lyrics of her singing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’.
Susan Boyle
If you haven’t heard of Susan Boyle, you haven’t been on the internet this week. She is the 47-year-old woman from a Scottish village who wowed the world last weekend on Britain’s Got Talent with her rendition of Les Miserables, I Dreamed a Dream. Prior to singing, she walked on stage confidently, with un-styled and unruly hair, frumpy dress and overall dowdy appearance. The crowd snickered and rolled their eyes, undoubtedly expecting her to be one of the pathetically untalented contestants that are a staple of both Britain’s Got Talent and the American version of the show, American Idol.
As soon as Susan Boyle started singing, electricity went through the crowd, they were on their feet, eyes were filled with tears and the applause was deafening. The three judges, Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell, enthusiastically passed her on to the next stage of the show with glowing assessments of her performance.
And then Susan Boyle became a star. Just like that. Literally overnight. She’s booked on talk shows in Britain and the United States. Her YouTube videos have received millions of hits and everyone on twitter is all atwitter over her.
There has been some discussion about whether Boyle is really as talented as the sensation she has created claims, or if this is another one of Cowell’s brilliant marketing moves that has made him a gazillionaire through his talent shows. Is she that good, or is it hype. Does she have the voice of an angel, or is it because her talented voice comes from such an unexpected appearance.
Britain’s Got Talent judge, Susan Boyle, gave a bit of a hint, probably unintentionally, when she declared she wouldn’t let Simon Cowell give Boyle a ‘Hollywood-style overhaul’ because that would ruin the whole thing.
‘I won’t let Simon Cowell take her to his dentist and I certainly won’t let her near his hairdresser,’ she said.
‘She needs to stay exactly as she is because that’s the reason we love her. She just looks like anybody who could live on your street.
‘The minute we turn her into a glamourpuss is when it’s spoilt.
‘That can perhaps come later when she has signed the album deal and conquered America.
‘For now we’ll keep her exactly as she is because that’s why we’ve all fallen in love with her,’ she told the Mirror.
‘I think it’s the underdog thing.’
Hey don’t hate me for mentioning it. I’m just reporting some of the discussion and asking the question. Is she amazingly talented or does she have a nice voice that people love because she’s such an underdog-type figure? Do they feel guilty for judging her on her appearance and therefore are going overboard praising her talent?
And about the girl the camera focused on, rolling her eyes in the audience when Boyle walked out on stage. People have been saying what a jerk she was and how awful she must feel now that Boyle is such a superstar. Come on, that was the point and that girl wasn’t the only one rolling her eyes. The whole crowd was snickering. The judges were raising their eyebrows and looking smug. Don’t judge the girl unless you can honestly say you didn’t have a similar reaction and weren’t expecting Boyle to be one of the many attention seeking losers that embarrass themselves on that show regularly. Admit it, its the train wrecks that keep people watching Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol.
So what do you think? Talent or hype?
Susan Boyle – Photos
Susan Boyle – I Dreamed a Dream – Video
There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame
He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
Its a bit of both really. There will be fans and the ones who earlier poopooed over her video will get over her quickly unless there are new compelling videos to showcase her talent. I think the first video was a lightning in a bottle and would dissipate as quickly as it came . But the Youtube exposure will ensure her of fortune.
this woman is awesome, I’ve have never seen Les miserables but to listen to her sing was mesmerising
Does it matter?
That was a brilliant performance and she proved herself to the world.
I think, in her eyes, it really isn’t a matter of fame and money. And whatever may happen, she can look back at that performance and recall one of the finest moments of her life – that is something worth more that the exploi… ahem, commercialization of her talent by show business.
Although I knew of Elaine Page, and Patti LuPone has been mentioned in connection with Susan Boyle this week, I went and checked out both of their performances of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ on You Tube. I come from a musical family, some of whom sing opera, and in my opinion Susan Boyle’s rendition far outshines the others.
I have heard Patti LuPone, Ruthy Henshall, even Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ (all on YouTube) and I think that Susan Boyle outshines them all. Pity we had to have silly comments from Ant and Dec during her performance, but that’s all part of the dumbing down of British TV.
If you think Susan Boyle has been hyped up, listen to her singing ‘Cry Me a River’ from her only CD ten years ago. (On YouTube)
I can’t wait for her first album.
I think it is both, but mostly talent. She is talented, no doubt. Not everyone can sing as good as she can. The proof is, just listen to her sing without watching the vid. It still makes the hair on my neck stand
the fact that the voice comes from such a person makes it all the more amazing. we come from a society that generally values appearances over talent. and she basically showed us what we have been missing out by being so shallow..
so, i reckon it is a bit of both. the fact that she isn’t attractive makes her seem even more amazing!!
I can’t get enough of listening to this womwn sing. Can’t wail for a cd I also listened to her sing “Cry Me A River. I couldn’t believe it. I want to know more about her and will be following her.
this woman is incredible and to think people laughed at her and ended up fooling everyone,im proud of her she sang deep from the heart and at least she got the guts to get up in front of the whole world and gave it her all,you go girl
she sang it for her late mother too.
Sure the producers milked the event. That is their job. But agree with previous posters, compared to the Elaine Page recordings, it was a superior performance.
But the combination of pathos, the song and her underdog persona, is what it is.
