Susan Boyle's Phenomenal Ride Just Won't Stop: And Yes, It Mattered That She Could Sing

It's been a week and I still can't get enough of the Susan Boyle phenomenon.

I've watched her video countless times and sent the link to others who might not have known. It was amazing and almost historic, because there've been many instances of unusual happenstance whereby something remarkable occurs and the network news covers it. But after an initial airing that's usually it. With Susan Boyle, the story won't quit. The newscasts have had follow-ups all week, such as NBC's Brian Williams and CNN's Anderson Cooper and Larry King, and, of course, the entertainment news shows can't get enough of it.

Why is this story so remarkable? I thought about it for quite awhile. Indeed, others have already written pieces on HuffPost and thousands have added their comments, but some of them gave me pause, which I felt deserved rebuttal. One of my colleagues on these pages asked what if Susan Boyle couldn't sing, implying that it's only because she could that our collective derisive foreplay didn't result in jeers and catcalls.

Of course he's right, but that's not the point. We would have done so no matter the contestant, witness the many who've been served up to us in the preambles to each season of American Idol. Yes, Susan would have made it easier, because of her unusual bearing and matronly look. But it's even more shocking and absurd when an attractive person comes before the judging panel with a confident stance and articulate patter, and then subjects us to disharmonious drivel.

All candidates who've been paraded before the judges have gone through a preliminary process during which the production team picks a bunch of silly folks to entertain us as comic relief. If Susan Boyle couldn't sing, dowdy appearance or not, she would have deserved the ridicule that would have followed. It wouldn't have mattered if she spent the past twenty years delivering meals on wheels during the breaks from caring for her sickly mother. Inner goodness notwithstanding, this was still a talent contest and we wouldn't have patience for an otherwise saintly person who mocked the process.

Of course the drama escalated when this nondescript figure, responding almost monosyllabically to Simon Cowell's grilling about why a 47-year-old had never made any professional headway, said she aspired to be a singer in the image of Evita originator Elaine Paige. The audience poised itself for a performance that would produce guffaws. To them Susan was an odd duck, though to my mind not at all ugly as others have rudely called her. She's certainly not a beauty, but her face has a pleasant cherubic glow when she smiles.

All this foreshadowed the commencement of her singing, which instantaneously evaporated the misperceptions we'd invented, causing most of us to respond with unmitigated shock -- including the judges, assuming they, too, were in the dark -- morphing instantaneously into collective joy. And all this played right into the hands of the producers, as Susan didn't just walk in off the street. The production staff had already auditioned her and knew full well how the Glasgow audience would react.

Another HuffPost author suggested that what bothered her was that we were only happy about Susan Boyle, because she had transcended herself into a celebrity. The writer was bothered that all this hoopla implied that if one weren't a celebrity, what was the point? That the story was sending a message that life was not worth living if Susan Boyle were engaged in everyday uncelebrated humdrum.

This, too, is nonsense, as most of the world's population lives in obscurity and thus has plenty of company without wallowing in suicidal despair. Most people do not have special talents, and many of those who do never harbor ambitions to pursue what is correctly perceived as a difficult life path. What's true is, for the most part, we are not interested in ordinary people. And when we are it is when such folks win the lottery or bare their horrible circumstances on TV programs such as early television's Queen For a Day and win prizes to alleviate their misery. We emotionally connect with someone who's lost their job and gets a new house thanks to ABC's Extreme Makeover.

However, we cheer for our celebrities, whether they are in entertainment, literature, sports, politics or are Nobel winning scientists. And when someone has pure and raw talent of the kind Susan Boyle displayed admirably on Britain's Got Talent and her life is transformed Cinderella style, it is only natural that the world is moved. Add surprise to the mix and it is a fairy tale that really happened.

We don't fully know Susan Boyle's story, except dribs and drabs about her family life and small town Scottish upbringing. She has admitted to a bit of vocal training, but clearly, with the exception of small talent contests and perhaps singing in a church choir this woman obviously never had a major hearing or she would have had some sort of a career by now. Her voice is too good not to have been recognized by someone. That the chance never materialized until now and that we were all witness to it thanks to the Internet, especially You Tube, is the stuff that made it a one in a kind phenomenal story that we'll be talking about for years to come.

Michael Russnow's website is www.ramproductionsinternational.com

Comments

[joyspeaking]

I am thrilled that so many people have viewed Susan Boyle on youtube! While I am confident that what she did was not something drummed up by the producers of BGT; Susan is the one who wins in the final analysis. I say analysis because of the countless people that post their comments that describe their analysis of Susan Boyle's internet success. It seems that so many people have got to know why the over one hundred million people viewed her on youtube and continue to view her over and over again. Well; I am guilty of viewing her over and over because she does not have a cd out yet, that will come in time; until then, I have to settle for I Dreamed a Dream, Killing Me Softly, and Cry Me A River. There are a couple of points in her youtube experience that nobody has touched on from what I see in the gazillion comments. The first is where she states, "I am going to rock the audience," and preceded to do so (I perceive confidence here). And second, is how emotional she was at the end of the clip, (I perceive honest shock here) because despite her confidence, she had no idea just how good she was. She did so much more than rock that audience, she rocked the world.

