View Full Version : Britain's Got Talent - Dark Horse WOW's 'Em
This was all over the news yesterday. I think this is an amazing performance and an amazing story. 47yr old, unemployed woman, from a small village WOW's a skeptical crowd durig audition for UK's version of "American Idol". Woman's name is Susan Boyle.
What amazing God-given talent. Very well worth the 7min of your life to watch the youtube vid. I'll admit that i've played it 3 or 4 times already.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR_N9iljeMk
Couldn't find this posted anywhere else.
abc
AngelsSix
04-17-2009, 18:36
This lady is really amazing, I hope she makes it all the way. I was a shocked as most once she started to sing!!:lifter
BigJimCalhoun
04-17-2009, 18:57
Good luck to her
Its a really wonderful story. That said, you're killing the image here....
CoLawman
04-17-2009, 21:02
I love feel good stories, and this is one of the best!
The Reaper
04-17-2009, 21:23
I agree.
Anyone who didn't learn a lesson from that about judging people by their appearance is a better person than I am. Everyone I saw was looking down at her until she stepped up, opened her mouth, and knocked one out of the park. That is one to show my kids as a lesson for us all.
I hope she continues to surprise and excel.
Very best of luck Susan.
Penn, QPs acknowledge excellence and love underdogs.
TR
ZonieDiver
04-17-2009, 21:28
I agree.
Anyone who didn't learn a lesson from that about judging people by their appearance is a better person than I am. Everyone I saw was looking down at her until she stepped up, opened her mouth, and knocked one out of the park. That is one to show my kids as a lesson for us all.
I hope she continues to surprise and excel.
Very best of luck Susan.
Penn, QPs acknowledge excellence and love underdogs.
TR
And her choice of song was great. "Les Miserables" is a great show, and is playing here in Phoenix on a small stage without all the theatrics. Great!
It looks like she won her dream - it's good when things turn out well.
Thank you, abc_123.
ZonieDiver
04-17-2009, 21:37
Yeah, but doesn't she look "veddy, veddy" British! Small island - long time, and all! :D
armymom1228
04-17-2009, 21:45
Yeah, but doesn't she look "veddy, veddy" British! Small island - long time, and all! :D
Susan Boyle is no sassenach.. she is a good Scotswoman my dear ZD.:D:D
ZonieDiver
04-17-2009, 22:01
Susan Boyle is no sassenach.. she is a good Scotswoman my dear ZD.:D:D
My apologies, dear lady! I got my "Irish up" and couldn't resist a dig at the Brits. Little did I know that the lady in question was Scots. Of course, it kind of figures...
frostfire
04-17-2009, 22:22
hmmm, it didn't do it for me initially...
Maybe I didn't judge her appearance, maybe I already braced myself for a surprise, or maybe I've been spoiled by the one and only Fantine, Ruthie Henshall's rendition of I Dreamed a Dream (ok, I confess...I watch musicals, saw the movies and read the book as well. IMHO, Les Misérables is the best story out here)
...but then I saw the people's changing expression, listened to her more, saw some relevance of the lyrics to her story, realized the gravity of the situation, and the performance turned moving as hell!
I listened to another recording of her in 1999 singing Cry Me a River. She definitely kick ass! She took a break to take care of her parents. A loving daughter, a beautiful spirit, beautiful voice. Best wishes to Susan Boyle.
Whole thing reminds me of the guy who sang Nessun Dorma on the same show quite some time ago.
The story is excellent if true.
I have doubts that this was her first professional performance, and that she received no prior training.
Her performance is too good for an unemployed women who occasionally sings. In particular, when she responds to Simon saying he expected such a performance, "Oh Simon!," is too personal/quick/witty to not be preplanned.
Just my thoughts. I could very well be wrong here.
stu
ZonieDiver
04-17-2009, 23:18
hmmm, it didn't do it for me initially...
Maybe I didn't judge her appearance, maybe I already braced myself for a surprise, or maybe I've been spoiled by the one and only Fantine, Ruthie Henshall's rendition of I Dreamed a Dream (ok, I confess...I watch musicals, saw the movies and read the book as well. IMHO, Les Misérables is the best story out here)
...but then I saw the people's changing expression, listened to her more, saw some relevance of the lyrics to her story, realized the gravity of the situation, and the performance turned moving as hell!
I listened to another recording of her in 1999 singing Cry Me a River. She definitely kick ass! She took a break to take care of her parents. A loving daughter, a beautiful spirit, beautiful voice. Best wishes to Susan Boyle.
