The Ballad of Susan Boyle: Has Life Killed the Dream?
"I had a dream my life would be
So different from the hell I’m living,
So different now from what it seemed.
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed."
-- from I Dream a Dream, Susan Boyle's chosen song for her audition and finale
Like millions of us, I followed the rags-to-riches story of the poor, plain Scottish woman who lives with her cat, then wowed the judges and the world with her glorious voice, and became a mega-star overnight via YouTube. She was expected to win the $160,000 first prize on Britain's Got Talent, and perform for the Queen.
Didn’t happen. After coming in second in the finals on Saturday night to a dance group called "Diversity," Susan Boyle was admitted to a private clinic in London on Sunday because of an “emotional breakdown,” according to Britain's Daily Mail.
This is a tale worthy of a ballad, a story that may yet have a happy ending. But life doesn’t guarantee it, even if the tabloids skew it that way. Meanwhile, we can learn at least three lessons from this compelling event, and use them in our own lives:
Be wary of hype. Just like on American Idol, lavish praise and overexposure don’t mean all that much, except to the people making the hype: the pundits, judges and media, selling their stuff. The public may buy it at first, but eventually sees past it. Hype evades truth. Even when Boyle’s second performance was flawed, the judges seemed to pass over it. Hype often becomes pernicious.
Risk means reward. Susan chose to play it safe, repeating the same song that she sang at her audition, "I Dream a Dream” from Les Miserables. A safe choice, and she sang it beautifully, but there was not much growth or excitement. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” or some other blockbuster had been suggested by many fans, and she might have soared. The winning dance group on the other hand seemed to grow each time, with complex and risky programs.
Strive for the best, prepare for the worst. The winning dance team claims to have expected second place and was thrilled with the outcome. With all the hype it would be hard for Susan Boyle, who seemed overwhelmed and confused by the fuss, to have expected to lose. She was gracious when she heard the outcome, but is now hospitalized for “exhaustion.”
All three lessons come together. The time that Susan Boyle spent talking to fawning reporters, and fending off fans, could have been spent learning a new song, and adjusting to the possibly harsh realities of what was ahead.
The tale of fragile, talented Susan Boyle isn’t over, and has taken on a newer and deeper dimension. It may indeed become an iconic moment in our collective consciousness, remembered for years in song and word. We'd like to think it will have a fairy-tale ending, but we don't yet know if her life will end up joyous or tragic, or somewhere in-between.
In the longer run, Susan Boyle will probably become known more for her story than her voice. And maybe we've learned a lesson.
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Comments
alsoknownas, hype tends to focus on what those hyping think sells. In Boyle's case, it was frumpy woman can become a star. It wasn't about her emotional state.
1WomanVu, excellent comment. There is usually a "story" and then the talking points. Nobody wanted to focus on the sad realities.
Winona, yes she gave clues but we took the media focused on the f-bombs and not the imbalances in behavior that she showed from the start.
Either way, we all wish Susan Boyle the best. It may be what's needed to build a secure foundation or stage from which she can finally sing with security.
They build you up to the point where you might actually believe the hype,then drop you when you cant live up to their expectations.
I think she'll recover, record an album and it will sell well. I don't know if it will go beyond that first album, though. She does seem to love performing live and be more at ease there than in social interactions. If she can do that with some protection, she may also do well. Or she may sink back into obscurity after an album, but with at least her financial future secured and the knowledge that she more than fulfilled her dream before returning to "normal life."
Peter, back to the risk and reward point.
noahvose, yes we need to take the openings offered. Nike's slogan: Do it. She seemed to.
As much as the hype on her was overblown by the media, I think this "breakdown" is also being overblown by same. how often do famous people go into hospitals for "exhaustion"? Again, common. And I think it may even just be a way to protect her from the media (which are insane in England) and the public as otherwise she can't even leave her hotel room without being mobbed. And neither can she go home and be left alone.
This is the lyric of a song which was a big hit in the UK a couple of years ago:
"They'll be making sure you stay amused
They'll fill you up with drugs and booze
Maybe you'll make the evening news
And when you're tripping over your dreams
They'll keep you down by any means
and by the end of the night you'll be stifling your screams
Since you became a VIPerson
It's like your problems have all worsened
Your paranoia casts aspersions
On the truths you know
And they'll just put you in the spotlight
And hope that you'll do alright
Or maybe not
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
So why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Starz in their eyes?
Remember they said you'd show them all
Emphasise the rise but not the fall
And now you're playing a shopping mall
Your mum and dad they can't believe
What you appear to have achieved
While the rest of these users are just laughing in their sleeves
Since you became a VIPerson
It's like your problems have all worsened
Your paranoia casts aspersions
On the truths you know
And now the tabloids use your face
To document your fall from grace
And then they'll tell you that that's just the way it goes
That's just the way it goes
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
It's the same old story well they just didn't realise
And it's a long way to come from the dog and duck karaoke machine
And Saturday night's drunken dreams"
--rated--
PrincessFiona, wow, we already have a ballad! We could just put her name in that one.