[shayeman]

The HUNDRED MILLIONS of tears shed over this ONE PERFORMANCE requires a different explanation than the myriad being offered. These tears are for ourselves; shed over the realization that we live in a false, illusory, and heartless world. We desperately long for a time when substance is valued over appearance; a world where the poor, the wretched, and the ugly are lifted and loved because what's in the heart is what matters most. Boyle's performance gives us a brief glimpse into this beautiful world, and when we see it, we are moved to tears by the triumph of these truths over the FICTION we presently live. We share that one single victory to spread the hope that someday we might live ALL live in such a world.

People watching this video repeatedly is the SIGN of our times. A world where everything is falling apart because life today is ALL about “celebrity economics” – the beautiful, the rich, the powerful, the clever, the talented – who make and take all the profits. We witness this injustice every day of our lives. It's heartbreaking. The headlines are awash with it. When we watch Susan, we are connecting with the deep longing of the heart at seeing justice being finally done in a world that is crying out against this inequity.

Susan Boyle is the much beloved poster child for our crippled society. "God Bless her". Maybe through her, many will wake up, understand anew, and help create a different world.

[HLL]

This shy woman with a gorgeous voice has been quietly sitting on the sidelines of the entertainment business for 47 years. It is so exciting that she has become a global star "overnight." A decades long overnight. I'm thrilled for her because of her age. I think the planet is sick of plastic singers singing plastic songs that touch no one's heart. There was a young boy in this contest who also did well but he has not garnered the response Susan has. Again, I think it's because of her age. We know children and teenagers can sing, but it's heartening to know that one can sing at any age and one can still achieve one's dreams into your forties and beyond.

I read today that collectively there are 100 million hits on youTube for Susan, more than President Obama's acceptance speech! WOW! Totally cool.

Here are links to Susan's videos on youTube:

Her audition singing from Les Miz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fhome.php%3Fref%3Dhome&feature=player_embedded

Her "Cry Me A River" recorded for a charity CD 10 years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI2DxkrgpgQ

Both will knock your socks off! Go Susan! The world is your oyster!

[MzPenny]

to me, the most notable thing about all this is the absolute cruelty of the reactions of both judges and audience, at susan's entrance on the stage. Ok, she's not attractive , as they see it, but where is the courtesy? they knew she could see her reactions. why is it OK to laugh out loud, roll the eyes, and be so cruel? It's a sad commentary.

[Dots]

I am intrigued that so many people are compelled to add their words about SB. Grab onto a little piece of it for themself. Analyze it. Be a pundit.

...let me just explain what happened...here's why you are sobbing...this is why it makes you happy...she will now have the career because...will her loneliness end...the kiss, etc.

She had us when she opened her mouth and sang! We got it...it's beyond words.

[jaywh1]

There is something condescending about the excessive celebration of this woman. She sings well, though not to professional standards of the women that made "I Dreamed a Dream" famous. If she were pretty and well groomed would she receive these accolades? I think not. That would simply fulfill our expectation, which is that entertainers polish their appearance to complement their talent. In the case of Ms. Boyle, audiences are responding to the disparity between her appearance and her singing. I don't think that grading Ms. Boyle on the "unkempt spinster" curve dignifies her as a person or a performer.

[diva555]

I was going to respond and then I saw JAYWHI had said the same thing I would say. Just to add one thing, not only has this disparity of her look and her talent accentuated the extremes, but her loyal fans are completely trashing the original singers who made these two songs famous, saying basicly, they can't shine Susan Boyle's shoes. Patti Lupone, Elaine Paige, and the other Fatines: you are nothing compared to our Susan. I have listened to all the versions, and Susan wipes them off the map. And the same for Julie London, the gold standard who had the first release and had a huge hit song in "Cry Me A River", which has held up for 54 years, Ella Fitzgerald, Barbara Steisand, Diana Krall and other legendary cover versions, we who love Susan, know Susan can sing jazz better than all of you, she has the best version, she is the best singer of this century, she is the best singer every to inhabit the earth or the universe, picked as a special angel by god himself......and then all 1,000,000 of them tear up in unison.

[thepianodiva]

While Julie London's version is nice if empty, the reason so many prefer Susan Boyle is that, unlike London and so many other singers, she is not a "song stylist". She sings from the depth of her soul and heart-not from artifice. She has a gift that one cannot purchase or learn at Big Town Conservatory of Music. She reminds me of Garland.