Whole thing reminds me of the guy who sang Nessun Dorma on the same show quite some time ago.
That, too, was amazing. Whether it is as "advertised" or not is of little importance to me. It is a great song. "Les Mis" is a great production - even if overshadowed at the time by "Phantom." I, too, enjoy good musicals,and DON'T apologize for it. (I used to "sing" parts of "South Pacific" across the hall to our Engish teacher... to have him echo them back - both of us gloriously hetro-sexual- if only to show students that there WAS life beyond "tu pac"! Great song, great rendition - I care about nothing else.
armymom1228
04-17-2009, 23:33
My apologies, dear lady! I got my "Irish up" and couldn't resist a dig at the Brits. Little did I know that the lady in question was Scots. Of course, it kind of figures...
Irish.. I am sorry, is that a personal problem you have there? We Scots all support the handcapped who don't know how to make a good single malt.:D
Her voice sounds trained to me.. otoh... I have heard 'naturals' occasionaly that have just blown me away.. Ask Peregrino.. "we" have some outstanding bards who can outsing even 'bubbles'..
Googlefu 'susan boyle'.. then go to her fan site. Interesting vids of her there.
I asked someone once, how can they sit though, literally, thousands of applicants before they get to Simon and Co. I was told there are prescreeners.. Perhaps this was such a case of a prescreener hearing this womn and alerting Simon??? No idea, but I sure do like her voice.. but god please do something with those eyebrows and that hair. It gave me a fright!:eek:
I agree.
Anyone who didn't learn a lesson from that about judging people by their appearance is a better person than I am. Everyone I saw was looking down at her until she stepped up, opened her mouth, and knocked one out of the park. That is one to show my kids as a lesson for us all.
I hope she continues to surprise and excel.
Very best of luck Susan.
Penn, QPs acknowledge excellence and love underdogs.
TR
TR,
Right on.
Funny, but after I showed my wife she made our kids watch that clip for just that very reason.
Frostfire mentioned the 1999 recording. Here is the link to the story about that and the song itself.
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 saw the morning news programs and she was being interviewed by them all yesterday. Talent and faith. She's made the Britain's Got Talent version of SFAS and was selected - but there are many more phases to go...and I wish her luck.
If you enjoy that sort of talent, watch this one - it'll make you think about how much raw talent there truly is out there in the world and brighten your day. :)
http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22847
Richard's $.02 :munchin
The story is excellent if true.
I have doubts that this was her first professional performance, and that she received no prior training.
She never said she didn't receive training, in fact I've heard her state in interviews that she did have vocal lessons when she was in her 30's. Like she said on stage, she was just never given a chance and I think it's pretty clear that life wasn't super kind to her.
She's very open about the fact that people in her little town and her church knew she could sing. I saw her in that same interview showing some trophies she'd won in grade school. She says that she's been singing since age 12.
The moral of the story really is that despite her voice, which is amazing, her looks and demeanor never got her past the door - which is unfortunate. Even with training you don't get that pitch and quality without God-given talent. I'm also going to assume her version of voice lessons in her little village wasn't cream of the crop.
I think she's wonderful and in a week filled with very depressing news, she brightens my day.
TOMAHAWK9521
04-18-2009, 15:00
Irish.. I am sorry, is that a personal problem you have there? We Scots all support the handcapped who don't know how to make a good single malt.:D
Whoa! Easy now. Pump the brakes, missy! :D
There are few good Irish single malts out there. Ours just aren't that smokey. Besides, triple-distilling makes it smoother than double-distilling. Heck, if it weren't for us trouble-makers off to the west, you all would never have come up with idea of whiskey, yourselves and you'd be stuck eating sheep stomach with nothing to kill the after-taste.:p
With the utmost respect-Tomahawk
Mi culpa mea culpa mi max cupa…
The comment was met to be humorous. That said and I don’t want to appear jaded, cynical, etc., but check out the story of Paul Potts from the same show. You can down load it on YouTube/Paul Potts. Being from NYC you tend to not trust a story if the one presented is a cookie cutter presentation of the prior one that was showcased and catapulted to stardom. What was interesting to me, both of these extremely talented individuals fill holes in the shows format and sales category, anyone need a watch? Disposal for tissues, a shoulder....
Mi culpa mea culpa mi max cupa…
The comment was met to be humorous. That said and I don’t want to appear jaded, cynical, etc., but check out the story of Paul Potts from the same show. You can down load it on YouTube/Paul Potts. Being from NYC you tend to not trust a story if the one presented is a cookie cutter presentation of the prior one that was showcased and catapulted to stardom. What was interesting to me, both of these extremely talented individuals fill holes in the shows format and sales category, anyone need a watch? Disposal for tissues, a shoulder....
