Any dream will (apparently) do
Watching this "career" unfold for Susan Boyle is strange and insulting.
The recent scandal - here in New Zealand - is that Paul Henry has offended with some comments. That's a separate issue, but basically Henry was responding to the latest news; that Boyle was mistreated as a child. She struggled at school and was physically abused.
This follows the ugly-duckling story that has been carefully manipulated to appeal to as many people as possible. Boyle's song is her swan - and she has a nice-enough voice, sure.
But it's the constant pushing of the back-story: first she was a frumpy virgin and there was this performance. That combined with the frumpy virgin back-story made her the underdog. All of a sudden everyone was on her side. People flocked alongside this ugly duckling - she had a dream, and it made people feel good to support that.
There was never a thought that it was patronising in the extreme.
Boyle did not win the Britain's Got Talent show - she was runner-up. But the people had voted with their hearts: she was the emotional victor.
Simon Cowell signed Boyle and now - just last week in fact - we have her debut album.
We had the story of her mental exhaustion - from the sudden burst of fame. Now I'm not arguing that wouldn't take its toll, but the stories are all part of the making of this woman. We're supposed to feel sorry for this "real person" who has a dream to sing.
Her dream went from being on stage and singing in the competition to the dream of an album.
She has that now - but the album needs to sell. And since so many people bought (into) the story of Boyle as ugly duckling, as frumpy-virgin, and then felt sorry for her when she suffered exhaustion from all the media attention, it stands to reason: sell more stories and people will buy them. So the stories being sold now - to help sell the album - are that Boyle had it tough. She had a rough childhood. Lots of people do. That's sad.
We seem to know an awful lot all of a sudden about this low-key, private person who just wanted to sing.
We know she's never been kissed, we know both her parents have passed; we know she struggled in school, was picked on, abused, bullied...
Or, to summarise: Buy the album. Buy the album. Buy the album. Buy the album. Buy the album. Buy the album. Buy the album.
Here is a clip of Susan Boyle singing The Rolling Stones' Wild Horses (from the album).
It's okay. I guess. It's not a patch on the original; i
t doesn't even poke in the vague direction of the song's emotional honesty. But hey, it is being sung by a woman with a dream, a sublimely constructed back-story and an album to sell...
Will you be buying Susan Boyle's record? Were you hooked in to her performance when you saw it on TV/YouTube? Is she great proof of the success "real people" can have when they hobnob it in the music industry? Or is she just another victim to the schemes and (financial) dreams of people who stand to make money off her for constructing an image of the happy-go-lucky underdog who never thought she'd get this far?
What do you think of Susan Boyle and the way her story is being created for us to devour?
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What Mike74 said. I just don't care about her and I'd be happy if I never heard of her again.
You either like her singing or you don't. I think my singing in the shower in the mornings is just as good as hers!
Lets just wait and see how much Cowell will fleece her! It's unfortunate that because of her apparent mental deficiencies and naievity, she will be exploited by Cowell and her record company and, after the media fascination with her has died, she will tossed on the scrap heap with very little to show for it. The whole affair is cynical and despite her talent, nothing will remain of her in the next five years, save the contribution to Cowell's bloated bank account and ego.
The article just perpetuates the debate and therefore more profile for album sales as far as I am concerned, pop is pop, marketing is Marketing, TV is TV, why would you expecta anything less?... get over it and write about something of some worth for a change
sorry i cant stand her singing... and it looks like the photoshop gurus' have had a field day with the latest publicity photo
You are both going to hell for your wicked thoughts. Susan Boyle is a creation of your Lord.
Mike, this isn't her gimmick. It's Simon Cowell's. I doubt she had any say over what tracks went into that album either.
Victim. Everybody's prey.
Good on Susan Boyle. When I first heard her sing I thought she was great - and this had nothing to do with her life story. As far as the comments from Mike74 about her singing of a Stones classic, what about all the other so called "artists" that have sung the song and destroyed it. I say give Susan a chance, she's entitled to her time of fame, just as much as anyone else - despite and in spite of her history. I would pay to see her perform live, but not the Stones. But then everyone has different tastes.
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As far as Im concerned the fat frump can burn in reality tv hell for what she did to a Stones classic....Sure she may have a good voice but you simply don't take an amazing song from the greatest band of all time and turn it into part of your ongoing '15sec of fame' gimmick.