So tired of kiddie murders, crooked pols, reckless bankers, cynical web journalists, ad nauseum… She undeniably gave us all one feeling moment. She deserves fame.
god gives you big talent, but forgot our country. susan wish you all the best. my english is not enough good to praise you more. arslan from mongolia, ulaanbaatar
Les Miz has been my favorite musical for many years. I’ve seen the Broadway version of the show probably a dozen times, and I’ve listened to various versions of “I Dreamed a Dream” hundreds of times. Susan did a great job. I don’t think she was amazingly better than anyone else, though. Her appeal is that people judged her by her looks and expected a less than stellar performance, and she showed them wrong as soon as she started singing. She did a great job, but I wouldn’t buy her CD.
I love her performance, but I notice when comparing her singing and then I see you have it here also.
She left out a whole verse when singing the song.
He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
Does anyone know if it was somehow cut out or is this song sometimes sang without this verse. I just wish I could hear her sing the whole song.
My guess is that she left out a verse because there are time constraints for the contestants. On “American Idol” the contestants sing shortened versions of songs all the time.
I pray that the world would stop judging people by it’s cover. She is fantastic, what God given talent. I am looking forward to see more of her and her CD. Thank you Susan Boyle, what a blessing you will be to all people.
She’s just like me….no bra! Nipples showing (not good!), fat ass….love her!!!
PS….I just listened to Patti Lupone singing the same song and there is no comparison whatsoever.
Susan is the real deal–no hype. Just let her shine on….a real jewel. Thank God we found her!
I was truly amazed at her voice. BEAUTIFUL.I cried.because her singing is so touching-it’s like something you have never heard before-it touches your soul. I pray that she goes on and become someone great-which she already is. Susan you have so many people behind you. You’re like an angel sent to wake us up.
This woman is incredible, i heard it for the first time yesterday and since have watched it well over 20 times and everytime i get either goosebumps or teary eyed.
Of course you wouldn’t think Simon would miss out on his opportunity do yaa?
And it’s not Susan’s fault other people are gonna try and make money out of her which makes me made, all she wanted to do was sing in front of a large crowd and she’s done that
Well that was long, but i will definitley be following Susan!!!!
Susan Boyle’s voice is simply incredible.
I do hope the fame doesn’t go to her head; there are rumors she is considering plastic surgery! Part of her charm is her natural beauty. . .
susan boyle got discovered by the world for her amazing voice
but the great comedian genius poopeetr is yet to be discovered by the world
i am one of the people impressed by the great comedian power of poopeetr
honestly you have to see it to believe it, this poopeetr guy is pure genius
warning: his jokes are crude and tasteless, so it will be offensive to conservatives people, but young people may accept it better
i wonder when will poopeetr be recognized by the world
After reading the lyrics you have printed i understood that these lyrics could be why Susan chose to sing this incredible song for us….it seems she has experiened this type of life and dreams to make her wishes a reality. Good luck to a wonderful lady.
Susan Boyle sang with her soul to feed a malnourished world and show real beauty to a plastic-surgery face. I saw Les Miserables in New York city, but was never affected by the song – until Susan sang it. Given her life experiences of being bullied as a schoolchild and taking care of her mother until she died – she was singing to herself with her mother the only person in the audience. I cried as she was singing. Her rendition is the best for that kind of song… especially the last part:
“Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.”
Susan Boyle raised up the person who wrote the song in the most honorable way!
I am entralled with Susan Boyle—her voice and her story. But! But! That is not her singing “Cry Me A River” as is circulating on the web as fact. I believe, after listening closely several times to the rendition, the person singing is Natalie Cole.
I have never heard a nightengale sing but I suspect it sounds something like Boyle when she launches into a song.
All the snarkey male reporters comments regarding her appearance to the contrary, she is beautiful to me.
bg burke
are you the girl in the audience that the camera focused on and rolling her eyes? yes you are
and thats why you wrote this article.
BG Burke posted: “But! But! That is not her singing “Cry Me A River” as is circulating on the web as fact. I believe, after listening closely several times to the rendition, the person singing is Natalie Cole.”
Wow! the cynicism of people these days. Even someone who calls themself a fan. With no proof whatsoever they declare that a song purportedly sung by someone was NOT “in fact” sung by them. And they know this how?
They don’t. And here are two pieces of proof…
Here is a link for a British newspaper article about the song.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2009/04/16/exclusive-susan-boyle-s-first-ever-song-release-revealed-listen-to-it-here-86908-21283564/
I hope they (or someone) succeed in getting the album re-released as they mention.
And here is a link to Amazon.com for Natalie Cole’s MP3 download of “Cry Me A River”. Please note the ENTIRELY different voice and even orchestration.
http://www.amazon.com/Cry-Me-River-LP-Version/dp/B001A816T0/ref=sr_f2_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1244063143&sr=102-1
Natalie’s version is beautiful, of course, as are many other singers. It’s a beautiful song, after all. I can’t even name all those I’ve heard in the last two days because of the “Susan Boyle sensation”, but Lulu (Scotch singer) stands out as a favorite.
I must say though, that Susan Boyle has nothing to be ashamed of compared to the others. Her version is very moving and beautiful.
I think Susan Boyle is simply another of the world’s undiscovered (until now) treasures. And it’s great that we will finally have a chance to hear her.
I will be eagerly awaiting her “debut” CD.