Mothership, wise, wise words. So many performers have talent but not emotional toughness.
I truly hope she does well, and Simon Cowell can nurture her talent along, recognizing the fragility of her emotional health.
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Sadly, it seems Ms. Boyle was the Beast's after dinner mint.
Hells Bells, we can try to learn from things like this.
Geoff, very clever. Susan Boyle as an Altoid!
When hope was high and life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they turn your hope apart
As they turn your dreams to shame
And still I dream he’d come to me
That we would live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be
So different from the hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed
-Andromache to Menelaus.
Euripides, Andromache 320
"...So who would desire to be famous? It seems to be a desire of the insecure, those who long for external validation and are haunted by childhood traumas or feelings of inadequacy. You know, like politicians.
"For many true artists, fame is a side effect, something that happens on the way to self-expression. They want their art to influence people, to move others, and fame is the fickle shadow that follows such."
"...In due course, what we consider fame is merely transitory. Most celebrities won’t be remembered in a generation. Others will fade away in longer timeframes, but wither they will. Even the playwright quoted above, who lived thousands of years ago, will one day pass from notice as will our civilization, like those before..."
http://open.salon.com/blog/kevin_lee/2009/03/17/fleetness_and_folly
I doubt the audience for this kind of expliotation will learn anything from it
Roy, they probably won't even learn about not judging a book by its cover. I think that most people don't seem to learn much unless it happens to them, alas.
She appears to be self-effacing, which would account for her many pre-discovery years.
With any luck, she will rise from the ashes.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"
Anyway, that's the first time I've heard about this breakdown so I had to vent. Thanks for this post, Lea. I think I'm going to sing for the Queen, all the way from New Jersey. New Jersey's Got Talent (No, It Doesn't!) would be our show.
A true gift. That gift has been sent in the package of Susan Boyle perhaps to teach us the art of sisterhood and compassion, and that every women can look just how she likes to. God bless Susan Boyle the new Queen of Womens liberartion.
Karen Braysher S.S.R.H. W.F.S.H.S. Dip Hairdresser.
I think when she rests up and this whole thing settles down a bit, that she will come to whatever decision she makes and know that she did her best.
She could use a handler and a coach that actually cares for her and not just about the money that can come along with such an incredible voice.
I haven't followed her that closely, but I see her as a bit childlike and naive to the ways of the world. Once again, I wish her all the best.
Michael, I wish her the best as well. And she could use a mentor.
As for these "reality" shows, the worst thing you can be going into the Finals is a heavy favorite. People get lazy and think you've got it in the bag and the underdogs have lobbying organizations out getting votes for them. It happened on American Idol and it happened to Boyle.
I wonder if she had a "break down" over her loss, or just suffered from possible exhaustion from her whirlwind romance with the world. The media loves to distort facts in cases like this.
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For myself I feel that I know far too little about the facts, ANY of the actual facts, to have a clue as to what was going on in her head any of the three times she was on stage, when she was heckled by the media and lost her cool, or what the real reason for her hospitalization. I would be guessing.
I think, contrary to a lot of the talk I hear on TV, that her voice really is exceptional, and it was not just the shock of seeing this middle aged Plain Jane up there that made us think that she could sing. If that is so then she can be handled like many, many singers who cannot take the pressure of the things that go with the adulation in the lime light. A good management team creates a world that she can function in and feels comfortable in.
So I do not think that anything is already lost for her yet. Her first record alone will be instant platinum. After that it is all gravy if that is what she wants. If not she can go home and be the local girl who made good and have enough money to live securely to a ripe old age.
All of that based on the one thing I think is a fact: she has an exceptional voice and nobody can take that away from her. If I am as tone deaf as to be wrong on that, then all bets are off.
Monte
Karen Braysher
Karen, I would google "Britain's Got Talent" and look for a webpage. At the top or bottom might be a "contact us" tab. I'm sure there's a way to leave a message.
I think we forget that part of success is being able to pull it all together, a level of energy with food, exercise, and/or good genes, a mental resilience and confidence that keeps the enviable negativity at bay when faced with it, and support and organization to handle all of the myriad of details and decisions that must come with scheduling and fame.
With just a little fame, here on OS, I found myself taken aback with the attention. In spite of all of my training, I took criticism personally, fretted about it, and worried, and finally dumped the post. Fame? I just wanted to write well and be read, but fame? Not so much.
Thank you, Lea, for your thoughtful post on Susan.
I listened to that first rendition of "I dreamed a dream" at least 40 times...and never tired of it.
For those of you who have never heard the Elaine Paige version...google her and listen to her version which is also dynamite.
I do think she is likely autistic to some degree, but even if she was merely very shy and withdrawn, being thrust into such a maelstrom of fame and attention is staggering for the average person. It must have been terrifying for her.
Hoping for the best and hoping as well that the press cuts her some slack and backs off.
I have another one -- That even when others stand in judgment over your accomplishments, ultimately, your happiness comes from inside. I hope, whether she ever walks onto a stage again or not, that Susan Boyle can find peace in the memory of that moment of triumph, when she showed us all the limits of superficiality.