The Paul Potts story is amazing as hell too.
Man, I love Susan Boyle's rendition of "Cry Me a River." The producer who put that on an album 10 years ago and never publicised it or got more songs on tape should be shot. I personally think it's better than the Julie London original.
dirtyshirt
04-18-2009, 20:55
What TR said! I could not put it better. I hope that she wins!
Surf n Turf
04-18-2009, 21:51
There are few good Irish single malts out there. Ours just aren't that smokey. Besides, triple-distilling makes it smoother than double-distilling. Heck, if it weren't for us trouble-makers off to the west, you all would never have come up with idea of whiskey, yourselves and you'd be stuck eating sheep stomach with nothing to kill the after-taste.:p
Tomahawk,
auch aye, I hear you lad.
I have heard that the whiskey from Ireland, going down, tastes like the whiskey from Alba coming up. :D
The uisge beatha (water of life) is native only to Scotland.
Slainte Mhath!
SnT
mojaveman
04-18-2009, 22:20
What a beautiful voice.
It's a shame her talent could not have been discovered when she was a little younger.
Trust me on this...She's going to the bank, just like Paul Potts.
Its show business, they pushed your buttons and you respond by opening your wallet and buying her CD which should hit the market, if Simon is worth his salary, in about 3 months.
This is not a statement, or argument about talent; it’s a statement about your inability to accept the reality of being a bit gullible. It called
entertainment.
......This is not a statement, or argument about talent; it’s a statement about your inability to accept the reality of being a bit gullible. It called
entertainment.
More like marketing. The family still have a few Cabbage Patch dolls in the box up in the attic somewhere waiting for the price to go up.
You owe me a keyboard Pete!!!
ABC..............Man, I love Susan Boyle's rendition of "Cry Me a River." ...Agreed.
I personally think it's better than the Julie London original. Also agreed. It was so refreshing witnessing the purity of sound, and the pure talent of Ms. Boyle.
The refreshing part (for me) was listening to a singer present a song that I could understand every word.
Maybe having grown up during the first generation of Rock & Roll makes me un-appreciative of todays pop music. Well, as a F.O.G. its my privlege.
TrapLine
04-19-2009, 09:17
What amazing God-given talent. Very well worth the 7min of your life to watch the youtube vid. I'll admit that i've played it 3 or 4 times already.
abc
After starting the video, I guessed I would make it about 2 mins, 14 mins and 14 seconds later I stand corrected. Bravo Susan, and thanks abc. Shame on me.
frostfire
04-19-2009, 11:40
Trust me on this...She's going to the bank, just like Paul Potts.
Its show business, they pushed your buttons and you respond by opening your wallet and buying her CD which should hit the market, if Simon is worth his salary, in about 3 months.
This is not a statement, or argument about talent; it’s a statement about your inability to accept the reality of being a bit gullible. It called
entertainment.
Chef Penn, I agree with your sentiment. It's not cynical or jaded, but simply application of a critical and observing mind. To ignore such view would be to deny our capacity for basic intelligence.
Having said that, interests do coincide. Regardless of the showbiz aspect, I am happy for Susan Boyle and Paul Potts, as well as thankful for the life lessons/perspectives they provide to many. There's Hannah Montana, B. Spears. etc., thn there's Susan Boyle.
I, for one, won't rush to grab the CDs....well, beside having no budget for such, I prefer rendition by others. Luciano Pavarotti in Paul's case and Ruthie Henshall in Susan's. However, their display of courage and tenacity to give their best and reach for that dream despite overwhelming odds, ridicules, etc. from the audience and the judges is something I will treasure for years to come. I will draw strength from their inspiration when I'm humping 70lbs+ in pitch black under pouring rain and wondering where is what.
That, too, was amazing. Whether it is as "advertised" or not is of little importance to me. It is a great song. "Les Mis" is a great production - even if overshadowed at the time by "Phantom." I, too, enjoy good musicals,and DON'T apologize for it. (I used to "sing" parts of "South Pacific" across the hall to our Engish teacher... to have him echo them back - both of us gloriously hetro-sexual- if only to show students that there WAS life beyond "tu pac"! Great song, great rendition - I care about nothing else.
ZonieDiver Sir, roger that.
I actually found singing to have much application in language learning. I gained the native clear accent in two foreign languages from singing songs in those languages. This is long before I learned how Légion étrangère got it right in their singing and marching tradition to train the non-francophone.
