It all started with I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. Susan Boyle took to the Britain’s Got Talent stage and blew not just the judges, but the world away with her stunning performance of the musical classic.
On numerous interviews that followed, Susan performed the song again and again and some began to question - was this the only track that Boyle could perform?
That thought was quickly dismissed last Friday, when a recording of Susan singing Cry Me A River was discovered.
She made the recording back in 1999, when she sang the blues ballad for a charity CD.
The track was recorded at Whitburn Academy, where X Factor winner Leon Jackson went to school.
The Millennium Celebration disc, partly funded by Whitburn Community Council, was produced after local newspaper editor Eddie Anderson, dreamt up the idea.
He launched a search for unsigned acts to take part and of course, as soon as he heard Susan, he knew she had to feature on the disc.
Two songs down, an appearance on US chat show Larry King Live was the next airing of the Blackburn belter’s vocal chords. This time we were treated to a rendition of My Heart Will Go On that would put good old Celine Dion to shame.
What next? When will we get to hear this stunningly pure voice again, that conveys just the right amount of emotion required for these musical ballads, without the over the top screeching favoured by some west end stars?
Well, Susan’s hero is Elaine Paige and it seems that the admiration is reciprocated, as Paige has said that she would like to sing a duet with Boyle. Another Chess moment perhaps? Susan could surely step up to the role of Barbara Dixon with I Know Him So Well.
Whistle Down the Wind is rumoured to be her song of choice for the next round of Britain’s Got Talent auditions.
She has also stated that her favourite song is There’s A Place For Us from West Side Story. That song brings tears to a glass eye at the best of times; goodness knows what effect it would have if Susan was to perform it, given that she has told how it got her through the dark times of losing her mother and sisters.
One thing’s for certain though, in this time of tightening the belts and a bleak outlook on the world, there certainly is a place for Susan Boyle, who in a very simple way shows that there is hope and that dreams really can come true.