[Meds]

Exactly my thoughts!

[Ganapati]

Ugly ugly, ugly.
That is pretty insulting, especially considering that this is just a regular person (only in that regard, bc her singing makes her extraordinary)
Has anyone seen the Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan? are they cherubs?
How about Janice? Sammy Davis Jr., Lyle Lovett...
How many great artists have been "ugly"?
I'd say the paradigm is a bit inverted, isn't it?
This whole thing is a little silly

[jennbeez]

She has elsewhere been described as someone who was referred to as "Susie Simple" by neighborhood bullies due to being born with minor brain damage. It chilled me a bit to hear her say she won't be lonely anymore. I sincerely hope that this outpouring of love (it can only be called that) from the world is enough to protect her from those who will seek to prey on this sweet and vulnerable lady.

Sorry to inject a note of uncomfortable reality to a story that seems to have no downside. Sometimes, I am such a Cassandra. I hope this story truly does have a happy ending.

[SteveDenver]

In 1999 Susan recorded CRY ME A RIVER for a charity CD. Her ability to emote without being seen was strong then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXwc-i5eYdU

[OldBlueGirl]

What brings me to tears each time I watch Susan Boyle's performance on "Britain's Got Talent" is the attitude of the judges and the audience before she began to sing, and then the beauty of her voice and delivery--and the utter disbelief and thrilled reaction of the the audience when they heard her sing--even the cynical little teenagers in the audience.

I also listened to her rendition of "Cry Me a River", a song my dad loved (along with Julie London, who sang it) when I was a kid. Susan instinctively "gets" the heart of the two songs I've heard her sing. Maybe it's because her life hasn't been perfect that she can get to the essence of a song. Whatever it is, she sings with beauty and emotion and total belief in what she's singing, and I love, love, LOVE hearing her. Brava, Susan! You sing from your heart and touch all of ours. What a gift you have given all of us with your simplicity and sincerity!

P.S. Don't let the media try to lay claim to and devour you. Your brother is right to spirit you away. And I thought your dress and high heels were really cute.

[tompoe]

Playing For Change web site might be the author's next stop. Seems the author has some perspective adjustments to make in the talent arena. Maybe it's because he's new to the field.

[AllenPapapetrou]

I collect stories of Everyday Heroes who never get any publicity outside of friends and relatives. I've added Susan Boyle to my list. Not because of her singing. Because she tended to her mother for decades until her mother's death. So Susan's on my list of Everyday Heroes just like my friend Charles who gave up a lucrative consulting programming position during the Y2K period to tend to his dying mother.

[andylevitin1]

In WW 1, there was a man called Sergeant Alvin York. He was a Conscientious Objector. After he enlisted in the Army in 1917, and although there were nine men in his unit that captured 132 Germans, he killed 9 Germans personally while capturing those men. His reasoned to prevent more deaths he had to kill to stop them from killing more. Gary Cooper portrayed him in a movie titled "Sergeant York" which earned Cooper the best actor academy award in 1942.
Tying in Susan Boyle with Sergeant York. Susan said she is happy in the way she perceives herself. She is happy being short and plump. She stated that she was up until her instant fame that she used to visit the visits elderly members of the congregation at their homes several times a week. She admits ruefully, however, what with all the sudden media attention -- including a reported invitation this past Thursday to appear on Oprah -- "I haven't had a chance to see them this week."
It is my contention that like Sergeant York who overnight became a hero to America when put in a position like Boyle was overwhelmed by too much media attention. York retreated to where he was born to get out of the limelight and live his life as a normal person even though as history sees that he was normal no longer. Too much of anything is not good. We are all heroes in our own little ways.

[Michael Russnow - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you, andylevitin1, and while I'm intrigued at your comparison of Susan Boyle to Sergeant York, his desire for anonymity is not akin to Susan's story.

Clearly, she likes to perform and wants the chance for an exciting career. Why she waited so long is yet to be known, but there's little doubt she'll be onstage or recording CDs, entertaining us in the years to come.

[angrykeyboarder]

I think a lot of people are also not taking into account the her choice of song. It's a very dramatic song in and of itself and that, coupled with her performance and appearance made for a very overwhelmingly emotional moment.

[Ron Tipton]

I simply cannot watch her video enough. Every time I watch it I choke up. While her Cinderella story is appealing, even better is that she has such a beautiful voice. The only female singer I liked before Susan was Dinah Washington. Now I have a new favorite. I've heard Susan sing "Cry Me a River" and it is absolutely beautiful. What a talent this woman is. It is stunning that her talent wasn't discovered before now. Thank God for the freedom of the Internet. Now the whole world can be uplifted by the beauty of Susan's voice her grace. At this time of so much trial and tribulation in the world, the heavens have sent an angel to us in a most unlikely form, Susan Boyle.