I don't even know where to start I'm so frankly emo right now. Let me impress upon you the gravity of this emo-ness so you can understand how not normal it is. On the emo scale, I'm below average. I really enjoy kids, and babies only make me smile when they are being super cute or having a moment of otherwise astonishingly baby-like behavior. Puppies and kittens don't bring me to my knees, I don't absolutely have to hold newborns, I love hack and slash movies, books, and can practically read the minds of people who think their gutter joke punch lines are going to blow my mind.
Which brings me to this: jaw dropping amazement, literal jaw down eyes tingly and didn't even care joy for this woman.
If you have not seen it, here it is. Some of the comments are, ahem, colorful, but it's the best video and sound quality, and perfect length. So just avert your eyes if you must. As a matter of fact, close your eyes and listen if you have not seen her yet. Then watch it again.
YouTube - Susan Boyle - Britains Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 - Saturday 11th April
To clarify, I don't follow American Idol which is our equivalent. I watch it when friends or family do, but I have nothing beyond a superficial accidental knowledge of who is in there or whats going on. So I waited to watch this, what a mistake.
For my part, the song she chose from Les Miserables (I Dreamed a Dream) is my favorite for a few reasons. I was scared to tarnish it if I didn't like her version. Again, big mistake. I saw Les Miserables with my Dad when I was 12. He had been my Humanities hostage, and forced to go to all these operas he didn't want to see because I had to for school. He actually chose this, so I was pretty shocked. I won't go further than to say I LOVED the show. As it relates to this song I remember the lyrics were so perfect that even at 12 you could imagine and sympathize the depth of the despair this woman sang about. Literally just blown away that life could create a situation so bitter and hopeless that the combination of words was even possible let alone set to score.
Fast forward a bit. I was just starting ballet with an actual performing arts school. Everything previous had been dance in a studio, recorded music, etc. The first day I ever danced to a live professional orchestra was absolutely like any other at first. It was just practice, and we practiced with the orchestra whenever possible but nobody ever said why. I figured it to be logical whatever. They play music, we dance, hey why not do it together? That day we had footwork to do, and we knew what song was going to be played. I was pretty happy, love the song. Music starts, feet move, I flub. Hard. I can't really explain what live music in a small and otherwise silent space does. It's not like a concert with a crowd. It's more than a vibration, yet not as physically impactful as say a bass blasting through a car next to you. Somewhere between a tingle and a vibration that you feel everywhere rather than just a thump through the chest. Always present, not just at huge musical moments in the song. Like a prescence you can anticipate through feeling and not just hearing or knowing what comes next is the best way to describe it I suppose.
So basically I thought I knew what was great about dance at the time. I loved it, I was good at it, and hey performing is fun. Live music was an epiphany, almost like a partner that would never drop or accidentally kick you, that would keep you focused and enhance the emotion that you're trying to convey in the movement.
I wrote all this because I like to assume Susan felt somewhat the same. She knew she was good obviously and loved to sing. At her age she thought she had her love of it all figured I'm sure. To put herself out there with such a bold song choice, and be confident is one thing. What amazes me is how she didn't hitch after all that applause. You can feel that too onstage if it's loud enough, and in that space I'm 100% sure it was. Like the very air around her was confirming what she already knew and wanted to share. She said she'd never had a chance to perform like that in the beginning of the video, how profound it must have been for her! I'm just floored, she was so professional through such an emotional and pivotal moment. Amazing.
It took me forever to write this, and I didn't intend to write so much I promise! I just am so wowed and sad I didn't see and hear this the moment I heard of her. Don't make my mistake!
Which brings me to this: jaw dropping amazement, literal jaw down eyes tingly and didn't even care joy for this woman.
If you have not seen it, here it is. Some of the comments are, ahem, colorful, but it's the best video and sound quality, and perfect length. So just avert your eyes if you must. As a matter of fact, close your eyes and listen if you have not seen her yet. Then watch it again.
YouTube - Susan Boyle - Britains Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 - Saturday 11th April
To clarify, I don't follow American Idol which is our equivalent. I watch it when friends or family do, but I have nothing beyond a superficial accidental knowledge of who is in there or whats going on. So I waited to watch this, what a mistake.
For my part, the song she chose from Les Miserables (I Dreamed a Dream) is my favorite for a few reasons. I was scared to tarnish it if I didn't like her version. Again, big mistake. I saw Les Miserables with my Dad when I was 12. He had been my Humanities hostage, and forced to go to all these operas he didn't want to see because I had to for school. He actually chose this, so I was pretty shocked. I won't go further than to say I LOVED the show. As it relates to this song I remember the lyrics were so perfect that even at 12 you could imagine and sympathize the depth of the despair this woman sang about. Literally just blown away that life could create a situation so bitter and hopeless that the combination of words was even possible let alone set to score.
Fast forward a bit. I was just starting ballet with an actual performing arts school. Everything previous had been dance in a studio, recorded music, etc. The first day I ever danced to a live professional orchestra was absolutely like any other at first. It was just practice, and we practiced with the orchestra whenever possible but nobody ever said why. I figured it to be logical whatever. They play music, we dance, hey why not do it together? That day we had footwork to do, and we knew what song was going to be played. I was pretty happy, love the song. Music starts, feet move, I flub. Hard. I can't really explain what live music in a small and otherwise silent space does. It's not like a concert with a crowd. It's more than a vibration, yet not as physically impactful as say a bass blasting through a car next to you. Somewhere between a tingle and a vibration that you feel everywhere rather than just a thump through the chest. Always present, not just at huge musical moments in the song. Like a prescence you can anticipate through feeling and not just hearing or knowing what comes next is the best way to describe it I suppose.
So basically I thought I knew what was great about dance at the time. I loved it, I was good at it, and hey performing is fun. Live music was an epiphany, almost like a partner that would never drop or accidentally kick you, that would keep you focused and enhance the emotion that you're trying to convey in the movement.
I wrote all this because I like to assume Susan felt somewhat the same. She knew she was good obviously and loved to sing. At her age she thought she had her love of it all figured I'm sure. To put herself out there with such a bold song choice, and be confident is one thing. What amazes me is how she didn't hitch after all that applause. You can feel that too onstage if it's loud enough, and in that space I'm 100% sure it was. Like the very air around her was confirming what she already knew and wanted to share. She said she'd never had a chance to perform like that in the beginning of the video, how profound it must have been for her! I'm just floored, she was so professional through such an emotional and pivotal moment. Amazing.
It took me forever to write this, and I didn't intend to write so much I promise! I just am so wowed and sad I didn't see and hear this the moment I heard of her. Don't make my mistake!
