Sing, Susan Boyle, Sing!

Posted on | April 17, 2009 |

susan-boyle-gives-thumbs-001 I‘m guessing that all of England and half the world is now abuzz with talk about Susan Boyle who, at the age of forty-seven, unemployed and single, went on a popular reality show, Britain’s Got Talent, to meet what seemed like universal sniggering only to move everyone to tears with her phenomenal voice. She sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables and I, at least, nearly wept with the beauty of what she did. Her voice is extraordinary but so was the powerful restraint with which she performed. But what really mattered to me was that Susan, who was truly down on her luck, had not given up on her dream to sing in front of a large audience.

We can never know the way our lives will unfold but Susan makes me think, once again, that there are often huge gifts in our discouragements. If she’d succeeded even on a modest scale, and this is a woman who has never even been kissed, she might have clipped the wings of her dream. She might have made do and settled for the occasional sing song at the pub or the church hall. But perhaps the sorrow in her life made her dream larger and more vital. I don’t know but we do know that she didn’t give up. Hallelujah.

What I love most about Susan is that she stepped out—she stood up just as she is. She came down to London from her little village. She showed up with what she had. She was down on her luck but she was not hiding away. Stepping out is such a fine, fine thing to do. She honored herself, a brave and beautiful thing. It’s fairly dismaying the way the audience rolled their eyes, as if a woman whose hair is not dyed and eyebrows not plucked could do anything at all worthwhile. And do we do that to men? I don’t think so.

Today on Oprah they showed a clip of Susan singing because Oprah’s trying to get her on her show. It worries me that Susan will become a commodity but what really ticked me off was when Oprah said Susan really shouldn’t wear dark stockings with pale shoes. Jeeez. Is that as far as we’ve come? Oprah, come on! You do not usually disappoint like that. I think Susan ought to refuse Oprah’s offer, thank you very much, and focus on a recording contract.

Onwards, Susan. Forget the media pundits, you don’t need them—just sing!

Category: Inspiration, Life

Comments

6 Responses to “Sing, Susan Boyle, Sing!”

maggie
April 17th, 2009 @ 10:17 pm

I think I listened to Susan Boyle 47 times, yesterday (several today) and wept and wept and wept, each and every time. She gave me, the country, the world HOPE. AND unlike OPRAH, simon said, susan should stay just as she is…no make-over, no fancy clothes. But STAY as SUSAN. I hope someone takes care of her….do you her dream is to sing to the Queen. She will, of course, and I’ll weep all over again.
Cat B
April 18th, 2009 @ 12:36 am

Oh, Maggie, I’m so with you!! It just makes me think how much women have felt they had to conform to ideals of beauty and what that’s done to confidence. It will be a fine day when Susan sings to the Queen!
KT
April 22nd, 2009 @ 9:00 am

mdf, wow…we all love Susan over here. She’s great! England, with all it’s faults and class divisions etc. is open to talented people and to those who excell at being themselves. Look at Boris Johnson, he’s the wackiest mayor London ever had. A few years age, a blind woman going nowhere, with a fabulous voice, won a place in Les Mis and has since gone onto a concert career.

As for Oprah, mdf, she gets it wrong a lot! I went off her offically when she addressed the New Orleans hurricane victims in the super dome from the safety of the hygienically sealed press box up in the rafters somewhere. JEEEEZE!!
Cat B
April 22nd, 2009 @ 9:49 pm

Hooray for jolly old England! Oprah gets it right a lot too, to give her credit, and she did pay for more than a few of the Katrina homes to be rebuilt. But, alas, none of us is perfect!
Mary
April 30th, 2009 @ 3:08 pm

i just happened to catch this clip walking through the room with Oprah on and it was so amazing….and i agree with everything you say. i, too, was sort of stunned by Oprah’s comment–i thought she was trying to be funny, though and didn’t quite make it…
Cat B
April 30th, 2009 @ 3:15 pm

Yeah, could be! Anyway, Susan is having a good laugh!!