Also agree on life beyond (c)rap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVU4IkzMNIo This week
So I’m a bit crusty, but here is the marketing PLOY of BGT and it should be very obvious that it’s all about marketing. Now does anyone, but Pete, need burping, or their bottle warmed?
And there is this... ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
We covered that. Nothing, but praise. Yet, I do beleive, as it was suggested by another member; that should Ms. Boyle be successful, cabbage Patch Dolls are going be in great demand.
Personally, I think the Cabbage Patch dolls won't be worth much on the Antiques Roadshow market for quite a while...however...marketing via YouTube for all the i-Phonics will certainly be around for a bit longer. ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbByGPuSlmw&NR=1
Richard's $.02 :munchin
I watched the video of Susan last week.. was stunned and then in AWE! Her singing brought tears to my eyes...I was very moved. The look on Simon's face was even better, at one point he looked like a lil boy!!
GOOD LUCK SUSAN! May your STAR finally shoot all the way to the top!
So I’m a bit crusty, but here is the marketing PLOY of BGT and it should be very obvious that it’s all about marketing. Now does anyone, but Pete, need burping, or their bottle warmed?
After reading all of the posts in this thread, am going to throw my .02 out, and hope it does not come across jaded or cynical.
Only played music "professionally" for about ten years, but I can say that there is music, and then there is business. And too many times Artists get the two-step shuffle from the business executives, who are in charge of the promotion for profit.
In my limited knowledge, there are some Artists who are not genuine, and only after the fame and glory, and they are easy to spot. However, there are some that you never hear of, like Susan Boyle, who are true at heart musicians.
Though it does take a discerning ear to hear them, they do exist, and more often than not, are the ones with the real guts!
Because believe it not, it takes real guts to get up on a stage, in front of huge crowds or small bars, and give yourself over for praise or ridicule. But you do, beacuse you love the music!
Hope Susan Boyle goes for it!
Just my humble little .02,
Holly
Hopefully this will put this thread to bed.
I Get the Talent, Its real in Susan Boyle, Paul Potts and the new Kid. That is not what I was refering to. I'll Say it as plainly as I can: They HAVE Talent.
What I was pointing out was the set up. Simon was well aware what was about to happen with all of them. It's called marketing, yet everyone who watched turned off their brain. They could not focus for the tears and the tissue. I was objecting to the emotional button pushing the show employed to launch them, and that everyone bought hook, line and sinker; but hey thats show business right?
Does anyone have to go the potty before we close this thread?????
Does anyone have to go the potty before we close this thread?????
Please pass the Charmin. :p
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Because believe it not, it takes real guts to get up on a stage, in front of huge crowds or small bars, and give yourself over for praise or ridicule. But you do, beacuse you love the music!
Hope Susan Boyle goes for it!
Just my humble little .02,
Holly
Holly,
I agree with you. And if she were absolutely model gorgeous, people would have still been amazed. But I think it took some truegrit on Susan's part to get up there and present herself to the UK (and now the whole world) as she looks. Not to be mean, but she is an ugly duckling with the voice of a swan!
I wish her much luck and success!
The Reaper
04-20-2009, 20:57
Does anyone have to go the potty before we close this thread?????
Why?
I think there is a valuable lesson here regardless of what your theory might be.
TR
Why?
I think there is a valuable lesson here regardless of what your theory might be.
TR
Here Here No reason on closing it. If people quit posting it will die.
Just my 2 cents.......
And speaking of judging books by their covers... ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
What I was pointing out was the set up. Simon was well aware what was about to happen with all of them. It's called marketing, yet everyone who watched turned off their brain. They could not focus for the tears and the tissue. I was objecting to the emotional button pushing the show employed to launch them, and that everyone bought hook, line and sinker; but hey thats show business right?
Does anyone have to go the potty before we close this thread?????
As a person who is constantly learning, I can tell you for a fact that real music, played and portrayed by real musicians, is done so in the hope of evoking emotion, much like I am sure a Chef would feel about presenting a great dish to a critic!
Regardless of the venue or pre-conceived audience response by "producers," the Artists' send a message, that in this case is genuinely clear!
Again, just my little .02, as am happy to hear of some "good" news this week!
Holly:munchin
Irish_Army01
04-24-2009, 02:34
My apologies, dear lady! I got my "Irish up" and couldn't resist a dig at the Brits. Little did I know that the lady in question was Scots. Of course, it kind of figures...
And of Irish decent..Her parents were Irish:lifter;)