I Had a Dream

Posted on 4.14.2009

You may have seen this, but if you haven't please go and watch this video. After you do, come on back.

This performance, in so many ways, is such a profoundly spiritual lesson. One of the judges spoke of cynicism. How diagnostic that is of both myself and the age we live in. No one expected this kind of beauty, of song and spirit, existed within Susan Boyle. We were prepared to laugh at her and judge her for our own amusement and entertainment.

But the power and grace of her performance judged us all.

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12 thoughts on “I Had a Dream”

  1. not really that surprising - one could tell immediately that there had been no damage done to her voice by singing teachers - the double chin and low larynx gave it away before she opened her mouth.

    Nice though - the singer's formant showed itself 2800 cps gets deep into the human ear and psyche - I really admire that depth - I will vocalize all the way home on my bicycle.

  3. How ironic...after a long absence from writing on my blog, I was moved again to write tonight after I revisited this clip of Ms. Boyle this evening.

    When I first saw the clip on the internet yesterday I was really touched by it and the power of the human spirit. Then after seeing it again and still feeling the same emotions I couldn't help but dust off the old blog and share my thoughts. Then I finished that entry, I went to visit my bookmarked blogs and low and behold Dr. Beck blogged on the same thing...HA!

  4. Richard,

    I was reminded of these (reworked)lines: " . . . she hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see her, there is no beauty that we should desire her. She is despised and rejected of men; a woman of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from her; she was despised, and we esteemed her not. . . ."

    Mercy! A testimony to grace and beauty.

  5. As mentioned above, I could not hear the video, so I assumed that Richard's title was "his dream". I supposed that he was looking at this person and wanting her acceptance and "success"!

    As I watched the faces,as I couldn't hear the words, I was "reading" my "interpretation" of understanding of what I thought Richard's point was...which I really don't know what his point was, I was assuming...therefore, I projected my own desires upon Richard's title and understood the whole video with my 'prejuidice".

    Like it or not, we do judge others by their "cover". Short men aren't considered for promotion as often as taller men, and it does "limit" them. Woman who wear red are "wined and dined" more than when they wear other colors. Does this mean that we should change our brains, so that we will be more "compassionate toward those that don't wear read...?

    .There are certain "expectations" of executive's in their appearance, that is just the way it "works" and if we want to "get with it" then we do the best we can to "get with it"...

  6. To Aric Clark,

    Thank you for your "slightly different take"!

    I agree that there was some intent by the show's producers to exploit Ms. Boyle for publicity. It backfired as she ended up blowing everyone away. The end result proved to indict us all, exposing our own shallowness, while concurrently inspiring us deeply.

    But your analysis was fulfilled with American Idol's exploitation of William Hung. Granted, I believe many viewers grew to embrace William for his tanacity and fearlessness. But the end result is a continued perpetuation of a demeaning Asian stereotype in America (at the very least, the American media). Throughout his American Idol journey, his Asian stereotype was clearly played upon.

    Granted, I share this opinion as a 50 year old, third generation Japanese American.

    Gary Y.

  7. Gary Y,

    I'm glad so many people seem to be convicted and inspired by this. Truly.

    I still feel that the show is manipulative, and excessively self-congratulatory for what is a very superficial lesson. Really, I was most surprised, in the whole incident, by the lack of shame.

  8. A.C.,

    Most "reality" shows are maniuplative and contrived--like some theologies--to elicit specific responses. Still, beneath or within this particular "dramatic" and manipulative contrivance is something of value pointing to something else of even greater value.

    Blessings!

  9. Wow, there should really be a disclaimer before that link. I'm a huge sucker for underdog success stories and it was very difficult to not to tear up in the middle of the coffee shop. Beautiful.

  10. Aric,
    Thanks for the link to your comments. No offense taken by me. I like it when people cut across popular sentiment or thinking to create a moment of reflection.

  11. Mr. Clark: When I read your take I was immediately taken to when I first saw the clip and I too had a fleeting moment where I thought, "maybe this is staged." I often think a lot of the stuff on the reality shows is staged...how can we forget the BAWLING little girl on idol a season or two ago for Sanjaya. I mean seriously!

    But the moment really didn't last, because I really didn't care. So maybe it was staged. Staged or not, it evoked a feeling within me for which I enjoyed. Human beings create situations every day in order to bring about particular feelings -- consider Santa Claus or the tooth fairy.

    So maybe Ms. Boyle's "singing" was merely a Britney Spears lip-syncing. In the end, I decided real or not, there is a lesson to be learned here (for which I blogged about on my blog...as well as the lesson Dr. Beck mentions and others). If it is staged and Ms. Boyle is not the exceptional vocalist she has been portrayed to be, then this "story" is no less than the hundreds of folk tales made up and told day in and day out in order to help teach a valuable lesson.

  12. Reminds me of this surprise from a couple years ago...I liked him even better. :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxOytYLlhiQ

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