The Susan Boyle phenomenon continues to fascinate. I think there are some clear reasons why.
1. The way most Americans first encountered her was by viewing a YouTube segment from Britain’s Got Talent. In one of those fine accidents of pop culture, this proved to be a perfect, three-act drama in a mere seven-plus minutes. Act. I: The hero is at first reviled (Boyle was met with eye-rolling from the judges and guffaws from the audience). Act II: The hero reaches within herself and displays great strength, bravery, and talent. Act III: The villains are humbled; the hero is triumphant (those twitty Brit judges fall all over themselves to apologize for their cynicism and doubt).
2. To look at the comments on both my first post on Boyle, and Lisa Schwarzbaum’s, and Adam Markovitz’s, many people find in Boyle not mere talent but an inspirational quality. In post after post, you find phrases such as "I only wish I could have have an ounce of her confidence!" Times are tough; people are looking for examples of fortitude, perseverance, and reward for a job well done. Boyle is a shining example of this to many. The danger of this, as my colleague Mark Harris has pointed out in a column many of you liked a lot, is that someone like Boyle should not be forced by her new popularity into being seen as a role model, or some sort of ideal person. We don’t know her, the same way we don’t really "know" Bono or Tom Hanks or pick-your-favorite-star.
3. Boyle is perceived above all else to be "authentic." This is crucial for many music fans. (I don’t actually buy this argument — i.e., that Bruce Springsteen is inherently better than, say, the Pet Shop Boys because he writes out of a tradition of realism while they glory in artifice — but it matters to a lot of people.)
4. The whole her-voice-isn’t-that-great argument is meaningless when it comes to pop music. Bob Dylan and Little Richard and Willie Nelson and Kurt Cobain and Taylor Swift have voices that are technically, note-by-note, "worse" than, say, Luciano Pavarotti’s, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t extremely good singers by every measure of popular music: they communicate emotions and ideas superlatively. Judging solely from the single performance we have of Boyle’s, she fits the bill as a first-rate singer.
5. Never underestimate the age factor. Yes, we live in a time when the youth audience commands box office profits and drives TV programming via advertisers who want "young eyeballs" to watch shows. But there’s a huge segment of the population that feels cut out, annoyed, and even angry about this situation. Lots of middle-aged people are fed up with being dismissed as "gray-hairs" and out-of-it; the success of Boyle is one small but potent example that you’re not ready for the trash — or as Boyle would probably say, the dustbin — at age 30.
What do you think?
Someone must stop Susan from signing with Justin Timberlake!
West end girls are real! I swear to you!
Come on, let’s compare apples to apples. You can’t disregard criticisms of her voice on the grounds that “other pop singers don’t have great voices.” She’s not trying to be a pop singer. “Britain’s Got Talent” is not the UK’s version of “American Idol” (that would be “X Factor”). I do think she has a nice voice, but I also think it’s interesting that she has a far better idea of her “niche” than most of the people writing about her. She wants a career like Elaine Paige’s, a theatrical/classics singer (think Patti Lupone, Barbra Streisand, Linda Eder). So she’s not competing with the Taylor Swifts of the world. Therefore, her ultimate talent has to judged against the people who are actually in the spot where she wants to be, not the people who are currently getting a lot of radio play.
Ok then — apples to apples it is! Susan Boyla cannot be compared to, for example, Barbra Streisand or Celine Dion — for they have had years and years of professional voice coaching and teams of professionals to prep their stage presence, plus multi-media guru’s to direct them. For Susan Boyle to even be compared with them is awesome, for she has achieved that level of comparison without any of the training, perks, or help. She is what she is on her own. Just imagine what she could do if she had had all the posh grooming, training, and coaching that these others have had!
I think everybody responds to the idea of somebody’s dream coming true, particularly a dream that has been long-denied. All of us sometimes feel like the outsider, so seeing a person well outside the range of what pop culture will normally deign to acknowledge, coming out of nowhere and wowing the crowd, strikes a chord for everyone. Finally, her voice really is very pretty, and she sings with great sincerity and love for the song. I mostly listen to electronica, but I’d buy some standards by Susan Boyle any day; that’s music I would want to listen to when I needed a pick me up.
it’s everything about her. Caring for her dying mom, Scottish, pleasant, humourous, sure, she isn’t perfect, who is? But her voice is. And so is her story. get her on itunes, fast!
If there’s anyone who can sing “I Dreamed A Dream” and give it the right perspective, it is Susan Boyle. The song speaks of being a victim of life’s ugly circumstances and I think you should be old enough to truly grasp the meaning of this song. At 47, Susan is at a point where she can truly sing “Life killed my dream”. And the good thing about it is that she is willing to give one more try.
Justin Timberlake? He’s too old to be singing still…
Thank you for bringing up the age bit. I, like those you described, are sick and tired of marketers catering to the young. I’m off to see my favorite soap opera actors at a Charity Event in Connecticut. Their target demographic is below my age. I’m curious to see if there will be others my age or older there. Oh, and, 47 is young.
I like your fair and inclusive viewpoint. Unlike the sad, jealous and out of touch Markovitz who felt compelled to cut her down, while he totally missed the emotional & inspirational connection she made with all of us.
Markovitz doesn’t belong writing to the masses;he obviously cannot relate to them. Why would anyone ever read his articles again?? He is bankrupt of compassion and devoid of the human spirit.
I think you nailed it in the first reason. The vast majority of people back the underdog. I have seen hardnosed, emotionally neutral people absolutely melt over that video. Literally…tears. The more I watch it the more it affects me. Because she does represent so many people who feel sidelined due to age, looks, weight, etc. Her humility was probably the most engaging thing of all about her. The fact that she belted out this song and at the end just walked away. Nothing contrived. Loved it.
If you’re going to comment on how Susan Boyle looks, let’s talk also about the blonde “judge” with cleavage down to her knees. Is she so insecure about her inner resources that she has to flail her outsides in everyone’s face. Who cares? This goes to show, again, that it’s what’s inside that counts.
I think it’s just sweet. I’m half a century and it’s nice to see someone who can stand up to convention and do what makes her happy, regardless of what anyone thinks. She wanted to do it, she did it, and what a fine reward. Cool stuff.
An recording of Susan singing Cry Me river has been unearthed, and its shows yet another bluesy side to her. For me its about performance, she connects with the lyrics. You would not know form this soulful performance that this was a middle aged woman who had never been kissed. That is class.
If you’re going to comment on how Susan Boyle looks, let’s talk also about the blonde “judge” with cleavage down to her knees. Is she so insecure about her inner resources that she has to flail her outsides in everyone’s face. Who cares? This goes to show, again, that it’s what’s inside that counts.
I think Susan Boyle is charming, but my guess is we’ll have forgotten all about her in a month or two.
My only complaint is the number of people who see her as some sort of “victim” of life’s circumstances. Garbage. She may have an eccentric personality, but that doesn’t make her less culpable for her choices in life. From what I understand, she “gave up” her life to care for her parents…but I guarantee there’s more to that story than just simple self-sacrifice. For someone to cloister themselves away in a small town, afraid of life, clinging to their parents…I don’t think that person’s a victim, just someone who’s emotionally dependent and afraid of life.
Be that as it may, I’m glad to see the her getting to live her dream (which, frankly, she should have tried to do 20 years ago).